Spring
and the beginning of summer 1940 will turn out to be particularly
loaded with crucial events for the story
of World War II. Until then this funny
of war had only been marked by some attacks
and attentive patience from allies. But in April and May,
Adolf Hitler's troops invade Scandinavia
and much of Europe, using new strategies
to take Norway and Denmark,
then from the Netherlands and France. So it's six months
after the invasion of Poland that the allied troops
will engage in combat. The harshness of the clashes marked
the end of the phoney war. Europe was at the heart
of a bloody conflict. For the Allies,
it was a time of tragedy. The only positive event
was the re-boarding in Dunkirk by nearly
340,000 British and French soldiers under fire
Goering's Luftwaffe. While Hitler's troops
rushed to the mainland, this extraordinary episode
enabled the peoples of the nations busy keeping hope alive. For the English,
there couldn't be a better way to boost their morale. May's beginning,
Winston Churchill took power. Hitler and the Third Reich
now had in front of them a resolute adversary
to fight them to the end. This third episode
recounts dramatic events who will lead Europe
in the vortex of history. Impressive pictures
the evacuation of the beaches of Dunkirk illustrate one of the key moments
of World War II. Indeed, for the first time
since September 1939, Hitler's plans
were thwarted. From this success was born
a will to resist who saved britain
from the clutches of the Third Reich and therefore influence
on the course of history. Let's go back
a bit in time. The years 38-39 had seen
important changes on the European continent. The leader of Nazi Germany,
adolf hitler, was applying
its policy of aggression. To expand the borders of his country
and create a lasting Third Reich, he annexes Austria
and invaded the Sudetenland in 1938. While the British Prime Minister
of the moment, Neville Chamberlain, was trying to promote peace,
putting Prague under pressure so that concessions
be made in the Reich following an interview
that he had had with Hitler, it quickly became clear that the leader
Nazi was not a reliable man. The Munich Accords
were signed on September 30, 1938 between the first
French Minister Daladier, Chamberlain,
Mussolini and Hitler who gave his word
that these invasion plans would be cancelled, if he could keep
the territories he then occupied. Chamberlain had thought
put an end to the war. But in great despair
allied politicians, Hitler denied
the agreement six months later and in March 1939,
the Nazis invaded Czechoslovakia. The two decades of peace
that Europe had known since the end
of the First World War were nearing their end. On September 1, 1939,
Germany invades Poland thus signing the total failure
of Chamberlain's politics. England and her allies
declared war on Hitler. What was done
two days later. Shelters were being built,
rationing was in place and the children were evacuated. The British expected the worst. But despite
preparations for conflict, the first six months of the war
were going to be relatively quiet. To the East,
it was not the same. Stalin had signed
a non-aggression pact with Hitler. In return, he was granted
part of Poland. The consequences were terrible
for the Poles. Towns and villages
were attacked, causing thousands of deaths
both civilians and military. In November 39,
the Soviets struck again, this time in Finland. Although the Finns fought
with great bravery, holding out the Soviets
for months, in 1940, they were forced to surrender and the cession of precious territories
in favor of Stalin. While Finland
signed a peace treaty with the Soviet Union, Chamberlain
and the British government haven't tried anything yet
to stop the Nazi expansion, contrary to opinion
by Winston Churchill then First Lord of the Admiralty,
which required immediate action. His concern was for Norway and it soon turned out
that Churchill was right. In April 1940,
all eyes were on to Scandinavia which was
a leading strategic target, so much for the allies
than for the Axis forces. The Kingdom of Norway was wearing
of particular importance for the machine
nazi war, since 90%
of Swedish iron production was conveyed
by ship to Germany transiting
through the Norwegian port of Narvik. The ports located to the west
of the country were very important for the Germans
for the installation of strategic bases for submarine attacks
in the North Sea and the Atlantic. This point was highlighted
by the chief of the German navy, Admiral Raider. Aware
the importance of Norway, he had spoken
in favor of the occupation of this country as soon as the trigger
hostilities in the fall of 1939. In spring, Germany
made it one of its goals. In England, Chamberlain
and his government tried to avoid war
by any way. Churchill,
was getting more and more angry that nothing was done to avoid
