This year, France celebrated a tragic anniversary - the 75th anniversary of the shameful surrender to Nazi Germany.
As a result of the offensive that began on May 10, 1940, the Germans defeated the French army in just a month. On June 14, German troops entered Paris without a fight, which had been declared an open city by the French government to avoid its destruction. On June 22, 1940, France capitulated on humiliating terms: 60% of its territory was occupied, part of the land was annexed by Germany and Italy, the rest of the territory was controlled by a puppet government. The French had to maintain the occupying German troops, the army and navy were disarmed, the French prisoners were supposed to be in camps (out of one and a half million French prisoners of war, about a million remained in camps until 1945).
I dedicate this photo collection to this tragic event for France.
1. Residents of Paris look at the German army entering the city. 06/14/1940
2. German soldiers on the armor of an abandoned French light tank Hotchkiss H35.
3. Captured wounded French officer from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.
4. Captured wounded French soldiers from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.
5. A column of French prisoners of war on a march along a country road.
6. A group of French prisoners of war follows a city street to a meeting place. In the photo: on the left are French sailors, on the right are Senegalese riflemen of the French colonial troops.
7. Captured French soldiers, among them several blacks from French colonial units.
8. German soldiers next to a French light tank Renault R35 abandoned on the road near Lahn.
9. German soldiers and an officer pose with a downed British Spitfire fighter (Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I) on the beach near Dunkirk.
10. Two French Renault R35 light tanks abandoned on the street of a populated area.
11. A column of French prisoners of war passes through the village.
12. Captured French soldiers walk along the line of German soldiers. The picture shows soldiers from various units defending the Maginot Line.
13. Captured soldiers of various units of the French colonial troops.
14. Captured French soldiers at the assembly point in Saint-Florentin.
15. Captured French soldiers guarded by a German sentry.
16. A column of French North African prisoners of war heading to the gathering place.
17. French artillery equipment abandoned on the side of the road near Brunhamel.
18. Helmets and equipment abandoned by French soldiers during the surrender on a city street.
19. A column of French prisoners of war on the road in the Moy-de-Aisne area.
20. A group of captured French soldiers in Amiens.
21. French soldiers with their hands raised surrender to German troops.
22. German mountain rangers near the captured 155-mm French cannon Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877 de Bange, with a barrel made in 1916 (sometimes called Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877/1916), captured near the Marne.
23. French prisoners of war on vacation in the Dieppe area. Judging by the characteristic elements of the uniform in the picture, the servicemen are from a cavalry unit.
24. German soldiers on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
25. A group of captured Moroccan soldiers of French colonial troops in Amiens.
26. Line up of captured Senegalese riflemen of French colonial troops in Amiens.
27. French prisoners of war at the assembly point. Among the prisoners are members of the French North African colonial forces, presumably Senegalese.
28. Wounded French soldiers at the infirmary in the city of Rocroi.
29. French prisoners of war drink water during a halt.
30. Vehicles abandoned by the Allies on the beach near Dunkirk.
31. The commander of the 7th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, Major General Erwin Rommel, and his staff officers are crossing the river by boat.
32. A column of French prisoners of war is walking along the side of the road, escorted by German soldiers. Presumably the area around Rocroi.
33. A group of French prisoners of war on the march along the road. In the background is a flying German transport plane Ju-52.
34. German artillerymen transport a 37-mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun by boat across the Meuse.
35. A German military band marches along the streets of occupied Paris.
36. French prisoners of war follow the road to the gathering place. In the center of the photo are three prisoners of war from the Zouave regiment.
37. French prisoner of war in the field.
38. French Navy Loire-Nieuport LN-411 dive bomber made an emergency landing.
39. A German soldier near the crashed French fighter Bloch MB.152.
40. A group of French prisoners of war in formation.
41. German soldiers pose next to a broken French 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun (Canon de 25 mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).
42. Black prisoners of French colonial units in formation.
43. Two German soldiers change position during a battle in a destroyed French town.
44. A German soldier examines a captured saber captured in France.
45. Captured French pilots talk with German soldiers near the tent.
46. German soldiers next to a captured French 25-mm anti-tank gun of the 1934 model of the Hotchkiss system (Canon de 25-mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).
47. A captured French infantryman (possibly an officer) shows something on the map to German officers. To the right and left in helmets are captured French tank crews.
48. Column of French prisoners at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
49. Abandoned French light tanks AMR-35.
50. An unknown prisoner of war soldier of one of the French North African (Moroccan) Spagi regiments on the march as part of a column of prisoners.
51. A column of French prisoners of war in Rocroi is moving towards the gathering place. There is a sign on the road showing the direction to Fume.
