Battle of France Case Yellow, Operation Dynamo, Case Red MH, JS, NT, CL

Thesis (1)The German victories through Blitzkrieg and encirclement resulted in the (2)fall of France and Belgium, a loss only offset by the successful (3)Dunkirk evacuation, ultimately removing the French military from WWII but preserving the bulk of the experienced British army.

Before Case Yellow With 20/20 hindsight, why should France and GB be scared right now? (1)  USSR posed no threat to Ger. due to the Non-Aggression Pact Nazis had control of east European territories, from the Battle of Weserübung, providing resources for a western invasion  Ger. had created the best and most modernized advancements in tactics and technology.  May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Case Yellow/Fall Gelb May 10-25, 1940 Germany led by Gerd von Rundstedt and Erich von Manstein Blitzkrieg brought swift destruction to France's Maginot line, thought to be impenetrable due to the Ardennes forest (Axelrod). Cut off France's reinforcements with occupation of the Maginot line  German control of Belgium provided water access in the North to threaten Britain  May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Case Yellow/Fall Gelb May 10-25, 1940 The ‘Sickle Stroke’ separated Germany's army into three groups Group B - General Fedor Von Bock attacked northern Holland and Belgium. Group A - Rundstedt’s Army advanced through the Ardennes. Group C - Control the Maginot Line and contain French reinforcements to undercut the French B A C May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Case Yellow (1) The German victories in France using their Blitzkrieg strategy and Luftwaffe air force  Proved Ger. had a powerful military; occupation of Belgium threatened Britain. Why? Proved Blitzkrieg-forced new strategy and technology Allowed Ger. to push through France, forcing evacuation of Allied troops and the beginning of the fall of France.   May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Operation Dynamo May 26-June 4, 1940 Blitzkrieg pushed Allies to the coast, Rundstedt + Hitler decided to stop  British Council forms fleets to rescue soldiers at Dunkirk German Luftwaffe - constant bombing -very high losses  British RAF provided cover fire, heavy damage on Luftwaffe "Miracle of Dunkirk" - waters unusually calm during the evacuation May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Operation Dynamo May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5

Operation Dynamo (2) Fall of France and Belgium, a major loss for the Allies (3) Evacuation of Dunkirk  Opportunity to wipe out Allies was missed by Hitler (Keegan 132) Almost 340,000 troops were evacuated; why was this significant, considering over 50% were British? "Dunkirk spirit" - motivated Britain to stay in war under Churchill out of fear of fighting against Ger. at home (Sheffield). Was not a victory, as "wars are not won by evacuations" (W. Churchill) May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Case Red - June 5-14, 1940  Case Red was to be the second part of the western campaign, attacking the rest of the French army still entrenched in the Maginot Line (Biesinger).  Phase 1: Started June 5th as a battle over the Somme River moving towards the Seine River (Biesinger). Phase 2: Began June 9th over the Ainse River as Germans penetrated the Maginot Line. Allowing German troops to cut off the armies stationed in French bunkers (Biesinger). By June 14, the Germans took Paris and the French army had been destroyed (Biesinger). May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Case Red in Photos Top: German soldiers patrolling France after the second phase of Case Red. Bottom: French soldiers captured after Case Red and being marched to labor camps. What theme about France and war with Germany are you seeing built up with the images to the right?

Case Red's Impact As per our thesis, France's army is out of WW2, but what of Britain's forces?  Germans took control and the French army was removed from the Second World War, left Britain alone. Nazi occupation gave a coastal position to bomb Great Britain while defending Germany (Axelrod). "Free Zone" within France acted as a proxy country that would "turn" on England to intimidate them into submission (Biesinger). May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

End of Battle of France (June 14-24) France asked for an armistice, surrendering at the end of June (Axelrod). Charles de Gaulle's Free French movement arose from a conquered France (Spielvogel 850). French resistance groups, from the Spvgl reading, aided the Allies during WW2  in many ways (Keegan 253). The official fall of France became a large conflux of moral, leaving Allies devastated while the Germans were given reassurance that they truly were the superior race. Considering the defeat of France, how did Britain manage to stay in the war? (think back to thesis)   May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Aftermath Armistice signed in same train car as Germany signed 1918 armistice Supposed "jig" that Hitler performed upon France's surrender May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

 Overall Significance [Thesis] ...removing the French military from WWII but preserving the bulk of the experienced British army.​ The collapse of France drastically shifted the balance of power in Europe towards Germany's favor for some time during WW2. Air combat was prioritized to defend against German bombers, delaying an invasion on Germany by ground from the western front (Quinn). Britain could not push offensively until the US entered the war, but they were saved by the major evacuation at Dunkirk prior to the fall of France May 5 May 10 May 15 May 20 May 25 May 30 June 5 June 10 June 15 June 20 June 25

Timeline in Context 1940 Axis in BoF Allies in BoF Other May 10: Germany invades Holland, Belgium, Luxemburg Winston Churchill becomes PM of Britain May 26: Dunkirk Evacuation (Dynamo) begins June 8: French forces fall at Somme June 14: Paris is occupied by the Germans June 22: France surrenders and is split in two May 12: Invasion of Ardennes/ Battle of Sedan June 10: Italy declares war on Britain and France April 9: Germany invades Denmark and Norway May 28: Belgium surrenders June 18: Appeal of Charles de Gaulle to the French Resistance August 1: Battle of Britain (Sealion)

Works Cited  Axelrod, Alan. “Battle of France.”Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 1, Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=264710. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018. Axelrod, Alan. “Dunkirk Evacuation.” Encyclopedia of World War II, Vol. 1, Facts On File, 2013. History Research Center, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=150531&itemid=WEHRC&articleId=264595. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018. Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Gerd Von Rundstedt.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 17 Feb. 2018, www.britannica.com/biography/Gerd-von-Rundstedt. "Dunkirk evacuation." Britannica Library, Encyclopædia Britannica, 12 Jul. 2017. library-eb-com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Dunkirk- evacuation/472239. Accessed 22 Apr. 2018. “English Heritage.” Operation Dynamo: Things You Need to Know about the Dunkirk Evacuation | English Heritage, www.english- heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and-stories/operation-dynamo-things-you-need-to-know/. Fledman, George “World War II” Almanac Volume 1. Print “The Manstein Plan vs. Case Yellow.” The Manstein Plan vs. Case Yellow | The Globe at War, www.globeatwar.com/article/manstein-plan-vs-case-yellow. Sheffield, Dr. Gary. “History - World Wars: The Fall of France.” BBC, BBC, 30 Mar. 2011, www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/fall_france_01.shtml. “Timeline of Events in 1940 during World War 2.” Historic UK, www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofBritain/World-War-2-Timeline-1940/.

Image Links https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/hitlers-little-jig/ http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/dover-castle/history-and- stories/operation-dynamo-things-you-need-to-know/ https://library-eb-com.ezproxy.kcls.org/levels/referencecenter/article/Dunkirk- evacuation/472239 http://hoaxes.org/archive/permalink/hitlers_silly_dance https://www.pinterest.com/pin/848506386014119151/ http://m.blog.daum.net/pzkpfw3485/2247162?np_nil_a=1 http://kufarooq22.over-blog.com/2013/01/world-war-in-pictures.html https://iconicphotos.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/hitler-in-paris/ https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/image/growth-nazi-germany