June 25

1940: France surrenders to Germany after less than two months of open warfare

Following the invasion of Poland in September 1939, the major powers adopted a policie of Sitzkrieg known as the Phoney War. This came to an end on May 10, 1940 when German armored units launched Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). In the course of a month, the German army pushed through the Ardennes in an effort to surround the Allied units that had advanced into Belgium. Fall Gelb is considered to be the birth of blitzkrieg, in which an army conducts a strategic envelopment using mechanized forces, with overwhelming air-support, leading to the operational collapse of the enemy.

While the British Expeditionary Force, as well as many French units, was evacuated from Dunkirk, Fall Gelb was considered a success. It removed from the field of battle the best units of the French Army and virtually all Allied support. More importantly, it provided Germany’s following operation, Fall Rot (Case Red) jump-off point that flanked the Maginot Line to attack the larger territory of France. Paris was occupied on June 14, and France capitulated on June 25 following the surrender of the French Second Army Group on June 22. Frances surrender was received at Compiègne Forest in the same railway car where the 1918 Armistice was signed ending the First World War.

Interestingly, modern strategic battlefield simulations of the campaign it is hard to make the Allied side lose. This has led historians to attribute France's stunning defeat to non-military factors, including a moral crisis, weak and sclerotic leadership, political divisiveness, and a declining birth rate.

It has also led to a fresh generation of jokes.

Q: Did you hear about the new French tanks?
A: They have 5 gears...4 in reverse, and one forward gear just in case they're attacked from behind!
Q: Why don't they have fireworks at Euro Disney?
A: Because every time they shoot them off, the French try to surrender.
Q: Why do they have trees in Paris?
A: So the Germans can march in the shade instead of the sun.
Q: How many Frenchmen would it take to defend Paris?
A: It's not known, it's never been tried.
Q: Why is it good to be French?
A: You can surrender at the beginning of the war and the U.S. will win it for you.
Q: What does "Maginot" mean in English?
A: The translation is unclear, but it is either "Welcome!" or "Speed bump ahead."
Q: What's the difference between Frenchmen and toast?
A: You can make soldiers out of toast.
Q: What is the first thing you are taught when joining the French army?
A: To say "I surrender" in German.
Q: What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up?
A: The Army.
Q: How do you confuse a French Soldier?
A: Give him a rifle and ask him to shoot it.
Q. Why don't Master Card and Visa work well in France?
A. They do not know how to say "CHARGE!"
Q: What is the most useful thing in the French Army?
A: A rearview mirror, so they can see the war.
Q: Why did the French celebrate their World Cup Championship in 2000 so wildly?
A: It was their first time they won anything without the help of the U.S.
The French have only one actual fighting war hero, Joan of Arc, and they turned her over to the enemy!A French rifle is for sale on eBay. It's never been fired but I heard it's been dropped once.

mw