let Norway fall in Nazi hands. Every suggestion made
by Churchill to support northern neighbors
of Great Britain was rejected by vote
of Chamberlain's cabinet. While the motivations
of the Prime Minister remained confused, Hitler showed himself
more and more dangerous. The scars left
by the First World War were still very vivid in the memory
of those who ruled the United Kingdom. And the idea of launching the country
in a new bloody war seemed
simply unacceptable. Neville Chamberlain
had been elected Prime Minister in 1937, in preference to Churchill because
language deviations from it about the climb
power of Hitler's Germany. chamberlain
was committed to peace and followed a policy
of appeasement with the Führer, despite the aggressiveness
growth of Germany. It wasn't out of sympathy
towards Germany, far from it, because in a letter
to his sister he wrote: <i>"</i>And above all,
I hate the Germans." But he was just aware that
his country was not ready for war. UK alone
lacked the industrial infrastructure and power
financial needed to earn an arms race
against Germany. The USA, the traditional ally
of London chaired by Franklin Roosevelt, were reluctant to get involved
in a war in Europe. There were not enough funds
to rebalance the balance. But the increasingly threatening presence
portholes in the Atlantic created a feeling of anxiety
within the population. It was to be expected
that the English government could not remain passive
Longer and that time
to act was approaching. The pressure was mounting on Chamberlain
and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Viscount Halifax,
approved an occupation plan from the port of Narvik and control
railways to Sweden. On the other hand, neither Norway nor Sweden
did not wish to participate in plans that could lead them to war,
both against Germany and the Soviet Union. As an alternate plan,
Churchill suggested Operation Wilfried which consisted
to mine Norwegian waters to force the Germans
to navigate the open sea, where the Royal Navy
could wait for them. Allied troops could then
be sent to occupy Norway. The government has rejected
the idea over and over again. Churchill had his hands tied. He could only wait and attend,
helpless, to the tragedy to come. Hitler used
the time of the funny war with great wisdom, training
his plans for domination of Europe. The allies
being always hesitant, Nazi forces,
they were on a war footing. In April, their Navy,
their air force and infantry were ready
to invade not only Norway, but also its neighbor,
Denmark. Advanced post, very interesting
for certain operations. Chamberlain's dithering
had given to Hitler just the time
what he needed. Operation Wilfried
was finally approved but when the English began
to mine Norwegian waters on April 8, it was already too late. In total disregard of the non-aggression pact
signed with Denmark, a neutral country, just a year ago, German forces entered
in the country at 4:15 a.m. on April 9, 1940. In less than 3 hours, under threat
of a bombardment of Copenhagen, the Danish government was surrendering. The occupation had been so quick
than most Danes didn't have time
to understand that their country was invaded. During this time,
German General Falken Horst, with the 21st army corps,
was already on his way to Norway. The initial invasion force,
transported by many ships, planned the attack
from six Norwegian ports simultaneously, including Oslo,
Narvik and Trondheim. defense ships
coastal Norwegians torpedoed, airborne troops
Germans were parachuted on the main cities of the country, the first attack
parachute commandos in history. In less than 24 hours,
most norwegian sites strategies had fallen
in the hands of the Germans. Better late than never,
the Royal Navy rushed into battle against the German naval forces,
two days after the start of the invasion. But his efforts were in vain. It was already too late. Hitler's troops showed up
increasingly threatening in Europe. The loss of Norway
has become inevitable, Allied troops were withdrawn
to fight elsewhere. The Norwegians were
left to themselves. In London, the emotion was
at its peak after failure shipping
British in Norway. Winston Churchill had seen
disaster to happen and was enraged. The adopted passivity
until now had shown its limits. It was necessary
let Chamberlain go. During a debate
in the House of Commons, one of Chamberlain's close friends
echoed the words of Oliver Cromwell to express
the sentiment of the English people: "You sat too long
for what you have done. So I say go
and let us do without you. In the name of God, go!" With honor and dignity, Chamberlain accepted
his fate and resigned himself. It was then necessary to find another leader,
one who would not fear to lead the nation
in a new world war. Anthony Eden, curator,
was a possible candidate, but only 43 years old,
