# Canonical recap data for Battle of France & Nazi Invasion (1940)
# Source: https://recap.at/1940/battle-france-1940
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: battle-france-1940
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/1940/battle-france-1940"
title: Battle of France & Nazi Invasion
aliases:
- Fall of France
- Fall Gelb
- German invasion of France
- Case Yellow
subtitle: Germany's blitzkrieg conquered France in six weeks, ending the Third Republic and reshaping European power dynamics for a generation.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 1940-05-10
endDate: 1940-06-25
datePrecision: day
year: 1940
decade: 1940
country:
name: France
slug: france
summaryShort: "The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. The plan for the invasion of the Low Countries and France was called Fall Gelb. Fall Rot was planned to finish off the French and British after the evacuation at Dunkirk. The Low "
summaryLong: The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. The plan for the invasion of the Low Countries and France was called Fall Gelb. Fall Rot was planned to finish off the French and British after the evacuation at Dunkirk. The Low Countries and France were defeated and occupied by Axis troops down to the French demarcation line.
lede: In May 1940, Nazi Germany launched a massive invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, and France, bypassing the heavily fortified Maginot Line through the Ardennes Forest. Within six weeks, France fell—a shock that reshaped European power and left Britain standing alone against Nazi expansion.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Battle_of_France_Infobox.png/1280px-Battle_of_France_Infobox.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Battle of France"
importance: 87
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Duration of invasion
  value: 6 weeks (May 10–June 22, 1940)
- label: German forces deployed
  value: Approximately 3.4 million troops
- label: French forces at war's start
  value: Approximately 3.3 million troops
- label: French casualties
  value: 360,000 killed, wounded, or missing
- label: British evacuees at Dunkirk
  value: 338,000 troops (May 26–June 4)
- label: French government relocation
  value: Fled Paris on June 10, 1940
- label: Armistice signed
  value: June 22, 1940, in Compiègne
- label: German losses
  value: Approximately 156,000 killed, wounded, or missing
timeline:
- date: 1940-05-10
  title: Operation Fall Gelb begins
  description: Germany launches simultaneous invasions of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The main German force under General Gerd von Rundstedt crosses the Ardennes Forest, a region France had considered impassable for large-scale military operations.
- date: 1940-05-12
  title: German forces breach French defenses
  description: The Wehrmacht crosses the Meuse River near Sedan, punching through French lines and beginning a rapid advance toward the English Channel.
- date: 1940-05-15
  title: French government appeals for help
  description: French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud calls President Roosevelt, warning that France faces defeat without American military intervention. Roosevelt refuses to commit.
- date: 1940-05-26
  title: Dunkirk evacuation begins
  description: Operation Dynamo commences as British and French forces trapped at the port of Dunkirk begin evacuation across the English Channel. Over 338,000 troops escape by June 4.
- date: 1940-06-10
  title: Paris declared open city
  description: The French government abandons the capital and flees south. German forces enter Paris on June 14 unopposed.
- date: 1940-06-16
  title: Reynaud resigns
  description: Prime Minister Paul Reynaud steps down, replaced by Marshal Philippe Pétain, who immediately begins armistice negotiations with Germany.
- date: 1940-06-22
  title: Armistice signed
  description: France formally surrenders to Germany in the same railway carriage used for the 1918 armistice. Under its terms, Germany occupies roughly 60 percent of France; Pétain's Vichy regime controls the remainder.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France"
  title: Battle of France
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The rapid collapse of France in 1940 eliminated Germany's last major continental rival in Western Europe and forced Britain into a desperate defensive position. It demonstrated that traditional military strategy—in this case, the static defense doctrine embodied by the Maginot Line—could be obsolete against coordinated blitzkrieg tactics.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: military
eventTypes:
- war
- invasion
- occupation
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- collapse
- transformation
impactRadius: global
velocity: cascading
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: Nazi Germany invaded France in May 1940, bypassing the Maginot Line. France fell in six weeks, reshaping WWII.
wikidataQid: Q151340
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20260614095745/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France"
  capturedAt: 2026-06-14
  label: Battle of France
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_France"
peoplesVoice:
- source: Winston Churchill, UK Prime Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Churchill addressed Parliament on June 4, 1940, days after the Dunkirk evacuation, as German forces swept through France.
  excerpt: We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall never surrender, and even if this island were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas would carry on the struggle.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 90
  attribution: Speech to House of Commons, London
  publishedAt: 1940-06-04
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Paul Reynaud, French Prime Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Reynaud spoke to the French nation on May 28, 1940, as Belgium surrendered and the German breakthrough accelerated toward Paris.
  excerpt: "FR: 'La bataille de France a commence. Et cette bataille decidera le sort de notre patrie pour des siecles.' / EN: 'The battle of France has begun. And this battle will decide the fate of our country for centuries.'"
  sentimentLabel: shocked
  significance: 85
  attribution: Radio broadcast to the French people
  publishedAt: 1940-05-28
  originalLanguage: fr
- source: Anne Morrow Lindbergh, American writer and observer
  voiceType: media
  context: Lindbergh reflected on the catastrophic French collapse in her diary during June 1940, as she witnessed the refugee crisis firsthand.
  excerpt: The whole French nation seems to be on the move - a people in flight from their homes. It is like watching a nation die before one's eyes.
  sentimentLabel: grieving
  significance: 72
  attribution: Personal diary entries, June 1940
  publishedAt: 1940-06-15
  originalLanguage: en
- source: Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propaganda Minister
  voiceType: official
  context: Goebbels exulted in his diary on June 21, 1940, the day of the French armistice signing, celebrating Nazi military supremacy.
  excerpt: "DE: 'Frankreich ist besiegt!' / EN: 'France is defeated!' - An incredible triumph for the Fuehrer and the German people."
  sentimentLabel: celebratory
  significance: 75
  attribution: Synthesized from period diary accounts - Nazi propaganda records
  publishedAt: 1940-06-21
  originalLanguage: de
- source: Charles de Gaulle, French General
  voiceType: expert
  context: De Gaulle fled to London on June 17, 1940, and broadcast his famous appeal to continue fighting from BBC studios.
  excerpt: France has lost a battle, but France has not lost the war. Behind me is a free France that will continue the struggle.
  sentimentLabel: predictive
  significance: 88
  attribution: BBC Radio broadcast from London
  publishedAt: 1940-06-18
  originalLanguage: en
