War Films Of The Blitzkrieg | Battlezone | War Stories

[Music] foreign no more war we do not accept that in any circumstances for any reason there should be war we have nailed it to the pillory as a dreadful crime committed between [Applause] people in 1938 all of europe proclaimed that war was a crime but here in germany one man adolf hitler and one party the nazi party wanted war they decided to tear up the treaty of versailles and to remake the map of europe by force [Music] [Music] since 1936 hitler has reoccupied the rhineland annexed austria and crushed the sudetenman he must be stopped but no one dares paris in the summer of 1938 eduardo president of the french council returns from munich where he's given him once more to hit in spite of existing treaties france and england have abandoned czechoslovakia she will soon be carved up meanwhile de ladier is wildly acclaimed france has just broken her word that doesn't matter as long as peace is assured i am certain now thanks to the wish for mutual concessions and to the spirit of collaboration which has strongly animated the action of the heads of government of the four great western powers that the peace is safe today [Music] france worn out divided and obsessed by the memory of the slaughters of the first world war heaves a sigh of relief the french right traumatized by the popular front and by the spanish war is obsessed with communism and cherishes a secret admiration for hitler and mussolini strong men who know how to maintain order in their countries and the left are they going to fan the flame of patriotism against fascism [Music] august the 23rd 1939 the german foreign minister flies to moscow he's going to sign a non-aggression pact with soviet russia the french left is stunned how can this be possible hitler wants a free hand in the east because he intends to attack poland he knows this will mean war with england and france but he doesn't want to fight on two fronts simultaneously stalin faced with the delaying tactics of the western democracies has done an about turn he wants to gain time summer 1939 this is the third summer that paid holidays are given to french workers the french are only beginning to enjoy the benefits of the popular front september the first at dawn without declaring war the german troops go into current an irresistible force 63 divisions of which six are armored supported by two thousand planes faced with this the poles can only field 12 cavalry brigades and 300 planes in spite of their legendary bravery what can the polish lancers do against the german armor [Music] in london and paris there are anguished consultations about the invasion of pope this time there must be no drawing back paris and london send hitler an ultimatum if hostilities have not ceased before midday on september the third it is war in paris eduardo doesn't dare to submit this decision openly to parliament he simply asks them to vote him exceptional military authority in the french assembly the word war will not even be mentioned in the course of this debate in which deputy louis jacquino took part [Music] i have to say that the assembly wasn't unanimous one must recognize that and then there was a history of ambiguity because the declaration of war was made under the guise of a root for military authority must be blamed for this method of presenting the declaration of war the truth is that negotiations were continuing and i have the impression in contrast to the british that there was a hope all the same that the war wouldn't happen or at least the the germans wouldn't attack france what was the atmosphere like here obviously very disturbed there really wasn't the enthusiasm of the first war i was young in 1914 there was without doubt national unity at least in the assembly the assembly was unanimous there wasn't first of all the eagerness one must say the country after draining itself as it did in 1914 didn't want to experience a second war there was still a feeling that it wasn't right to excite the heart and not to show enthusiasm for a fight france goes into the war but holding back all the way we will make war because it is thrust upon us each one of us is at his post on the frontiers of france in this land of liberty where respect for human dignity has one of its last refugees you must combine all your efforts with a deep feeling of conqueror and fraternity for the welfare of the country long live france even at home [Music] more than half those who went to fight had already fought in the first world war andre archangel commander of the 34th infantry regiment mr arkham this clock brings back memories to you doesn't it yes it brings back great memories i found myself there on august 25 1914 mobilized in my turn and in 1939 there i was again at the same place on the platform the faces weren't the same though in 1914 they had an enthusiasm they had something it was exciting whereas in 1939 people were thoughtful they thought of all the things they had left because to make war again within 20 years is hard truly two wars in one generation is too much and france is not prepared for war some say it's the fault of the workers strike and the popular front anyway hitler hasn't attacked france say others defend our own country yes but who wants to die for danzig for poland certainly everyone will do their bit if necessary but the hearts not in it not really [Music] greets the british minister anthony [Music] the government tries to reassure the french people by every means but the compass phrases of the propaganda written by the celebrated writer jean giroudu ring terribly false [Music] soldiers of france our own young men go bravely once more to make history with love for the defense of honor and liberty are brave and good people who in so many of your quiet family groups assemble already with the memories and apprehensions of three wars look with confidence at our allies these young english soldiers at their equipment their magnificent equipment carriage said the propaganda life goes on as before [Music] be still confident always show confidence total confidence believe that everything is entirely in order and all goes well the vineyard workers since the beginning of this season have been harvesting throughout france as one sees here in champagne and in us they are the young soldiers who will be forming the french army they will assure the security of the frontiers when the british brothers in arms return to us to sample the pleasure of drinking and laughter with us these wines with a wartime date will be more delectable than ever particularly the famous alsace cop the border wine [Music] during this time hitler crushes poland in six days the german advanced columns reach warsaw on