10 Facts About the Fall of France in World War Two

After German forces invaded Poland, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. In 1940 Hitler had his sights set on its southwestern neighbour.

Despite the fact that the French Army was heavily manning the country’s border with its enemy, Germany successfully invaded the country and occupied it within only 6 weeks.

Here are 10 facts about how France fell to Germany in that short, but eventful span.

1. The French Army was one of the largest in the world

The experience of World War One however, had left it with a defensive mentality that paralysed its potential effectiveness and engendered a reliance on the Maginot Line.

In June 1940 Nazi Germany overran France and forced the British army to evacuate at Dunkirk. Severely lacking in military equipment, Britain and its Empire now stood alone against Adolf Hitler's forces. But new Prime Minister Winston Churchill refused to agree to peace terms, forcing Hitler to plan an invasion - codenamed Operation Sea Lion. To stand any chance of crossing the English Channel, Germany would have to crush the Royal Air Force and gain control of the skies during that summer. The Battle of Britain, the first major battle to be decided entirely by air power, had begun.

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2. Germany ignored the Maginot Line however

The main thrust of their advance into France moving through the Ardennes in northern Luxembourg and southern Belgium as part of the Sichelschnitt plan.

3. The Germans employed Blitzkrieg tactics

They used armoured vehicles and aircraft to make rapid territorial gains. This military strategy was developed in Britain in the 1920s.

4. The Battle of Sedan, 12-15 May, provided a momentous breakthrough for the Germans

They streamed into France thereafter.

5. The miraculous evacuation of Allied troops from Dunkirk saved 193,000 British and 145,000 French troops

Although some 80,000 were left behind, Operation Dynamo far exceeded the expectation of rescuing only 45,000. The Operation used 200 Royal Navy ships and 600 volunteer vessels.

Actor and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger joins Dan in conversation on today's podcast about Winston Churchill, who was born on this day in 1874. They talk about Arnie's admiration for the former British Prime Minister as a leader and a thinker, how he modelled his own governorship on Churchill while in office from 2003-2011, and how he ended up in California in the first place.

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6. Mussolini declared war on the Allies on 10 June

His first offensive was launched through the Alps without German knowledge and ended with 6,000 casualties, with over a third being attributed to frostbite. French casualties reached only 200.

7. A further 191,000 Allied troops were evacuated from France in mid-June

Although the heaviest ever losses in a single incident at sea were sustained by the British when the Lancastria was sunk by German bombers on 17 June.

8. The Germans had reached Paris by 14 June

The French surrender was ratified in the armistice agreement signed at Compiègne on 22 June.

Dan interviews Ruth Becker, a Jewish refugee in France during the Second World War. This episode is part of a series of films revealing the experiences of children during the Holocaust.

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9. Around 8,000,000 French, Dutch and Belgian refugees were created during the summer of 1940

Masses of people fled their homes as the Germans advanced.

10. Axis troops deployed in the Battle of France amounted to about 3,350,000

At the start they were matched in number by Allied opponents. By the signing of armistice on 22 June, however, 360,000 Allied casualties had been inflicted and 1,900,000 prisoners taken at the expense of 160,000 Germans and Italians.