he was considered too young. Another option was Viscount Halifax,
an experienced conservative politician, secretary
to Foreign Affairs. It was Chamberlain's choice
for his succession. Perspective
to lead a coalition in wartime did not seem
fit for world-weary Halifax. By elimination, the only possible candidate
for the post of Prime Minister was Winston Churchill,
First Lord of the Admiralty, not prone to fear
and whose accurate analyzes of Hitler had greatly participated
to maintain English morale. Winston Churchill took
his functions on May 10, 1940. A new coalition
of government was quickly formed. Adolf Hitler was aware that Churchill
was going to be a tougher opponent than Chamberlain had been. The phoney war had allowed
Hitler to keep control. Churchill had to quickly put himself
at work to straighten the bar. However, no one, not even him,
could not suspect how much he was going to have to
so quickly confront Hitler. Hitler was preparing
to the invasion of France, a nation he hated
following his experience as a soldier during the Great War. Germany had suffered
a humiliating defeat and was forced
to surrender to the French army in 1918. Under the Treaty of Versailles,
the Germans had to give up territories,
important resources and, more seriously, their dignity. Adolf Hitler, simple infantryman at 20,
considered it an injustice and undermined by a desire for revenge,
was determined to bend France under the yoke of the Third Reich. The conquest of France
was going to be the crowning glory of Nazi rule in Europe. German soldiers
the brightest were gathered to carry out the final plan of attack
to occupy the Netherlands and the north of France. Field Marshal Herry von Manstein
devised a daring operation which Churchill nicknamed
then the sickle cut. Mobilizing three groups
armies A, B and C, the Germans entered
in the Netherlands and France, demonstrating
of great military skill in order to cut
the allied lines in two, trapping enemy troops
on the beaches of Dunkirk. Army Group B,
led by Marshal FEDER von Bock, was ordered to feign an attack at
through neutral Belgium and Holland to attract as many as possible
of allied troops to the north. Group C was tasked
to attack France along the Maginot line,
always to occupy the allied troops. Meanwhile, Army Group A
launched the main attack under the orders
of Marshal Gert Van Rothstein, making its way through
the Ardennes forest, crossing the Meuse
to enter France towards the English Channel to trap
Allied troops in Belgium. Applying Blitzkrieg tactics,
that is, blitzkrieg. It was a plan
as ingenious as it is risky, but Hitler was
so confident in his success that the evening before the attack,
he announced to his staff: "Gentlemen, you will attend
to the greatest victory in history." Fate made it the day
even where Winston Churchill became
Prime Minister on May 10, 1940, that the Nazis started
their advance towards France. Just after 4 a.m.
the first attacks were launched and the neutral countries, Holland and Belgium
appealed for help from the allies. The Phoney War was over. The Dutch hoped
that in the event of an invasion, they will forsake
the main protected towns by flooded areas
and fortifications and would pass through the south of the country
to enter Belgium. However, Goering,
who commanded the Luftwaffe, was determined to take over the land
Dutch airfields located to the west. Fearing that the English
do not become masters and have an attack base
hence the R.A.F. could reach
the heart of Germany, Goering therefore insisted on
that Holland is completely invaded. Although
weakly armed with artillery, their howitzers and machine guns
World War I waiting, the Dutch fought bravely
and effectiveness against tanks and powerful weapons
of the Wehrmacht. But Hitler was adamant
and all resistance had to be crushed. When these armored divisions
gathered around Rotterdam, second city of Holland,
an ultimatum was issued, either the Dutch surrendered
and their cities would be spared, otherwise they would be bombed. Negotiations had begun. But what happened next
is one of the first great atrocities Of the history
of World War II. waves of bombers
darkened the skies of Rotterdam. A shower of bombs
devastated the heart of the city, throwing 8000 people into the street
and leaving a landscape of ruins. Nearly 1,000 civilians were killed. Other important cities
having suffered the same fate, the Netherlands no longer had
than the choice to surrender. May 14,
the Battle of Holland was over and the Germans captured
strategically vital airfields. The Queen of Holland, Wilhelmina,
flew to London where she was going to continue
to support the fight against Hitler. Hitler having defeated Holland
in less than four days, the battle for belgium
was going to be a trickier business. The country was protected
by strong ebony and Mael, an enormous