52. Line up of prisoners of war from the French North African spagi regiments in the joint camp in Etampes during assignment to work.
53. An unknown prisoner of war soldier from the French 9th Algerian Regiment of the 2nd Spagi Brigade. The remnants of the regiment surrendered on June 18, 1940 near the city of Besançon.
54. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.
55. German soldiers and French prisoners from colonial units in the camp at the Proto barracks in Cherbourg.
56. A German soldier distributes cigarettes to prisoners of French colonial units.
57. Column of the 6th German Panzer Division in a field in France. In the foreground is a Czech-made light tank LT vz.35 (German designation Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)), in the background are German Pz.Kpfw tanks. IV early modifications.
58. Black French prisoners of colonial units wash clothes in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.
59. Black French prisoners in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.
60. Two German soldiers walk along the street of the French village of Saint-Simon past dead cows.
61. Five French prisoners (four are black) stand by the railway.
62. Killed French soldier on the edge of a field in Normandy.
63. A group of French prisoners of war is walking along the road.
64. Representatives of France are sent to the “carriage of Marshal Foch” to negotiate an armistice with representatives of Germany. In this very place, in this very carriage, on November 11, 1918, the Compiegne Truce, humiliating for Germany, was signed, which recorded the shameful defeat of Germany in the First World War. The signing of the new Compiegne Truce in the same place, according to Hitler, was supposed to symbolize the historical revenge of Germany. In order to roll the carriage out into the clearing, the Germans destroyed the wall of the museum where it was stored and laid rails to the historical site.
65. A group of Wehrmacht soldiers take cover from fire in the French town of Sedan.
66. German soldiers smoke next to horses. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
67. German soldiers settled down to rest next to their bicycles. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
68. Artillery pieces captured by German troops during the French campaign. In the foreground are French 155-mm cannons of the 1917 model from Schneider. These guns in the Wehrmacht received the designation 15.5 cm gun K.416(f). In the background are French heavy 220-mm Schneider model 1917 cannons, barrels and carriages, which were transported separately. These guns were designated by the Wehrmacht as the 22 cm gun K.232(f).
69. A German soldier demonstrates trophies - captured weapons and ammunition of French troops. Photo from the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
70. A team of donkeys as part of a German convoy. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
71. German sappers are restoring a destroyed bridge. Photo from the personal album of a soldier of the Wehrmacht sapper battalion.
72. Two German officers and a non-commissioned officer look at the map.
73. German soldiers at the entrance to the military cemetery in honor of those killed in the First World War near Verdun in the French town of Duamont.
74. Wehrmacht soldiers “wash” awards received for the campaign in France. Photo from the personal album of the Wehrmacht Oberfeldwebel.
75. A French officer talks to a German officer during the surrender of the Nantes garrison.
76. German nurses at the monument to Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch in the Compiegne Forest. Very close to this place, the surrender of France in the war with Germany was signed (and in 1918, the surrender of Germany in the First World War).
77. A French bomber Amiot 143 captured by German troops on a field in the commune of Sombernon in Burgundy. The aircraft is from the 2nd Air Group of the 38th Bombardment Squadron. The 38th Bombardment Squadron was stationed near the city of Auxerre in Burgundy. The plane returning from a mission made an emergency landing on a field due to unfavorable weather conditions and was captured by German troops. Next to the plane are motorcycles of one of the units of the German troops.
78. Two French prisoners stand against the wall of the house.
79. Column of French prisoners on a village street.
80. Five non-commissioned officers of the 173rd Wehrmacht artillery regiment on vacation during the French campaign.
81. The French battleship Bretagne (commissioned in 1915) was sunk at Mers-El-Kebir during Operation Catapult by the British fleet. Operation Catapult was intended to capture and destroy French ships in English and colonial ports to prevent the ships from falling under German control after the surrender of France. The battleship "Brittany" was hit by the third salvo, hitting the base of the tripod mast, after which a strong fire began. The commander tried to run the ship aground, but the battleship was hit by another salvo from the English battleship Hood. Two minutes later, the old battleship began to capsize and suddenly exploded, taking the lives of 977 crew members. The photo was probably taken from the French seaplane Commandant Test, which miraculously avoided being hit during the entire battle, and subsequently took on board the surviving crew members of the dead battleship.
82. A column of French captured colonial units on the march on the railway bridge.
83. A soldier of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Division poses with a French prisoner.
84. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.
85. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.
86. The body of a British artilleryman near a 40 mm 2 pounder QF 2 pounder anti-tank gun.
87. French prisoners are standing near a tree.
88. Soldiers of the Royal Highlanders "Black Watch" buy dishes from a French woman. 10/16/1939
89. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.