september the 20th the city is completely surrounded the 30 divisions of the polish army have been totally defeated powerless in the face of the german armored force but warsaw the first martian town resists for a week in spite of daily bombardments by the luftwaffe [Music] by october the first it's all over german troops enter warsaw this is the first demonstration of the blitzkrieg lightning warfare it's a complete success hitler can be triumphant on september the 17th soviet troops also go into pope stalin doesn't want to let hitler come too close to his frontiers and europe witnesses an unforeseen spectacle russians and germans fraternize around attract in russia which proclaims the german army salutes the red army of workers and peasants for whom it has always had great respect poland no longer exists before leaving hitler has entrusted this new protectorate of the german right to a governor general police chief hans frank of the ss and he gives him a mission settle the jewish problem in the west hitler has left 30 divisions stretched along 530 miles of front against them france has been able to concentrate 85 divisions a unique opportunity to attack on september the 5th operation tsar is launched with a great show of publicity but only ten divisions advance cautiously on a 12 mile front going into germany through the vance fox they take 15 days to penetrate five miles into german territory without meeting any resistance the germans have suffered enormous losses announced the communiques project in fact they have less than 200 dead the truth is that the french commander-in-chief general governor doesn't believe in an offensive after the fall of warsaw on october the first he orders a withdrawal at night and in secret at the time general beaufrey was a captain at army headquarters i must say that in fact it is gamelan it is gamelan and gamala alone who carries the responsibility for that farce which was the so-called offensive on the side but they just made a half-hearted attempt if one had made a push at that moment we would have had almost nothing in front of us perhaps certain inadequacies in command would have been shown one would have had to replace some generals as they did in 1914 it would have given the army a lift and a capacity that it wasn't able to get back later [Music] it was a lost chance it was a completely lost chance much more so at that time when the secret line wasn't even finished it was the incompetence of gamelan who was a person who was entirely if you like unprepared to make a decision it wasn't only gambler i imagine the government didn't want this offensive either well as to the government there was a very curious situation which developed during the winter when i was at army headquarters in paris it was the position of the legend who was a veteran of the first world war and quite brilliant as well he had remembered the many casualties of 1914 etc etc and he had a motto which was one must economize on french blood in consideration of which i was charged personally by the army general staff to put on foot seven divisions which if i remember rightly were three foreign divisions and three senegalese divisions that was economizing on french blood wasn't it you said it would have been so funny after the invasion of poland france expects a german offensive eduardo doubling as prime minister and minister for war inspects the defenses he has again brought out his gators and his leather coach from world war one the german attack is awaited well back behind the maginot line the maginot line an idea dating from 1929 a line of uninterrupted fortifications 300 miles long which runs from switzerland to luxembourg there's only one problem it can't be extended along the belgian frontier because king leopold wants to safeguard the neutrality of his country and if the germans attack through there it doesn't matter marshall pettan had replied in 1935 we will corner them like rabbits in the ardennes the maginot line insurmountable it took six years to build a million and a half square yards of reinforced concrete 150 000 tons of steel on the surface one can see almost nothing because the defense work is below ground where there are miles of tunnels here 500 000 men lived 120 feet below like mold commander gangrov spent nine months of the war here well life underground is quite hard it's quite hard because obviously in peace time there is boredom and inactivity and from time to time the soldiers grumble they suffer from what's called the concrete [Music] mentality became a factor that was to prove fatal to french morale while it gave a feeling of invulnerability there still remained the hope that the germans would not put it to the test [Music] the maginot line it isn't only an armor plating of concrete and steel it has become a mystic symbol to doubt it is to doubt france [Music] hitler encouraged by his success in poland wants to attack in the west at once returning from warsaw he summons the commander-in-chief of the army he orders 50 divisions to be brought back immediately from poland a plan of campaign in the west is to be prepared by october the 20th the german generals are completely opposed to this it's madness they say to each other france isn't poland they also remember the first world war for two weeks they tried to convince hitler the polish campaign has revealed serious weaknesses a lack of preparation hitler is furious and proclaims it is i who decide i don't retreat in front of anything i win or i fall there is a breach between him and his general staff certain officers seriously consider overthrowing him with a coup d'etat and on november the 8th hitler narrowly escapes an assassination attempt in the famous beer hall of the bergen brockella in munich where he was celebrating the anniversary of the 1923 push [Music] is it the signal no while hitler buries the victims the gestapo hunt the instigators throughout germany and the officers who plotted the assassination abandoned their plan hitler is still the master along the secret line the german army gets the order to attack in the west on november the 12th 1939 but on the 12th of november weather conditions are unfavorable the order is rescinded five times in two months hitler issues the same order but each time he is obliged to countermount it because of bad weather so like the french army the german army digs itself into the secret line [Music] the two armies are from now on face to face on foot it's the beginning of the phony war the summer of 1939 is over winter is coming and still nothing happens people begin to hope that the war will end before it has really started the stalemate continues for months five million frenchmen called up to fight are involved in this