reputedly impregnable fortress and considered one
of the most modern in the world. The Germans once again
used unconventional tactics to capture the fort. They used gliders
to drop assault groups. Within hours, the paratroopers
and armored divisions occupied Belgium. French and English,
convinced that it was of the main attack as
had hoped the German strategists, sent eager troops
to do battle on the road to the Germans. French and English forces
started to move forward to enter
in contact with the Belgian army in the hope of forming
a strong line of resistance stretching from the Channel
at the Swiss border. But no-one
only knew a little further south, the bulk of the forces of the army group
A were walking straight through the Ardennes forest
without encountering the slightest resistance and was about to melt
on Allied lines. In London, Winston Churchill
and his government were following
events hour by hour. The British Expeditionary Force,
more commonly known as BEF, had been in France since the invasion
of Poland the previous year. After patiently waiting
during the phoney war, battling against the rigors of winter,
digging trenches, his soldiers were
now a vital reinforcement for French and Belgian troops. The British Expeditionary Force
headed for Belgium, where she was expected
like the Messiah. Noting that Holland was falling
and that the German armies broke the lines of defence,
Churchill guessed the hardness of the fighting to come for his soldiers. And he was still
below reality. Hitler's army, which was
crossing the Ardennes, had divisions commanded
by the greatest German generals, including Irving Rommel
and Heinz Guderian. This was one of the first
to develop and advocate blitzkrieg principles. This technique which was a new
revolutionary form of war, using mechanized forces to
break through a small part of the enemy front before going deeper
without worrying about its flanks. Guderian was convinced that the armored
was the decisive weapon of this war and summed up his opinion as follows: "If the tanks pass,
victory follows." Guderian's strategy
during the French campaign, was crowned with success. Despite the maneuvers
impressive of the Germans, the Allies always had good
opportunities to foil their plans. In reality, they failed
most of the time, leaving Hitler and his troops
gain the upper hand and appear more invulnerable
each day. The Germans made their way
through the wild forest of the Ardennes. The poor state of the roads hampered the advance of the Nazi armada,
of its vehicles and its troops, pushing through
to reach the Meuse. The Meuse was one of the lines
most important defenses protecting France from invasion
forming a natural barrier between France,
Belgium and Holland on its 800 kilometer journey. We had to hold this line
defense at all costs. Due to the slowdown
of the German army, General Gamelin had the opportunity
of an air counterattack. But he decided not to hire
its strategic bombers so close
battle lines. On the contrary, he preferred
mobilize its traditional forces, tanks and artillery,
thinking that the Germans would not reach
the Meuse before May 20. Underestimating the effectiveness of the offense
German was a big mistake. Just three days
after the invasion of Belgium, on May 13, German forces
reached the Meuse. infantry tanks
attacked the ground, while Guderian's Luftwaffe
left no respite to allied troops,
performing more than 4000 sorties. The bombardment
lasted from dawn to dusk. It was the most impressive
that the world has ever known. The morale of the Allied troops plummeted,
the soldiers started to quit their job
while the panzers attacked endlessly through
the lines of defense. Soon the Germans
made considerable progress, advancing some ten kilometers
in the French lines. Around 7 p.m., baseless rumors
circulated within the units saying that German tanks
were already behind them, the rear troops having fled. It was a big mistake
which reduced to nothing the hope of saving France. The day after,
german troops and their anti-tank units
crossed the Meuse. The Allies desperately tried
to destroy the bridges by air attacks to prevent
advancing German troops. But the German hunters
as well as anti-aircraft guns shot down nearly 90 Allied bombers
in a single day. The Luftwaffe reported the event
like the day of the hunters. The bridges are still intact,
the Panzer-divisions led by Guderian were free to cross
and neutralize any resistance. It is at this stage of the fights
than the Blitzkrieg and the high level of preparation
of the German military machine showed up
the most effective. Not following instructions
requiring consolidation bridgeheads, Guderian
and Rommel began to knock in all directions, taking
by surprise the French troops. As the Panzers sank
deeper and deeper in France, it had become difficult