90. German soldiers with horses on Stanislaus Square in the French city of Nancy at the monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.
91. German cars on Place Stanislas in the French city of Nancy. In the center of the square is a monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.
93. German 150-mm self-propelled howitzer "Bison" (15 cm sIG 33 Sfl. auf Pz.KpfW.I Ausf B ohne Aufbau; Sturmpanzer I) against the background of the explosion of its shell on the second floor of a corner building during fighting in France.
94. British soldiers captured by the Germans in Dunkirk, in the city square.
95. Oil storage tank fire in Dunkirk. The plane on the right is a Lockheed Hudson, owned by the British Royal Air Force.
96. A German soldier killed in battle during the French campaign of the Wehrmacht. On the parapet of the trench there is a German cap and parts of a belt.
97. Column of captured French soldiers. Among them are many Africans from French colonial units.
98. A French woman greets Canadian soldiers who landed in France 4 days before the surrender of French troops.
99. French soldiers take pictures on the street of the town during the “Phantom War”. 12/18/1939
100. German women, children and soldiers of the cordon in the Nazi salute at a mass event in Germany dedicated to the victory of German troops in France.
101. The sinking of the British troop transport RMS Lancastria on June 17, 1940. In the water and on the sides of the tilted ship, many people are visible trying to escape. On June 17, 1940, the English troop transport Lancastria (before the war, a passenger liner that cruised the Mediterranean Sea) with a displacement of 16,243 tons was sunk by German Ju-88 bombers off the coast of France. Transport evacuated British military units from France to Great Britain. There were also a large number of civilians on board, including women and children. The ship was sunk in a twenty-minute attack shortly after leaving the French port of Saint-Nazaire. As a result, about four thousand passengers died - drowned, died from bomb explosions, shelling, and suffocated in oil-contaminated water. 2,477 people were saved.
102. Bombing by British aircraft of a French airfield in the city of Abbeville, captured by the Germans. The picture shows falling British 500-pound (227 kg) aerial bombs.
103. The crew of the French tank Char B1 No. 350 “Fleurie” in front of their vehicle.
104. German dive bombers Junkers Ju 87 B-2 from the Immelmann squadron (StG2 Immelmann) in the skies of France.
105. Killed black French soldier.
106. During Operation Dynamo (the evacuation of Anglo-French troops from Dunkirk to England), the destroyer Bourrasque hit a mine on May 29, 1940 in the area of Ostend (Belgium) and sank the next day.
107. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” in battle in France.
108. Motorcyclist of the SS division “Totenkopf” in France.
109. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” regulate traffic on the streets of a French city, accelerating the advance of lagging troops.
The Second World War.
BATTLE OF FRANCE 1940.
After the defeat of Poland in September 1939, the German command was faced with the task of conducting an offensive campaign against France and Great Britain on the Western Front. The original plan for the invasion of France (“Gelb”), which included delivering the main attack through Belgium in the Liege area, was radically revised at the suggestion of General von Manstein. This was caused by the assumption that the plan became known to the Anglo-French command after a German plane carrying secret documents made an emergency landing on Belgian territory. The new version of the campaign plan proposed delivering the main blow through Luxembourg-Ardennes in the direction of Saint-Quentin, Abbeville and the English Channel coast. His immediate goal was to dismember the Anglo-French front, and then, in cooperation with the forces advancing through Holland and Belgium, defeat the northern group of allied forces. In the future, it was planned to bypass the main enemy forces from the north-west, defeat them, take Paris and force the French government to capitulate. On the Franco-German border, covered by the fortifications of the French defensive Maginot Line, it was intended to limit themselves to demonstrative actions.
For the invasion of Holland, Belgium and France, 116 German divisions (including 10 tank, 6 motorized and 1 cavalry) and over 2,600 tanks were concentrated. The Luftwaffe forces supporting the ground forces numbered more than 3,000 aircraft.
The Anglo-French war plan (“Diehl Plan”) was developed with the expectation that the Germans, as in 1914, would deliver the main blow through Belgium. Based on this, the Allied command intended to firmly hold the fortifications on the Maginot Line and simultaneously maneuver the forces of two French and one British armies into Belgium. Under the cover of the Belgian army, defending on the Albert Canal and in the Liege fortified area, the French were to advance to the Meuse River, and the British to the Dyle River, covering Brussels and forming a continuous front from Wavre to Louvain. The plans of the Belgian and Dutch commands provided for the conduct of defensive actions along the border line and in fortified areas until the approach of the allied forces.