phony war a [Music] to keep up the morale of the country that was unprepared for war this one shows french soldiers receiving 2 000 soccer balls that have been donated by an englishman [Music] the french people saw the soldiers gather to watch films in bomb shelters or to see shows in homes that have been offered for these events entertainers of the time went up to the front to sing and dance with the truth the songs and music contained an element of hope hope that the war that everyone was waiting for would never [Music] crazy [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] oh [Music] foreign [Music] in this climate the war went on [Music] in germany goebbels propaganda ministry launches a new kind of war psychological warfare over radio stuttgart the french traitor certainly repeats his favorite slogan french soldier you're fighting for britain [Music] and announces the movements of the french frontline units before they even receive the orders themselves [Music] how can the germans be so well informed the fifth column of course keep quiet be suspicious the ears of the enemy are listening so spy feather is born and hatred of the fifth column grows german agents find french professors to help them and the bombardments they won't be long delayed a passive defense must be organized to protect notre dame the arc de triomphe and the opera the treasures from the louvre must be evacuated to the chateau of the oil and the gas as in 1918 it will be terrible [Music] but after a few weeks the excitement is over and the gas mask has simply become a fashionable accessory yes it's truly a phony war obsolete french planes fly dangerous missions over germany not to bomb to drop leaflets an assault of naive and pompous propaganda [Music] the newsreels maintain that leaflets are more effective than bob the allies believe they can win the war by revealing the truth to the german people rather than bombing them [Music] still nothing happens it's one of the coldest winters that france has known for a long time at the front the temperature continues to drop the waiting goes on [Music] christmas arrives the first christmas of war along the mountainous line the soldiers wonder if there will be others [Music] in london the end of the year is treated joyfully [Music] 1940 france takes hope again time is working for us it's said on all sides in fact the factories work at full capacity tanks leave the assembly plant at the rate of 300 a month france begins to catch up in the almonds race he's buying more and more planes from america 200 already maybe the government is waiting for the americans to come and fight with france president roosevelt would certainly like to he knows that sooner or later america will have to come into the war but his country is divided lindbergh the hero who would be first to fly the atlantic solo doesn't hide his admiration for hitler and he campaigns against intervention in europe he has brought back successfully the slogan america says even the united states ambassador in london a certain joseph kennedy another admirer of hitler preaches isolationism while his 20 year old son john kennedy defends democracy [Music] french factories are now producing modern aircraft 350 in march 550 in april sixteen hundred planes in five months but what can rival the mission march 1940 france has a change of government parliament has lost confidence into ladies paul reynolds replaces him he's an angrophile and in favor of an offender he has been properly elected by the vote of the majority but he's obliged to retain de la die as war minister the propaganda changes its tone we shall win because we are stronger the posters proclaim now showing the immense french and british empires and it's true on paper [Music] undoubtedly we had a certain self-confidence i'd like to make it clear that the french army was considered a thing of importance solid dependable etc but at the same time we were conscious of a great many weaknesses in the french army one was very deeply conscious for example particularly my generation that the french army was a great pillar of an outmoded party for example the development in aviation the developments in tanks hadn't been adopted sufficiently by the french army and therefore we had serious deficiencies the french army had not kept pace with the ideas that had been adopted in germany the tactics and strategies of the french high command were those left over from the first world war new ideas had been ignored an almost unknown french colonel who had written books which hardly anyone had read proposed a plan as early as 1936 a war of movement with armoured divisions supported by fighter planes he is 50 years old and commands the 507th tank regiment his name is shalda gold on january 26 1940 he addresses a memo to 80 french personalities he wrote the present conflict will sooner or later be settled by surprise tactics raids and pursuits in which volume and speed will infinitely exceed even the most vivid events of the past in the present conflict to stand still is to be beaten from the time he takes over the government paul reynolds who has known since 1936 about colonel the goal's ideas demands that the allies take the initiative mr chamberlain the british prime minister is reluctant at first but mr churchill first sea lord is enthusiastic during a meeting of the supreme council in london the allies decide to attempt an operation in scandinavia in an effort to cut off the steel supply of the germans [Music] at the beginning of april the allies lay mines around the entrance to norwegian ports send an ultimatum to norway and sweden and prepares several landings along the coastline but hitler accelerates his advance he takes four hours to occupy denmark and invades norway a new demonstration of lightning water on april the 9th six german divisions make a surprise landing the norwegians haven't had time to mobilize and attempt mainly to defend themselves but they're crushed by the look the germans have air supremacy at all times in 48 hours they have occupied practically the entire country in oslo quizling the norwegian nazi has taken power the king takes refuge in the north then in london the hitler it's another victory of staggering proportions eight days later the allies invade and the british land in the middle of norway they won't get far they have to re-embark at the end of a week for in norway the invincible royal navy makes a bitter discovery supremacy at sea is nothing without supremacy in the air the luftwaffe has sunk one of the few british aircraft carriers the courageous [Music] only a month later the end of the whole campaign takes place outside novik in norway with the french expedition reports commanded by general beitua