for the German high command to determine their direction. They became a kind
of phantom division. It was blitzkrieg
in its purest expression. The commandment
German was furious, but the progress
enemy territory was spectacular. As of May 17, Rommel had done
10,000 prisoners of war and had not lost
only 36 of his men. In Paris, the panic began
to win the government who feared
that the Allied defenses do not crumble. The archives were burned
and Prime Minister Paul Reynaud telephoned Churchill on May 15
saying, "We have been defeated, we fought,
we have lost the battle." Churchill rushed to Paris
the next day, and when he asked
where the strategic reserves were located like those who had saved Paris
in the previous war, the Prime Minister replied:
"There are not any." France was on its knees. While the government
was plunged into disarray, a future great French chef
was starting to make a name for itself. General Charles de Gaulle
hastily gathered some strength to launch a counterattack. It was one of the rare French successes
of this Battle of France. But it wasn't enough
to repel the German advance. Despite De Gaulle's inability
to save his country, his brave attempt
earned him the promotion to rank
of brigadier general. He would become
the leader of the future Free France. Even when the third rail
will be the whole of France in its clutches, General de Gaulle,
from London, his new base since he left the conquered country,
will continue to inspire the french resistance
in his fight for freedom. The Germans were still advancing. May 17, Rommel
and Guderian reunited in a position
potentially dangerous. The tanks were out of fuel,
exhausted soldiers. And after this long run
in the heart of France, without support on their flank,
they found themselves weakened. The German advance slowed down,
offering to the French a golden opportunity to attack. But once more,
they did not counterattack. Panzer Corps soldiers
so had plenty of time to repair armored vehicles, to eat, to sleep
and even shave or take a bath. The responsibility for having missed
these opportunities falls to the French government
and the military high command. Since the Treaty of Versailles in 1919,
successive French governments hoped the weather
of warlike Germany was closed. During the crisis of 29,
France had slowed down its rearmament while Germany violated the treaty
and secretly rebuilt his army, investing
in new armaments. The Germans
were now invading France. Their troops were well equipped,
while the French units lacked almost everything,
modern tanks with small arms and even clothes. Unprepared
and badly ordered, many were
the fighters to have understood that defeat was inevitable. The panzers started
to move towards the coast and this progress
became faster than ever. By combining operations
between ground troops and air force, pressure from Hitler's armies
was simply terrifying, destroying
everything in their path. Dozens of thousands
refugees began to flee so as not to have to undergo the yoke
of the German occupation. But for the allies,
the worst was yet to come because in the North,
the troops were now surrounded without the possibility of escaping. The situation was dire. Instead of a Franco-Anglo-Belgian line
containing the attack, there was now a German line
stretching from Germany to the sea, which literally cut
in two the allied forces. On May 20, Paul Reynaud,
dismissed from his Gamelin functions, guilty of failing
to contain the German offensive. He replaced him with Maxime Vegan,
a general renowned for his role during the war of 14. But even Vegan couldn't muster
the necessary forces to halt the German advance. Seeing that the situation
was getting worse, Lord Gort, commander
of the British Expeditionary Force, ordered a withdrawal
to the English Channel on May 23, with hope
that the troops could be evacuated. The Germans blockaded
Calais and Boulogne. Dunkirk, about ten
kilometers from the Belgian border, was then the last major port
available to allies. The English, the Belgians
and French forces headed for the beaches. But pursued by Guderian troops,
the allies found themselves surrounded. More than 300,000 men
found themselves trapped between the sea in front of them
and the enemy behind. Churchill and the Royal
Navy were unable to mobilize enough ships
to help the soldiers stuck on
the beaches of Dunkirk. The maximum he envisioned
to be able to save was 45,000 men, which would leave 255,000 troops
at the mercy of the Germans. It would have been a major disaster. There was
however a slim hope. On May 14, a message was
broadcast to the whole British nation, asking that
any boat owner who would not have yet
been requisitioned for the war effort be registered with the Admiralty. The call was received
by yacht owners, cruise ships
and even fishing boats. The response was incredible. Without delay,
a civilian fleet was thus formed. Most ships