In total, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Holland deployed 115 divisions (including 6 tank and mechanized and 5 cavalry), more than 3,000 tanks and 1,300 aircraft against Germany. Thus, with a generally approximately equal number of divisions, the German armed forces had superiority over the Allies in men and aircraft and were inferior to them in the number of tanks. However, if the Allies had most of their tanks distributed between armies and corps as part of individual battalions and companies, all German tanks were part of tank divisions, combined with motorized infantry divisions into special corps that had great striking power. In addition, the Germans were significantly superior to their opponents in technical terms, in the level of combat training and troop cohesion.
Invasion of Belgium and the Netherlands
On May 10, 1940, at dawn, German troops launched a general offensive on the Western Front. Luftwaffe aircraft suddenly bombed the main Allied airfields in Holland, Belgium and Northern France. At the same time, airborne assault forces were launched in the rear of the Dutch and Belgian armies to capture airfields, crossings and individual ports. At 5:30 a.m., the Wehrmacht ground forces went on the offensive on the front from the North Sea to the Maginot Line. Field Marshal von Bock's Army Group B launched an offensive in Holland and northern Belgium. The troops of General von Küchler's 18th Army, operating on its right flank, captured the northeastern provinces of Holland on the very first day and immediately broke through fortified positions on the IJssel River. At the same time, the left-flank formations of the army, striking in the direction of Arnhem and Rotterdam, broke through the Dutch border fortifications and the Pel defensive line and began to quickly move west.
On May 12, 1940, German troops managed to break through the fortified Grabbe line, and mobile units captured Harlingen.
On May 13, 1940, the troops of the 7th French Army under General Giraud, who by this time had entered South Holland, were no longer able to support the Dutch and began to retreat to the Antwerp area. On the same day, German troops approached Rotterdam and linked up with paratroopers landed in the area. After the fall of Rotterdam, the Dutch government fled to London, and the army capitulated, surrendering The Hague and the rest of the country to the Germans without a fight.
The troops of the 6th German Army under General von Reichenau launched an offensive in Belgium in two directions: towards Antwerp and Brussels. Overcoming the resistance of Belgian troops, they broke through the border fortifications and by the end of the first day, on a wide front, they crossed the Meuse and the Albert Canal in its lower reaches.
On May 11, 1940, in the morning, the Germans began fighting to capture the Liege fortified area and positions along the Albert Canal. The paratroopers provided great assistance to the ground troops, who managed to paralyze the main fort of Liege Eben-Emael and capture bridges across the Albert Canal in the Maastricht area. As a result of two days of fighting, the Germans broke through the Belgian positions and, bypassing Liege from the north, began advancing towards Brussels. By this time, the advanced units of the British Expeditionary Force under the command of General Gort began to approach the Dyle River, and the troops of the 1st French Army began to approach the Valar, Gembloux line, which on May 13 collided with the mobile formations of the 6th Army of the Germans.
On May 14, 1940, the French were driven back to the Dyle River, where, together with the British, they went on the defensive.
Breakthrough in the Ardennes
On May 10, 1940, the offensive of Army Group A under General von Rundstedt also began, delivering the main blow through the Belgian Ardennes and Luxembourg. The 4th Army of General von Kluge and the Panzer Corps of General Hoth, advancing on the right flank of Army Group A, overcoming the weak resistance of the Belgian troops, broke through the border fortifications and positions on the Ourthe River in two days of fighting.
On May 13, 1940, developing an offensive to the west, mobile formations of the German army reached the Meuse River north of Dinant. Having repelled counterattacks by French troops, they crossed the river and captured a bridgehead on its western bank. On the same day, stubborn battles broke out on the front from Sedan to Namur between units of 5 French infantry and 2 cavalry divisions and 7 tank and motorized formations of the Kleist group. Poorly provided with anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons, the French troops were unable to repel the enemy onslaught.
On May 14, 1940, the troops of the Hoth Panzer Corps and the Kleist group managed to cross the Meuse in the Dinan, Givet and Sedan sectors and push back the left flank formations of the 2nd French Army to Montmédy, Rethel, and the right flank of the 9th Army to Rocroi. As a result, a 40-kilometer gap formed between the two armies.
On the morning of May 15, 1940, German tank and motorized formations entered the breakthrough and began to develop an offensive in the general direction of Saint-Quentin.
In order to stop the advance of the enemy group that had broken through, the French command decided to strike at the flanks of this group: from the south with the forces of the 2nd Army and from the north with the motorized formations of the 1st Army. At the same time, an order was given to withdraw the 7th Army from Belgium to cover Paris. However, the French failed to fully implement these measures. Being pinned down on the Dyle River by the troops of the 6th and 18th armies of the Germans, the 1st Army was unable to carry out the orders of its command. The attempts of the 2nd French Army to break through from the south to the Sedan area were also unsuccessful.
