WWII Battles in
France & Britain
October 19, 2009
• Hitler’s next stop: France
– France prepare for
Germans
• Interconnected fortresses
along German border
(Maginot Line)
• Finest armies along Belgium
border
– Route Germany took in 1914
• Ardennes
– Between Maginot line &
Belgium
• Hilly, forests
• France considered
INVASION PROOF
– WRONG!!!
• May 1940
– Germans roll through Ardennes
– Head NORTH to English Channel
• German Plan: Trap France &
Great Britain against English
Channel
– Almost worked…Couple mistakes
• Allowed enough time to evacuate to
Britain from Dunkirk (called “Miracle of
Dunkirk”)
– 338,000 troops escaped
• Would have crushed England
• New Prime Minister: Winston
Churchill
• France falls in 35 days
– Germany takes Paris
– Force France to surrender
in same railway car as
German surrender in 1918
– France divided in 2
sections
• Large NORTH - Germans
• Small SOUTH - French
• NEXT STOP: Great
Britain
• “I will never worry about ACTION, but only about INACTION” Churchill
– FIGHT, FIGHT, FIGHT
• Hitler’s Plan: Operation Sea Lion
– German Air Force
• Destroy GB Air Force
• Take control of English Channel
• July 1940
– Battle of Britain
• Air Battle
• Fought over GB & English Channel
• GB lost 1000 planes
– Germany: 1700 planes
• Germans bomb military & civilians
• London - “The Blitz”
– Months long
– GB holds on
– Germany leaves (senses failure)