being armed by volunteers, others ordered
by their owner, and all were ready to cross
the English Channel to sail to France and bring back the most
possible allied soldiers. They received the nickname
small boats from Dunkirk. They were going to play
a crucial role in what was one of the largest operations
story rescue. Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay,
who was in charge of the defense of the Dover area of operation
and protection naval traffic in the Channel,
was responsible for finalizing the evacuation plan
which received the code name Dynamo. It was a huge gamble and the staff
worked on it full time in its underground shelters
of Dover Castle to fine-tune every detail. On May 26, 1940,
the operation was ready to be launched and the vast fleet crossed the English Channel
to the French coasts. Very few knew
what to expect. The battle raged
near the French coast and German troops
were gaining ground. When they arrived
in view of Dunkirk, the crews of his ships
discovered with relief that Guderian's forces
were not visible. Along the coast, thousands
and thousands of soldiers still unscathed sat patiently waiting
let us come to their aid. Considering the incredible successes
of the blitzkrieg in France, it seemed implausible
than the tanks of the Panzer-divisions did not succeed
to reach these points on the coast. But two days earlier had happened
one of the major events of the Battle of France. Also amazing
as it may seem, it's Adolf Hitler
himself who, involuntarily, intervened in favor
of these thousands of Allied soldiers. While the panzers
got into position all around the area,
they were ordered not to move. The reasons for this strange decision
remain somewhat mysterious today. We know that Goering had
told the furies that his Luftwaffe alone could prevent an evacuation,
while Von rundstedt had warned Hitler
that his panzers needed to be restored
so as not to jeopardize the second part of the battle of France
and his plans to take over Paris. Another theory claims
Hitler didn't want war with England
and thus hoped to be able to negotiate an agreement with Churchill
which would allow him after the conquest of France,
to have your hands free to devote his efforts
to Russia and the Eastern Front. As the Germans waited,
british ships approached the French coast
and the evacuation began. The soldiers advanced
in the water to meet rescue teams
and board ships. Thousands and thousands of men
were lined up on the coast. Queues were growing. Even those who thought
that it would probably be never boarded
patiently awaiting their turn. Small boats played a vital role,
because one of the problems that Ramses had to overcome
was the shoals around Dunkirk. The bigger ones couldn't
be used directly to recover the men on the beaches
and had to wait offshore. The evacuation was in full swing
and more and more men managed to board
on board ships, when the German command
became aware of what was happening. Hitler then realized his terrible mistake.
and ordered an intensive attack by air and on land from the 27
to sweep away the soldiers and sink the evacuation ships. The R.A.F had to protect
ships and ground troops. The sky fills with hunters
trying to thwart the violent and incessant
Luftwaffe attacks. German bombs
kept raining, but the pilots
English fighters resisted. On the ground, the allies knew
that some of the men should form a barrier to keep the Germans
away from the beaches to protect ships
as long as possible. thousands of soldiers
were going to have to sacrifice their lives so that others can
survive by fighting to the last cartridge. To make matters even worse,
the Allies were informed on May 28 than Belgium
surrendered to the Germans, leaving the expeditionary force
Briton dangerously exposed. Dunkirk suffered
heavy attacks and the evacuation became
Harder and harder. Even the impressive flotilla
small boats turned out to be insufficient. In the first
48 hours of Operation Dynamo, Only 8,000 soldiers had been evacuated
French beaches. Soon Dunkirk was covered
of a huge cloud of black smoke, result of artillery barrages. Despite German efforts
to regain control of the area, allied soldiers protecting
the beaches kept the enemy at bay. disturbing news
of the situation, reaching England,
more and more boats to join the flotilla,
yachts, boats, fishing boats,
touring steamers, etc. Near the coast
fierce fighting took place. Despite this,
after depositing on British soil their contingent of surviving soldiers,
they left immediately to the French coast
for a new load of men. The German guns fired relentlessly. May 29,
90,000 soldiers had been evacuated. Morale was improving
among the Allied troops. The weather also played
an important role in the success rescue operations. On the fourth day of Operation Dynamo,
mist covered the sleeve. It was then impossible