On May 17, 1940, the Germans broke through the defenses of the Anglo-French troops on the Dyle River and occupied Brussels.
On May 18, 1940, the mobile formations of the Kleist group, developing an offensive in a western direction, approached the Sambre.
By the end of the first week of fighting, the situation at the front for the Allies was catastrophic. Troop control was disrupted and communications were interrupted. The movement of troops was hampered by huge crowds of refugees and soldiers from defeated units. German planes bombed and strafed military columns and refugees, while Allied aircraft, having suffered heavy losses in the first days of the campaign as a result of attacks on airfields, as well as from Luftwaffe fighters and effective German military air defense, were inactive.
On May 19, 1940, the commander-in-chief of the French army, General Gamelin, was removed from his post and replaced by General Weygand, but this reshuffle had no effect on the course of hostilities, and the position of the Allied forces continued to deteriorate.
Dunkirk. Allied evacuation.
On May 20, 1940, the Germans occupied Abbeville, after which their tank formations turned north and attacked the Anglo-French troops stationed in Belgium from the rear.
On May 21, 1940, German mobile forces reached the English Channel coast, dismembering the Allied front and cutting off 40 French, British and Belgian divisions in Flanders. Allied counterattacks to restore contact with the cut-off group were unsuccessful, while the Germans continued to tighten the encirclement. After the capture of Calais and Boulogne, only two ports remained at the disposal of the Allies - Dunkirk and Ostend. In such a situation, General Gort received an order from London to begin the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force to the islands.
On May 23, 1940, trying to delay the advance of the Germans, the Allies, with three British and one French brigades, launched a counterattack on the right flank of Kleist’s tank group in the Arras area. Considering that after two weeks of forced marches and fierce fighting, the German tank divisions had lost up to half of their tanks, Rundstedt decided to postpone until May 25 the offensive of the Kleist and Hoth tank formations subordinate to him, which needed regrouping and replenishment. Hitler, who arrived at Rundstedt's headquarters on May 24, agreed with this opinion, and the tank divisions were stopped before Dunkirk. Further actions to destroy the encircled enemy were ordered to be carried out by infantry, and aviation was ordered to prevent the evacuation.
On May 25, 1940, the 6th and 18th armies of Army Group B, as well as two army corps of the 4th Army, launched an offensive to destroy the encircled Allied forces. A particularly difficult situation developed at the front of the Belgian army, which three days later was forced to capitulate. However, the German offensive developed very slowly.
On May 26, 1940, Hitler canceled the “stop order” for tank divisions. The ban on the use of tanks in the operation lasted only two days, but the command of the allied forces managed to take advantage of this.
On May 27, 1940, German tank forces resumed their offensive, but encountered strong resistance. The German command made a major miscalculation, missing the opportunity to advance to Dunkirk on the move until the enemy gained a foothold in this direction.
The evacuation of Allied forces (Operation Dynamo) took place from the port of Dunkirk, and partly from the unequipped coast, under the cover of the Royal Navy and Air Force.
During the period from May 26 to June 4, about 338 thousand people were taken to the British Isles, including 139 thousand British soldiers and almost the same number of French and Belgians. However, all weapons and other materiel, including 2,400 guns, 700 tanks and 130 thousand vehicles, remained on the French coast as trophies of the German army. About 40 thousand French soldiers and officers captured by the Germans remained in the encirclement area.
In the battles for the Dunkirk bridgehead, the British lost 68 thousand people and 302 aircraft. The losses of the fleet were significant: out of 693 ships and vessels that participated in the rescue of the encircled troops, 226 British and 17 French were sunk. The Germans lost 130 aircraft in the Dunkirk area.
Battle of Paris.
Immediately after the breakthrough to the English Channel, the German command began preparing the second stage of the campaign - an offensive deep into France (plan "Rot") in order to prevent French troops from gaining a foothold at the line of the Somme, Oise and Ain rivers. Even during the period of advance to Abbeville and further to the English Channel coast, part of the German forces consistently deployed in front to the south. Subsequently, they were strengthened by the transfer of formations from the Dunkirk area.
On the morning of June 5, 1940, troops of the right-flank Army Group B attacked French positions on a wide front. On the very first day of the offensive, they managed to cross the Somme and the Oise-Aisne canal. By the end of the fourth day of the offensive, Kleist's tank group broke through the French defenses and advanced towards Rouen.
On June 9, 1940, in the morning, the troops of Army Group A went on the offensive, which, despite the stubborn resistance of the French, by June 11 managed to break through the front on the Aisne River and reach the Marne in the Chateau-Thierry area with mobile formations.