in the glimmer of the polar knight the 13th brigade of the foreign legion of italian of alpine troops and two polish battalions succeed in landing after 10 days of hard fighting the french finally take the town it's the first allied victory of the war a victory won on land by general beitua and which succeeded in stopping the steel supply to the germans but not for long for only 24 hours in fact the next day the expeditionary force is recalled urgently to france there the real war has begun saturday may the 10th at doors the german paratroopers of the seventh division and the general students board the junckers 52s objective holland [Music] [Applause] [Music] hello [Music] [Music] uh [Music] hey do this time hitler stakes everything he throws the entire german war machine against the west 80 divisions three times as many as in 1914 along 120 miles front led by armored divisions the army group b of general von bott attacks belgium and holland both neutral countries on the morning of may the 10th the ninth panzer division clears the dutch frontier and rendezvous with the paratroops at rotterdam for the first time in history the enemy falls from the skies no one has ever seen this before [Music] student's parachute mission is to take the airport and the bridges around rotterdam by late morning he's able to announce the headquarters mission accomplished [Music] the next day may the 11th the armored troops rendezvous with the paratroops and the road to rotterdam is open for the dutch the situation is desperate queen wilhelmina and her government leave for london on the 14th rotterdam surrenders but too late going bombers already on the way [Music] after warsaw rotterdam the second shattered city with 1 000 dead 25 000 buildings burned out and 8 000 civilians made homes the whole world is shocked and indicted holland has been overrun in four days [Music] at the same time as they are attacking the holland the germans invade belgium in the direction of liege belgium so jealous of her neutrality that at one time she had brought her troops up against france faced with the might of germany she depends on the fortified line of the albert canal at which the principal fortification is evan emao reputed to be impregnable for the germans it's essential to take avon ml they use a new trick gliders drop 300 shock troops who cross the albert canal before the belgians have had time to react and proceed to attack the fort they know what they have to do for weeks they practice the operation on a mock-up in germany [Music] the belgian 7th infantry division who hold the thought resist for 24 hours but having obtained reinforcements the shock troops make another assault at midday a trained acrobat climbs onto the roof and drops explosive charges inside the main casement that's the end of even emma after crossing the albert canal the german armored divisions push on towards liege and namu everything is clear to the french general staff the germans are again trying the 1914 maneuver the famous schleifen plan attack belgium and carry on towards the somme and palace the counter has been decided for a long time general gamelan orders the allied armies in the north to throw themselves into the path of the enemy between liege and namor atkemblu and luvan they succeeded first in stopping the german advance [Music] but hitler has only invaded holland and belgium to divert the allies he wants to attack at sedan through the ardennes between the maginot line in the south and the allied army is now heading north the plan was developed by general von manstein and is called the sickle blow the objective is to head towards the english channel and surround the allied forces in [Music] belgium three german armored divisions the 19th panzer call lead the advance through the rdn they're the crack troops the best forces in the german army have been held back to take part in this offense among them was lieutenant clemens von kagenet after the victory in poland in three weeks we were a little we had a feeling of superiority and you thought that you could overcome the french army in the same way no no i did too no no not at all just before the 10th of may [Music] each one of us i believe thought it would be a very tough adventure the german army had a great respect for the french army through the hard experiences of the first world war again and this respect wasn't only in the ranks but also at headquarters the results to lead the attack the general staff chooses general guderian a man of the new school a tank specialist in 1936 he read the works of general de gaulle with approval guderian has an unshakable faith in his armored troops [Music] we knew that such a difficult enterprise would not be able to be won and exploited if the command and the troops weren't fully prepared [Music] we were sure of victory when we began to march to the frontier on may the 9th no one was waiting for them there the massive wooded area of the arden an impossible obstacle for tanks everyone said not for guderian's armor he orders them to advance day and night without stopping to exploit the surprise and the confusion of the enemy they cross luxembourg in three hours the belgian are done in one day they're resisted by the ninth army of general corrupt but on may the 12th they are already on the river mers they have covered 80 miles in 48 hours [Music] on the mers several french units of general hunziger's second army resists courageously amidst panic and disorder they even managed to halt the germans for a time but not for long each time the stukas fly over the french have more trouble holding their position [Music] on may the 13th the germans take the murders the great german army gains its first foothold on the other side of the river guderian himself comes up to supervise the operation by may the 15th the battle is over the french front is broken and they are pushed back to saddam the first move in the battle of france has been made the germans are close to total victory the battle you have just seen was one of the decisive battles of the second world war a war that affected the destinies of mended nations the world over the film you have just witnessed was discovered in film libraries all over the world and painstakingly edited to show you the incredible impact these individual battles had on the outcome of this most devastating of wars the world thanks to these films will never forget the tremendous effort put forth by all people included in the big battles [Music] on may the 14th 1940 the german army is continuing its advance through sudan in an effort to cut off and surround the allied armies in belgium the french general staff realizing they have been out maneuvered counter-attack with one of the few