Transcript Phase 2: Operation Dynamo

"The hour has come…The fight which begins today will decide the destiny
of the German people for 1000 years. Now do your duty.”
-Adolf Hitler
.
Presentation by: Elaine Kim, Emi Nakatsu, Riddhi Patel, Sabrina Loos, Serena Xiong

After the fall of France, the Allied
powers were disoriented because of
the unexpected occupation of France,
a presumed dominant country. This
upset the balance of power in Europe,
by granting Germany an advantage
over the British during World War II,
as well as the ability to manipulate
France as a puppet state.

September 1, 1939: start of WWII

Little to no fighting until...

“Phony War” ends on May 10th, 1940

May 10th, 1940: start of the Battle of
France

German invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands,
Luxembourg and France

Hitler was eager to follow up his victory over
Poland in 1939 by attacking in the west, but bad
weather forced the planned offensive to be
postponed

Then, in January 1940, a German plane crashed
in neutral Belgium, with a copy of the attack
orders on board

Hitler was forced to rethink plans, with the help
of General Erich von Manstein
The attack began on May 10, with German air
raids on Belgium and Holland
 German forces went through the Ardennes
Forest, going around the Maginot Line and
catching the Allies off guard
 Breaking through the French border defenses
took just two days
 On May 20, German forces reached the English
Channel and soon encircled the Allies

May 27, 1940 – June 4, 1940
German invaded France and
surrounded British forces
 Evacuation of British Expeditionary
Force (BEF) from Dunkirk, France
 Hoped to extract 40,000 BEF
members
 Actually extracted 364,628 members



Halt Order
 Issued by German High Command
 Approved by Adolf Hitler

German air force unsuccessfully
attempts to destroy British forces
on ground with dive-bombers
 Not very effective

British and French victory
 Enough troops evacuated to continue
fighting war
 Germans could have ended the war on
the spot
 Moral victory

“Wars are not won by evacuation.”
- Winston Churchill

German troops: outflanked the Maginot
Line
 -attack the larger territory of France

German air superiority & armored mobility
 Two sub-operations
Preliminary:
June 5th
Location: West
Fought over Somme
River, towards Seine
Main Offensive:
4 days later: June 9th
Location: Central
Fought over Aisne River
.

Allied Armies quickly defeated
 German Blitzkrieg tactic

Effectively supported by attack aircraft
 Stukas
The German High command-Fall rot to
proceed: Fall Gelb
 Significant French losses

 Material in the North
 Line of almost 1000 km

On June 10th, the French government fled
Paris and declared it an “open city”

The signing of the armistice took place in the
forest of Compiègne, where, 22 years before,
the Germans had surrendered to the French
and signed the armistice of November 11,
1918