Military operations in the French Alps(Les Alpes). ("Alpine Front")
On June 10, 1940, when it became clear that the defeat of France was inevitable, Italy entered the war on the side of Germany, intending to receive Savoy, Nice, Corsica and a number of other territories for its participation. The Italian Army Group West (22 divisions), under the command of Prince Umberto of Savoy, began military operations in the Alps on a front stretching from the Swiss border to the Mediterranean Sea. She was opposed by the French Army of the Alps under General Oldry (7 divisions). While inferior to the Italians in numbers, the French occupied advantageous positions, thanks to which they were able to repel all enemy attacks. Only in the very south did Italian troops manage to make slight progress in the border zone.
Retreat beyond the Loire.
On June 10, 1940, when fighting began in the Alps, the French government of Reynaud left Paris and moved to Tours (Loire Valley) and then south to Bordeaux.
At this time, the Germans, developing an offensive in all directions, pushed back French troops to the south and southeast. Army Group B, having crossed the Seine between Rouen and Paris, divided the French left-flank group into two parts and completed the bypass of the French capital from the west. By this time, the troops of the right wing of Army Group A, developing an offensive to the south, created a threat to Paris from the east.
Having decided to surrender Paris, the French command sent directives to its three army groups, according to which, if possible, without dispersing their forces, they were to retreat beyond the line of Caen, Tours, Middle Loire, Dijon, where it was planned to form a new defense front along the natural line of the Loire River . During the ongoing retreat, individual French units and formations (such as the 4th Reserve Armored Division) still offered fierce resistance, trying to delay the enemy in rearguard battles.
On June 12, 1940, Paris was declared an "open city"
On the morning of June 14, 1940, Paris was occupied by German troops without a fight.
The last operations of German troops in France during the 1940 campaign.
Capture of Verdun(Verdun)
On June 13, 1940, continuing to develop an offensive in a southeastern direction, the troops of Army Group A occupied Montmédy and approached Verdun.
On June 14, 1940, Verdun was captured and German troops reached the rear of the Maginot Line.
At the same time, on June 14-15, the divisions of Army Group C of General von Leeb went on the offensive and managed to break through the Maginot Line, thereby completing the encirclement of the French 2nd Army Group.
On June 16, 1940, realizing that the war was finally lost, the French government of Reynaud resigned. Marshal Pétain, who headed the new cabinet, immediately asked Germany for a truce.
On June 17, 1940, French troops ceased organized resistance and began to retreat south in disarray.
On June 18, 1940, the last units of the British Expeditionary Force, as well as more than 20 thousand Polish soldiers, were evacuated from Cherbourg.
By June 21, 1940, the Germans occupied Brest, Nantes, Metz, Strasbourg, Colmar, Belfort and reached the lower Loire from Nantes to Troyes.
On June 22, 1940, in the Compiègne Forest, in the same place as in 1918, in the headquarters carriage of Marshal Foch, delivered by order of Hitler from the museum, a truce was signed.
The 1940 campaign in France was over.
Losses of the German army: 27 thousand killed, 111 thousand wounded and 18.3 thousand missing.
Allied losses amounted to 112 thousand killed, 245 thousand wounded and 1.5 million prisoners.
This was the third great victory of the Germans during World War II after the defeat of Poland and the occupation of Denmark and Norway. It was achieved thanks to the competent use of tanks and aircraft by the German command, the passive defensive strategy of the Allies and the capitulatory position of the political leadership of France.
S.I. Drobyazko,
Candidate of Historical Sciences
An interesting historical project by Sergei Larenkov.
Paris, 1940. Hitler with the leadership of the Reich at Trocadero | Paris, 2010.
The history of the creation of this project. In November 2010, Rossiyskaya Gazeta organized an exhibition of works by Sergei Larenkov, dedicated to the siege of Leningrad, in the French city of Honfleur, where a Russian film festival was held. He made a number of works in Paris, dedicated to the occupation of this city in 1940, as well as the Parisian uprising and the liberation of Paris in 1944.
By early June 1940, the main forces of the French army were defeated or cut off to the north. The road to Paris was open for the German troops who had broken through. On July 14, 1940, the German army entered Paris. The years of occupation began.
The military governor, General Henri Fernand Denz, declared Paris an “open city,” and German troops entered the three-quarters empty capital a month after Germany began active military operations against France.
Paris, 1940. German soldiers march at the Arc de Triomphe | Paris, 2010:
The remaining residents of Paris were awakened by a loudspeaker in heavily German-accented French about a curfew from eight o'clock in the evening to five in the morning. It said: “Parisians! Over the next two days, the Reich troops will march solemnly through Paris, everyone should stay at home!” The new authorities ordered all clocks to be moved forward an hour. Paris lived according to Nazi laws and Berlin times.