armored divisions in the french army it is a last desperate attempt to halt the german tanks of general guderian stretched out over 12 miles it's massacred company by company between the 16th and 19th of may another armoured division the fourth is hurriedly assembled and with colonel de gaulle in command is thrown into the battle at [Music] [Music] for 24 hours kudarian's armor is held in check but once again the stukas appear in the clear blue sky the stukas with their terrifying sons [Music] the french counterattack has advanced one mile towards guderian's commanders but the stukas stop them dead in their tracks in spite of the odds they fight valiantly also they have discovered that in a battle of tank versus tank the french honor is superior to the german but they have neither anti-aircraft weapons nor air cover inevitably they are defeated [Music] guderian and his tanks break through then general von kleist orders him to stop and wait for the rest of the army he ignores the order alone he pushes on towards the channel general gophry was a captain on the french general staff at the time a general staff officer who was running a shuttle service between the groups of the army in the north had passed by as the german advanced guard was going forward and he had watched from behind the hedge he reckoned there were only 10 motorcyclists and an armored car a small advance guard this advanced guard was going forward and some of the defenders shouted here come the germans here come the germans the germans and everyone ran out of camp this was the equivalent of what we had seen in earlier years here come the russians and here come the cossacks there was a sort of panic which preceded the arrival of the germans which meant that in reality there was no resistance between sudan and the sea [Music] on the french coast there is total confusion with the arrival of the germans the units cut off from headquarters are dislocated refugees from belgium and northern france crowd the roads with their meager belongings the regiments circle aimlessly where can they go next the germans are everywhere in front and behind north and south [Music] we were given a sort of water torture we received bad news bad news bad news unceasing bad news without having the least success if only the staff officers at general joel's headquarters who took notes to report you know and finish by becoming a little how can i say impressed by this atmosphere instead they sneered and said to each other uh oh yes you are pushed back good i'll make a note of it it was an incredible atmosphere this sort of moral wear and tear which was produced by the accumulation of eight days of constantly bad news had in some ways worn away wall to the bone the capacity for reaction helplessly the french generals watch the collapse of their defense plans said to me this can't go on i'm going to look for gamma because general gamalan the french commander-in-chief wasn't near the front he was advancing real headquarters the monk left in a car to look for gama whom he regarded as a professional soldier if one can say that and then he spoke with him in the car saying general orders must be given we can't stay down there then came down very dignified with his little potbelly and in that same room at baldwin he said well i will give you an order this order began with an extraordinary sentence which was without wishing to become involved in the conduct of the battle it is acknowledged that special orders must be given to take account of the movement involving our left wing it's quite a ridiculous memory but i believe it's worth recalling [Music] you see had in some way excited the patriotic zeal of the cook who had produced a lunch which was almost a wedding feast this incredible banquet took place in a deathly atmosphere it was almost that and governor was struggling and making jokes not particularly good ones no but he was stalking and that rank false entirely at the end of this banquet at the same time sahad and comic an enormous set piece arrived with angel's food cake and i swear that this survival seemed to me so out of place that i felt sorry the floor didn't open and swallow the tables she'll sit down and then we saluted him and he left and that was the end of his military career 72 years old replaces gamma he was the head of fox general staff during the first world war renault also makes marshall peter vice president of the council peter who won the battle of verdu in the first world war is already forming a separate political group meanwhile guderian pursues his race to the sea he advances 60 miles a day on the 19th he is absent quentin on the 20th he takes amir then abbeville on the evening of the twentieth the shpita battalion of the second panzer division is the first to reach the channel coast the loop is closed the allied army of the north is surrounded the belgian army the british expeditionary corps and two french armies it's still a considerable force vega himself gives the order to attack from north to south to break out this was vegan's first plan but the british don't have faith in him anymore lord gort the british commander-in-chief has only one concern to save his expeditionary court on may the 25th the british divisions surrounded at aras received the order to retreat to duncan without informing the french as for the belgians they capitulated unconditionally two days later king leopold took this decision against the advice of his government and only warned the french an hour later he refused to leave for london [Music] for the nations as for the men it's a disaster [Music] most of the french army in the north surrounded and in disorder falls into german hands entire divisions together with their generals [Music] general jiro commander of the ninth army is taken prisoner hitler comes to visit the front to congratulate his troops a deep where as a corporal he had fought in world war one he gives the order for his armored divisions to halt [Music] will he now threaten england will he leave goering's luftwaffe to kill off the wounded enemy or he's still afraid of an allied counter attack along the length of his flank in any case the german troops take a breather for the first time in 10 days after a 250 mile advance while the encircled allied armies fall back on dunkirk the entire british expeditionary force and the remains of the army of the north are now holed up in dunkirk in a tight mass hemmed in on all sides churchill who has replaced chamberlin as head of the british government gives the order to save the british expeditionary corps the only army britain possesses [Music] 850 votes of all kinds cross the english channel fishing boats lifeboats coastal freighters pleasure yachts trawlers