France was split into two: the northern half
was occupied by the Germans and the
southern half run by a French government
answerable to the Germans
The
French
armies
deployed
in7.three
groups.
Army
Group
1 comprises
1.,
2.,
7.,
9. back.
Armies
and
theeasily
British
Expeditionary
Force;
its
objective
is Armies
to
thesurrender
retreating
German
The
Germans
bombers
18.
Army
seek
viciously
relentlessly
to
reduce
terror-bomb
the
attacks
remnants
major
the of
Dutch
Army
Army,
in
Group
the
cutting
Low
1:
German
Countries.
it off
6.
from
Army
the
Group
splits
French
the
A
BEF
armies.
pushes
from
French
the
Belgian
Dutch
7.
Army
and
Army,
advances
Belgian
into
areinforce
Belgian
back,
Netherlands
aided
Advanced
Army
The
evacuation
Group
elements
B attacks
ofare
Dunkirk
of
the
French
remains
begins.
Army
Hitler
of army
Army
areisshoved
Group
persuaded
back
1cities
andby
by
succeeds
Luftwaffe
German
in
18.
commander,
pushing
Army
tothem
reinforce
Goerring,
the
Panzer
toDutch
allow
Group
Army’s
his aircraft
Kleist
isolation.
annihilates
tothe
complete
German
French
the
bombers
BEF’s
9.forcing
Army
destroy
destruction.
but
is
anthe
ordered
entire
British
section
to
aircraft
halt by
by
of
Dutch and Belgian Armies along the Dyle Line. Army Group 2 comprises 3., 4. and 5. Armies; its objective is to hold the Maginot Line. Army Group 3 comprises 8. Army; its objective
German
anyways
while
Panzer
airborne
totocover
Group
Antwerp.
troops
which
and
Theforcing
4.rest
seize
Army
of
key
Army
push
fortresses
north,
Group
encircling
1 reaches
and
panic
French
the
rear
Dyle
1.
services.
Line
Army.
andThe
Army
consolidates;
BEFGroup
launches
1 German
rushes
counterattack
to
6. Army
the
Dyle
probes
atLine
Arras
this
tothe
but
reinforce
defensive
it isand
repelled.
the
lineresumes
retreating
with
French
little
Rotterdam
Hitler
take
off
to
allow
from
make
the
the home
infantry
anKleist
example,
islands
to
catch
to
defend
up.
This
the
the
Dutch
allows
evacuation
toGamelin
surrender.
armada
to deploy
Gamelin
in 6.
costly
begins
and
10.
dogfights
shifting
Armies.
although
French
The
halt
7. Goering
Army
order
south.
isafails
eventually
German
to
destroy
lifted
6.
Army
the
and
BEF.
pins
Panzer
German
Group
BEF
4.
Kleist
and
French
18.
1.
Armies
Army
its
is to defend against any outflanking of the Maginot Line through Switzerland. The German armies are deployed in three army groups. Army Group B comprises 6. and 18. Armies;
while
advance,
belatedly
brushing
advance
Group
aside
on
Kleist
Dunkirk
French
breaks
while
7.
through
Army
encircled
and
the enticing
hinge
reaching
French
ofFrench
French
1.
the
Channel.
2.
heroically
and
9.
German
Armies
fights
4.
atArmy
Sedan,
on
to
follows
tie
opening
down
closely
German
anthe
80-km
behind,
forces.
gap
12.
between
French
and
16.
them.
1.Armies
Army
Gamelin
establish
surrenders
activates
aArmy
only
front
French
after
running
the
6.to
Army
eastvast
Belgian
result.
7.
andPanzer
Meanwhile,
10.
Army
while
also
Army
the
launch
Group
Dutch
counterattacks
AArmy
continues
retreats
to advance;
into
to
cut
itsArmy
off
own
Panzer
the
prepared
German
Group
advance
lines.
Kleist
Unrealized
emerges
armies
from
but
by
the
the
attacks
French,
Ardennes
are
Army
and
weak
Group
drives
and
AGerman
makes
Sedan
9.its
way
where
arrives
through
only
the
fill
its objective
isArmies
to advance
into
the Low
Countries,
armies
to
rush
in to
meet it.
Army
Group
A comprises
4., 12.,
16.
Armies
andtowards
Panzer
Group
Kleist;
its objective
is
with
west
majority
reserves
and
of
2.
the
and
and
BEF
9.
divisions
Armies
is
evacuated
approach
from
Army
to
Britain.
the
Groups
front
French
lines.
2
and
armies
French
3
while
in
6.
German
the
Army
south
attacks
4.,
however
12.
and
north
16.
are
at
Armies
in
Laon
little
but
advance
position
is
beaten
to
affect
guard
back
by
Kleist’s
fighting
German
flanks
in
the
air
attacks.
north.
against
counterattack.
Ardennes
weakest
the
gaps
elements
anyways.
with
Panzer
of
The
French
Group
British
Kleist
9.
Royal
and
in
2.
Navy
the
Armies
lead.
arrives
defend.
on
the
German
coast
to
2.
begin
and
9.
an
Armies’
evacuation
headquarters
of
remaining
are
activated
troops
in
from
the
north.
the
reserve.
to attack through the Ardennes, cutting off French armies in the north. Army Group C comprises 1. and 7. Armies; its objective is to tie down French armies on the Maginot Line.
German Army & allies
(Hitler/Brauchitsch)
Subordinates
DUT
Nations
18
Army Group B
(Bock)
Army Group B
(Bock)
RES
6
9
BELG
7
Army Group 1
(Billotte)
BEF
12
1
Army Group 1
(Billotte)
6
10
RES
N
2
4
KL
Army Group A
(Rundstedt)
Army Group A
(Rundstedt)
16
9
2
1
3
Army Group 2
(Pretelat)
4
5
Symbol guide
Landmarks
Subordinates
French Army & allies
(Gamelin)
Army Group C
(Leeb)
Army Group 3
(Besson)
8
Opposing forces deployed south in Alps
7

In July 1940, the French National
Assembly voted to suspend the
constitution of the Third Republic and
replaced it with the new “Vichy Regime”

The new Vichy France was led by Marshal
Henri Philippe Pétain, a French hero
during the Battle of Verdun in WW1.

The Germans ran the territory they had
occupied during the Battle of France.

The French police willingly collaborated
with the Germans to a high extent.

Pétain, who was based in Vichy, ran
the other half of France.

To many, Pétain seemed to be no
more than a puppet of the Germans
who did what he was expected to do.

For the next couple of years, Vichy
France was on the side of the Axis
powers because of the German
occupation, causing a shift in the
balance of power.

The liberation and legitimacy of
French government occurred after
Operation Overlord in October,
1944.

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