Paris, 1940. German cavalry on the streets of an occupied city | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Montmartre | Paris, 2010:
It just so happens that in the photo is exactly the restaurant that was the first to be called “Bistro” in 1814. As legend has it, this name comes from Russian Cossacks who wanted to quickly refresh themselves.
There is a story according to which Hitler was unable to climb the Eiffel Tower because the elevators were disabled by the French who did not want to obey the new authorities. All he could do was take pictures against the backdrop of the tower.
Paris, 1940. Against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Parade of the occupiers on the Champs Elysees. | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Rue de Rivoli. | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Parade of the occupiers | Paris, 2010:
Paris 1940. Wehrmacht on Place Concorde | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Parade of the occupiers at the Arc de Triomphe | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. German cavalry on Avenue Foch | Paris, 2010:
Summer 1944. The Red Army, having liberated Belarus, is fighting in Poland. The Allies, who landed in Normandy on June 6, move east. The plans of the American command do not include the immediate liberation of Paris; they are rushing to Germany.
Without waiting for the Americans, on August 18, 1944, French Resistance fighters started an uprising in Paris. The residents of Paris, who have extensive experience in uprisings and revolutions, take to the barricades.
Paris, 1944. Parisian uprising. Barricade on the Quai Grand Augustin | Paris, 2010:
To the credit of the Parisian police, from the very beginning of the uprising they actively went over to the side of the people and, together with the Resistance fighters, entered into battle with the Nazis.
Paris, 1944. Paris uprising. Concord Square | Paris, 2010:
The uprising engulfed the entire city; the Nazis, entrenched in strongholds, offered intense resistance, which was finally broken with the approach of General Leclerc's tank corps from the troops of Fighting France, led by De Gaulle. Thus, on August 24, Paris was completely liberated by the French themselves. Crowds of enthusiastic citizens took to the streets of Paris to greet the liberators.
Paris, August 29, 1944. Victory Parade | Paris, 2010:
The main hero of liberated Paris, the future President of France, General Charles De Gaulle, walked at the head of the column at the Victory Parade.
Paris, 1944. De Gaulle at the head of the parade in honor of the liberation of the city | Paris, 2010:
American infantrymen, who had no direct connection to the liberation of Paris, but shed their blood on French soil, also marched solemnly along the Champs Elysees.
Paris, 1944. Parade in Liberated Paris | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1944. American infantrymen on the Champs Elysees | Paris, 2010:
Paris 1944. Shot down Panther at the Arc de Triomphe | Paris, 2010:
And our compatriots from among the former prisoners of war who participated in the Resistance, who also took part in this parade, helped liberate Paris.
German Invasion of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1940) World War II Map of the French Campaign Date May 10, 1940 June 22 ... Wikipedia
Offensive actions of fascist German troops against France on May 10-June 24, during the Second World War 1939 45 (See Second World War 1939 1945). F.K. was prepared and carried out in an exceptionally favorable environment for the fascist... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Coming. actions in German fash. troops on May 10, June 24 against the forces of the Anglo-French. coalition in France during World War II 1939 45. German goals. fash. The leadership was the occupation of the Netherlands and Belgium and the withdrawal of France from the war. During the F.K. there was... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia
German invasion of France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg (1940) World War II ... Wikipedia
10.5 24.6.1940, offensive actions of German troops in France during the 2nd World War. In May, German troops, advancing through Luxembourg and Belgium, broke through to the English Channel in the Calais area and surrounded the Anglo-Franco-Belgian troops in the area... ... Big Encyclopedic Dictionary
May 10-June 24, 1940, offensive actions of German troops in France during the 2nd World War. In May, German troops, advancing through Luxembourg and Belgium, broke through to the English Channel in the Calais area and surrounded the Anglo-French Belgian troops in... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
XX century: 1940 1949 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 ... Wikipedia
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On the eve of World War II, the French army was considered one of the most powerful in the world. But in a direct clash with Germany in May 1940, the French only had enough resistance for a few weeks.
By the beginning of World War II, France had the 3rd largest army in the world in terms of the number of tanks and aircraft, second only to the USSR and Germany, as well as the 4th largest navy after Britain, the USA and Japan. The total number of French troops numbered more than 2 million people.
The superiority of the French army in manpower and equipment over the Wehrmacht forces on the Western Front was undeniable. For example, the French Air Force included about 3,300 aircraft, half of which were the latest combat vehicles. The Luftwaffe could only count on 1,186 aircraft.
With the arrival of reinforcements from the British Isles - an expeditionary force of 9 divisions, as well as air units, including 1,500 combat vehicles - the advantage over the German troops became more than obvious. However, in a matter of months, not a trace remained of the former superiority of the allied forces - the well-trained and tactically superior Wehrmacht army ultimately forced France to capitulate.