tugs and even the ceremonial barges from the thames anything that can stay afloat sails for france and soon 300 french votes joined [Music] in the pocket of dunkirk five hundred thousand men are waiting for them half a million men exhausted beaten and lost who have gathered on the beaches three hundred thousand british two hundred thousand french [Music] the luftwaffe constantly attacks the boats more than six thousand men died in the evacuation burned drowned or choked by fuel oil from damaged and sunken ships [Music] so dunkirk becomes a great battle for the french navy the royal navy and the royal air force who throw in 150 fighter planes they lose 106 but they account for 150 german players [Music] [Music] [Music] all around the beaches of dunkirk the germans attacked furiously realize now that the enemy is going to escape them and three french divisions fighted close quarters to hold them up for nearly a week the soldiers of the 12th 32nd and 68th divisions are sacrificed to protect the [Music] embarkation [Applause] [Music] so in eight days the english and french boats evacuate three hundred and thirty thousand men back to england two hundred thousand british soldiers have escaped from the germans this is a success but it isn't victory on the contrary for the first time the british realized that they themselves can be invaded it's a shock on june the 4th in a great debate in the house of commons churchill announces solomon that if necessary england will fight to the end on the beaches on the hills in the fields and in the streets on that day the spirit of dunkirk is born 130 000 french now find themselves in english for them the battle of france has not ended french boats are going to take them back to brittany to carry on the fight june the 4th the germans entered uncurt and discover all the equipment abandoned by the british 2 500 heavy guns 11 000 machine guns and 75 000 vehicles off the beach lie the wrecks of 243 sunken boats at which nine were british destroyers and six french bits ninety thousand soldiers who haven't been able to embark are taken prisoner fifty thousand british and forty thousand french dunkirk is a bitter defeat general vegard has lost his battle force to create a new army vega recalls the alpine troops in the marginal line and from north africa he hopes to constitute a new force of 60 divisions in order to counter attack but for that he needs time 15 days meanwhile he gets the order to hold the song this is the vega online for this holding mission on the song he has only seven divisions among them the fourth armored division under colonel de gol the girl is given the temporary rank of general they arrive in the aberville sector one of his officers lieutenant cressman remembers it this is where general the goal was his command post his room was here below to the right and when we came for liaison meetings all that courtyard was cluttered by general staff equipment and when we came for briefing we came through that door and we went in to find general devol in his office there we were in the middle of enormous confusion everything was upside down we saw only men who were fleeing the scene with all their belongings their wagons their cows their horses their old carriages and the troops were quitting [Music] one didn't know who would be able to hold out well the goal held out for a long time not only does the girl hold out but he attacks as he had always advocated with all the tanks masked like a clenched fist he advances 15 kilometers [Music] this wood was taken and then the one behind one more victory and we would be heading for berlin and just when did you feel that things were turning out badly we didn't have that feeling that things were going badly one felt that we were running out of steam we hadn't any more tanks or equipment left and that one couldn't advance any further because we were alone reinforcements were needed but we were never desperate at any time we took very hard blows there down below there is the village of ma roy which was retaken we retook it they took it back we went back as far as the end of the village there there were battles but we were always winning until the moment when we were told good retreat and we were reunited then in a forsaken place called huawei and it's there the goal held his first parade it was the second of june i shall run memory all my life it was my wedding anniversary and it was the first time the goal had been seen reviewing his troops those that were left then we were a little proud one threw one's chest out to perhaps receive metals we were there in ranks the last [Music] he spoke to all these proud men one after the other and he said to each one where is your tank it is burnt my generality how did it get burned i was hit twice by the 105 but it should have been extinguished i extinguished it my general but they hit me again well it should have been salvaged a second time i have no use for men without equipment i'd rather have equipment without men that was to go [Music] june the 5th paul reynolds gets rid of delaniere and he calls in general to go as under secretary for war he wants to stiffen his cabinet because marshall peter and several other ministers are already talking about ending the war in less than 48 hours the germans have overwhelmed the vegard line and crossed the sun it is a tidal wave 95 german divisions 10 of which are armoured fan art over france [Music] [Music] [Music] in two days rommel conquers normandy and takes rome at the same time von kleist's armored divisions are approaching paris the parisiennes in their turn are panic stricken everything collapsed on june the 10th the government leaves paris the same day mussolini declares war on france a stab in the back the french people feel abandoned they flee leaving everything their houses their towns their villages it is a terrible exodus but impossible to escape attack from the planes which spray the roads thronged with soldiers and refugees with machine gun fire people ask where is the french air force what are they doing the french planes are fighting but away up there at an altitude of fifteen or twenty thousand feet where no one sees them one of their pilots captain akka is a leading ace he has destroyed 16 german planes he can testify that the sky wasn't empty it is a report i have often heard and in my hospital bed at gorge blanche i could see around me people who were completely surprised that an airman had been around to be shot down for the french everything that flew was an enemy one of my comrades got imported was hit above moses he came down by parachute in the middle of some french troops who shot him he had shouted to them that he was french they shot him even though he had a bullet