for the Luftwaffe to take part in the fighting
and his planes remained grounded as the soldiers rushed
to the ships waiting for them. When the evacuation
ended June 4 and that the last ships
left the French coasts, more than 330,000 men
had been embarked. 2000 soldiers only
had been lost on the beaches. It was a success
unexpected for the Allies and even military officials
Germans were impressed. Hermine Romain rents
the fierce resistance of the Allied soldiers despite their under-equipment
and lack of ammunition who penalized them for fighting. For the Germans,
not having succeeded in taking Dunkirk and destroy
the british expeditionary force was one of the biggest mistakes
they committed on the western front. He could have won
the battle of Dunkirk, but he was going to pay dearly for this mistake
in the months and years to come. Back
on the other side of the Channel, the allied soldiers were
on the south coast of England. The next phase of operations
would consist of distributing the troops on the territory
as soon as possible. The stations were crowded with soldiers
hoping to go home to see their families again before receiving
new assignments. Thousands of volunteers
worked day and night to ensure
the comfort of his soldiers. They were welcomed
home as heroes. The entire nation
showed them his gratitude to have been able to survive
to fight again one day. All of the UK
rejoiced at the return of his soldiers. Churchill hailed the result
of the Dunkirk evacuation like the miracle of deliverance. But he also said: "We have to do
be careful not to consider this deliverance as a victory. Wars are not won
by evacuations. Lots of guns, vehicles, small arms had been abandoned
on the beaches and roads of France. It resulted
greater dependence to US supply
throughout the war. Additionally, many soldiers
could not be evacuated and had been taken prisoner. In France,
the situation was dire. After the evacuation of Dunkirk, General Vegan found himself
in a complicated position. France had lost
his strongest troops and the best armed,
as well as its best armored units and its heavy armament. His troops were exhausted
and had to defend a front from the English Channel to Sedan
without any help from their allies. French officials
were demoralized. For them,
Dunkirk had been an abandonment. Adolf Hitler could
then start the second phase of the Battle of France,
baptized Fals Rote. The day after departure
of the last ship from Dunkirk, on June 5, 1940, the German offensive
resumed in the direction of Paris. French Air Force,
now alone, gave up
air superiority to Germany. And while the government fled,
Paris was declared an open city. On June 14, the Wehrmacht entered
in the magnificent capital. The Parisians who had attended the
fall of their city had heavy hearts. It was an important moment
for the triumphant Germans. A new gem was added
to Adolf Hitler's crown. It was one of the great moments
who were waiting for him. When Paul Reynaud, the Prime Minister,
resigned from his post, the Marshall
Philippe Pétain succeeded him and immediately asked
an armistice with Germany. remembering the way
which Germany had been treated after the First World War, Hitler took the wagon out of the museum
where the 1918 armistice was signed and had him transported
in the forest of Compiègne, at the exact spot where Marshal Foch
received Germany's surrender. Hitler sat in the chair
that Foch had used two decades earlier, but only remained
to listen to the reading of the preamble. Leaving with disdain
his chief of staff, General Keitel
take care of the rest. France was split in two,
an occupied area to the north and west and a territory
initially independent in the south. The government led by Pétain
from Vichy, accepted defeat and tried to curry favor
of the Germans by his passivity. Hitler seized
of French territory, but a new actor
joined the theater of operations. Benito Mussolini,
the leader of fascist Italy, declared war on France
and to England on June 10 and put the pressure
on the English troops based in North Africa. The situation
of England was serious. The Germans had conquered the East
and Southern Europe and had Stalin as allies
and Mussolini. The Island was alone. However, the successful evacuation
of Dunkirk had instilled hope in the hearts of the British. after the miracle
of the deliverance of Winston Churchill, they believed
that anything was still possible. It had become evident that England
was going to be the next target. And the British were starting to
to think that Adolf Hitler and his axis of evil could be beaten
if all resisted together. Winston Churchill had
immediately reacted as a great leader. Before you even know
if the triumphant Germans would launch the great offensive,
Churchill announced: "The Battle of France
is finished. The Battle of Britain
will start soon."