The French command assumed that the German army would act as during the First World War - that is, it would launch an attack on France from the northeast from Belgium. The entire load in this case was supposed to fall on the defensive redoubts of the Maginot Line, which France began building in 1929 and improved until 1940.
The French spent a fabulous sum on the construction of the Maginot Line, which stretches 400 km - about 3 billion francs (or 1 billion dollars). Massive fortifications included multi-level underground forts with living quarters, ventilation units and elevators, electrical and telephone exchanges, hospitals and narrow-gauge railways. The gun casemates were supposed to be protected from aerial bombs by a 4-meter thick concrete wall.
The personnel of the French troops on the Maginot Line reached 300 thousand people.
According to military historians, the Maginot Line, in principle, coped with its task. There were no breakthroughs by German troops in its most fortified areas. But the German Army Group B, having bypassed the line of fortifications from the north, threw its main forces into its new sections, which were built in swampy areas, and where the construction of underground structures was difficult. There, the French were unable to hold back the onslaught of German troops.
On June 17, 1940, the first meeting of the collaborationist government of France, headed by Marshal Henri Petain, took place. It lasted only 10 minutes. During this time, the ministers unanimously voted for the decision to appeal to the German command and ask them to end the war on French territory.
For these purposes, the services of an intermediary were used. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs, P. Baudouin, through the Spanish Ambassador Lequeric, conveyed a note in which the French government asked Spain to appeal to the German leadership with a request to end hostilities in France, and also to find out the terms of the truce. At the same time, a proposal for a truce was sent to Italy through the papal nuncio. On the same day, Pétain addressed the people and the army on the radio, calling on them to “stop the fight.”
When signing the armistice agreement (act of surrender) between Germany and France, Hitler looked warily at the latter's vast colonies, many of which were ready to continue resistance. This explains some of the relaxations in the treaty, in particular, the preservation of part of the French navy to maintain “order” in its colonies.
England was also vitally interested in the fate of the French colonies, since the threat of their capture by German forces was highly assessed. Churchill hatched plans to create an émigré government of France, which would give actual control over the French overseas possessions to Britain.
General Charles de Gaulle, who created a government in opposition to the Vichy regime, directed all his efforts towards taking possession of the colonies.
However, the North African administration rejected the offer to join the Free French. A completely different mood reigned in the colonies of Equatorial Africa - already in August 1940, Chad, Gabon and Cameroon joined de Gaulle, which created the conditions for the general to form a state apparatus.
Realizing that France's defeat by Germany was inevitable, Mussolini declared war on her on June 10, 1940. The Italian Army Group "West" of Prince Umberto of Savoy, with a force of over 300 thousand people, supported by 3 thousand guns, began an offensive in the Alps region. However, the opposing army of General Oldry successfully repelled these attacks.
By June 20, the offensive of the Italian divisions became more fierce, but they only managed to advance slightly in the Menton area. Mussolini was furious - his plans to seize a large piece of its territory by the time France surrendered failed. The Italian dictator had already begun preparing an airborne assault, but did not receive approval for this operation from the German command.
On June 22, an armistice was signed between France and Germany, and two days later France and Italy entered into the same agreement. Thus, with a “victorious embarrassment,” Italy entered the Second World War.
During the active phase of the war, which lasted from May 10 to June 21, 1940, the French army lost about 300 thousand people killed and wounded. One and a half million were captured. The French tank corps and air force were partially destroyed, the other part went to the German armed forces. At the same time, Britain liquidates the French fleet to avoid it falling into the hands of the Wehrmacht.
Despite the fact that the capture of France occurred in a short time, its armed forces gave a worthy rebuff to German and Italian troops. During the month and a half of the war, the Wehrmacht lost more than 45 thousand people killed and missing, and about 11 thousand were wounded.
The French victims of German aggression could not have been in vain if the French government had accepted a number of concessions put forward by Britain in exchange for the entry of the royal armed forces into the war. But France chose to capitulate.
Paris – a place of convergence 
According to the armistice agreement, Germany occupied only the western coast of France and the northern regions of the country, where Paris was located. The capital was a kind of place for “French-German” rapprochement. German soldiers and Parisians lived peacefully here: they went to the movies together, visited museums, or just sat in a cafe. After the occupation, theaters also revived - their box office revenue tripled compared to the pre-war years.
Paris very quickly became the cultural center of occupied Europe. France lived as before, as if there had been no months of desperate resistance and unfulfilled hopes. German propaganda managed to convince many French that capitulation was not a shame for the country, but the road to a “bright future” for a renewed Europe.