in his legs that's how it was anything in the air was canadian or german or british never friends meanwhile nearly a thousand french fighters are making a stand against the luftwaffe in an unequal contest one against three 400 bombers and reconnaissance planes obsolete machines are massacred in the third days of the offensive but the french fighters bring down almost a thousand german planes the cost is high 700 planes lost and 200 pilots killed [Music] captain akka himself [Music] attack again on the german bomber formation when i was shot between the eyes i lost consciousness and then i woke up without really knowing what had happened to me i couldn't see sky or earth or my instruments i had dropped but with the speed that i felt my arms twisted around and then with difficulty after counting up to ten i opened my parachute i was falling very fast and was afraid it would tear and in the midst of this i remember that's between five and six i was looking for a parachute call and the next thing i knew i'd landed in the bushes which had broken my fall because the parachute had been damaged in spite of everything the brave man who picked me up old later we found the corpse of that officer in the bushes did they manage to get the bullet out no it's still there june the 11th complete collapse churchill comes to the mughal chateau close to briar on the rua to meet the french government who are moving from chateau to chateau the atmosphere is depressed general vega and marshall peter paint a dark picture of the situation the fight must be stopped they say that's the government's business poor renault captain curtly and turns to churchill we haven't any more planes he says send us all the raf plans impossible replies churches we shall need them to defend england soon suggestions fall on death ears anthony eden then british minister for war is the only witness of the meeting still alive in 1973 he was filmed by a french camera crew we had spoken for almost three hours without really getting anywhere because we have already supplied all we had it was explained that the british army and the air force had been sent and there was nothing more to send and at the end i remember churchill said what was going to happen if the need arose but that is what we want to do and i remember slightly the faces of the three men opposite me there was at that moment there were four because general george had arrived during the discussion but the three principles were there renault get it up who was insurable was listening politely but i believed was unconvinced and then peyton who had an incredulous expression during dinner anthony eden received confirmation of the division between the french at the moment uh when we were going to sit down a tall chap came in and it was to go and vegan said turning towards him uh perhaps you'd like to sit next to me uh vegan was answered by the girl in a dry voice i have instructions to sit next to the british prime minister spoke above all about the destruction of the french towns actually i was most sympathetic about that but he insisted i think that it was not only aberdeen and emil but that other towns had been destroyed as well and then i said to him well mrs all that's true but there's something worse than the destruction of towns he replied that's typical of the english because you've never seen anything like it in your country i replied well perhaps we shall this time the next day churchill and eden prepare to leave for london convinced that marshall peter has decided to abandon the fight the next morning when we were on the steps of the house churchill and i raino came to speak to us about his difficulties with peter at that moment peyton came up the steps and reino said to us i remember it well he's looking well this morning there must have been disastrous news [Music] june the 14th at dawn the germans enter paris paris an open city empty palace [Music] at the head of the column was felt fable max bushen hoffen our entry into paris was on june the 14th 1940 by the san juan gate we had followed the outside roads and the wagon avenue as far as the triumph and what were the reactions of the parisians there weren't many people in the streets there were some people who made friendly signs to us others turned their backs most of the persons were behind the shuttles of their windows 50 yards from here the great french surgeon professor martel shot himself through the head third table max buschenhofen still doesn't believe he's here at the foot of the arctic from the top of the eiffel tower they contemplate paris at their feet paris under the jackpot [Music] the sounds don't [Music] the occupation of paris to the german people [Music] is in the hands of the germans after the assault troops smart fresh and happy marched down the champs-elysees ss arrived and the gestapo who will install themselves the next day in the avenue fox [Music] oh the parisians are on the roads but they haven't gone very far they no longer know where to go all the bridges over the loire are blown up then hungry bruised and desperate they lie down in the ditches [Music] and they watch the passage of the conquerors these young soldiers big and blonde with open colors and always the noise of food [Music] the jia bridge still in existence a human tide of refugees crowds over thrown into disorder by the bombings of the stukas on the other side claude belanger and a group of french soldiers have a tightness in their throats they have received the order to blow up the bridge we began to imagine the germans so close that it would be necessary to blow up the bridge and it was still counting with terrified refugees and finally in this frantic cloud the extraordinary sounds and kais nearly made one forget that without further hesitation the bridge had to be blown up two young girls jumped into the water in the vain hope of crossing and they drowned one after the other one saw women go completely mad who wanted to destroy themselves to commit suicide and who even attempted to kill the people around them there was one case of a poor woman who had a baby in her arms and who smashed her baby's head against the head these were delightful incidents which couldn't be thought about he will remember it all his life that citizen filled with the drifting bodies of the refugees the last line of defense where certain units put up a last hopeless fight like the officer cadets of the cavalry college at somewhere officer cadet crestai was one why did you fight here he made us visit one after another the college museum where there was a collection of outstanding exhibits and at the end of this visit he told us that when we received our commission from the college we would probably be posted to some of the units given the suicide [Music] i know that in that generation of boys between 18 and 22 the question didn't even arise there are 800 samir cadets they lack artillery and air cover but they help the german armor division along a 24 mile front did you think you were going to die i don't know if one even asked that question yes perhaps certainly what one wanted i believe uh was above all to save one's honor and you don't believe that this sacrifices that so near cadets was useless i i don't know in the long run useless in the plan of the strategy of the war certainly besides the mayor had ordered colonel mission to declare samuel on open town saying that it was absolutely foolish to have the town shelled by german artillery since the fight was hopeless and wouldn't strictly speaking serve any purpose we had slowed down the enemy we had slowed them down by three days four days with practically no proper equipment that is perhaps an exploit on the technical level if i don't say so but in all ways i believe that the sacrifice of my comrades who died was not useless simply because we had certain beliefs about france and i think that those who survived this battle and their children will have in the end preserved this ideal of force the french army is no more one million 450 000 men have been taken prison hundred thousand have been killed two hundred and fifty thousand wounded yes the french are beaten in one month they have lost relatively more men than in the worst moments of the first world war they deserve better than that in bordeaux the french government the deputies and the ministers camp in the town hall in the police station in the hotel [Music] in the port the steamer matilia is standing by ready to carry them to north africa if necessary but for four days two factions stand against each other peter and vega with laval in the shadows demand an armistice renault mandel and ago want france to carry on the fight in north africa alongside the british on june the 15th there is a dramatic meeting of the council of ministers mr pierre de lis that he should capitulate and general vegan i still remember was violently angry and sweaty he was beside himself saying what you are asking me to capitulate i will never capitulate the capitulation of an army at war is a disgrace to that army in the eyes of a soldier there is an essential difference i believe between the capitulation of an army that has been beaten and one which is still armed that is to say if there are no more arms the enemy comes in invading the land and there is nothing more opposing him armistice it is the government who takes the responsibility not to disarm but to cease hostilities on certain conditions the next day renault gives way and resigns the girl leaves for london peter becomes the head of government okay frenchman i make the gift of myself to france to mitigate her misfortune it is with a broken heart that i tell you today that the fight must cease hitler dictates his condition the armistice will be signed at returned in the compien forest where that other armistice had been signed on november the 11th 1918 at a quarter past three hitler arrives accompanied by marshall goring grand admiral roder general keitel ribbontrop hess and himmler they are all there there's the historic carriage fox carriage at half past three the french parliamentarians arrived general huntsville air marshal bergeron and the ambassador leon noel they have come from paris and a surprise the germans hadn't told them where they were being taken [Music] immediately without saying a word hitler signals a general title who reads a preliminary declaration the french delegation has been brought here to wipe out the humiliation of the treaty of their side and to make good the injustice done to the german people at 3 40 in the afternoon hitler sets out the text of the conditions of the armistice to the french then he gets up and goes he hasn't said a word in fact he is very pleased to declare an armistice with france two days earlier he had explained to mussolini who would have preferred to deal with a legal french government that it would be easier to carry out german decisions through the french civil service although hitler appears to be conciliatory it's only to further his own interest france is divided into two zones an occupied zone in the north and a free zone in the south hitler doesn't take over the french fleet he simply requires that it is designed in french ports [Music] at a quarter to six the french realize the full extent of hitler's dictatorship one cause is unacceptable hitler requires france to send him the german citizens who took refuge in france the jews and the anti-nazis from the tents set up for them the french delegates telephone border then they argue with the germans for 24 hours the next day general kaitlyn gives them an ultimatum you have one hour to sign our government backs down on june the 22nd at 6 50 pm the armistice is signed the german refugees are betrayed to hitler [Music] [Applause] [Music] in london general the goal says no to the answers no to defeat no france hasn't lost the war she has only lost a battle the french defeat was due to the mechanized air and ground forces of the enemy we believe that for the honor of france we must continue to make war alongside our allies a superior mechanized force will allow us to achieve victory and to deliver our country paris june the 23rd all night the french prisoners of war have been working to remove the sandbags which cover the monuments of the capital at six o'clock in the morning paris receives a distinguished tourist adolf hitler paris is occupied but this isn't the end of the tragic story all is ready for the second act the collaborators the gestapo the hunger and the misery also the resistance torture europe is all set for four years of [Music] anguish [Music] [Music] the battle you have just seen was one of the decisive battles of the second world war a war that affected the destinies of manded nations the world over the film you have just witnessed was discovered in film libraries all over the world and painstakingly edited to show you the incredible impact these individual battles had on the outcome of this most devastating of wars the world thanks to these films will never forget the tremendous effort put forth by all people included in the big battles

Channel: War Stories

Views: 696,299

Keywords: military history, war, war documentary, military tactics, war stories, history of war, blitzkrieg, war films, war footage], war footage, archive footage, war archives, germany ww2, lightning war, french war, battle for france

Id: mC5UJsYAVOM

Length: 99min 12sec (5952 seconds)

Published: Wed Jan 06 2021