1. France in WWII Alice F. Short Hilliard Davidson High School
World Studies
Quizlet: WS05 – WWII – France in WWII

2. Sitzkrieg
period between Sept 1939 and Apr 1940 when British/ French/ Canadian alliance and Germany were officially in war but neither sides attacked

3. Maginot Line
line of defense built by France to protect against German invasion
stretched from Belgium to Switzerland

4. Battle of France (a.k.a. Fall of France)
Blitzkrieg invades France in May 1940
Great Britain and France retreat to the northwest coast of France
France easily falls under Nazi control until 1944
left Britain alone in fight against Nazi Germany

5. Free France government in exile led by General Charles de Gaulle
kept fighting Germany until Allies won
helped organize the "Resistance" in occupied France
rejected Vichy government under Philippe Petain
Free French Forces: group of French who continued on with government outside of France

6. Charles de Gaulle
French general and statesman who became very popular during World War II as the leader of the Free French forces in exile
gave "Appeal of 18 June”
Appeal of 18 June: famous French speech given by General Charles de Gaulle to the French people from London after the fall of
declared war for France was not yet over
rallied the country in support of the "Resistance"
more people actually heard is speech on the 22nd

7. Vichy France
common name for the French State that served as a puppet government of Nazi Germany under Marshal Philippe Petain
Philippe Petain: general who assumed power of the French government after its fall
signed a peace treaty with German
became the leader of Vichy France
Before WWII: his outstanding military leadership in World War I, particularly during the Battle of Verdun, he was viewed as a national hero in France
After WII: tried and convicted for treason

8. Collaboration
the act of cooperating as a traitor, especially with an enemy occupying one's own country
the Holocaust in France: refers to the persecution, deportation, and annihilation of Jews and Roma between 1940 and 1944 in occupied France and in Vichy-North
persecution began in 1940, and culminated in deportations of Jews from France to death camps in Germany and Nazi-occupied Poland from 1942 which lasted until July 1944
1940: 340,000 Jews living in France
75,000 deported to death camps, where about 72,500 were killed
French Vichy government and the French police participated in the roundup of Jews
the survival rate of the Jewish population in France was up to 75% which is one of the highest survival rates in Europe

9. Le Chambon-sur-Lignon
French town famous for saving its Jewish population
In 1990, the State of Israel recognized all of the inhabitants of Le Chambon and those of nearby villages collectively as "Righteous Among the Nations”
"Righteous Among the Nations”: non-Jewish individuals who have been honored by Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, for risking their lives to aid Jews during the Holocaust
recipients receive honorary citizenship of Israel

10. Operation Torch (November 1942)
American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria, and pressing eastward trapped the German and Italian armies being driven westward by the British, forcing German and Italian troops to surrender (despite Hitler's orders to fight to the death)
French Army of Africa switched sides and joined Allies--this cause Nazi Germany to occupy Vichy France.

11. D-Day (a.k.a. Operation Overlord)
(June 6, 1944) 175,000 Allied troops invading the beaches of Normand
the early hours of the day were spent with airborne attacks to break up the German resistance
the beaches of Normandy (which were broken into 5 groups: Sword, Juno, Gold, Omaha and Utah) were stormed by US, British, Canadian, Free French, and Polish forces

12. Operation Dragoon the Allied invasion of Southern France
over 86,000 allied troops pushed inland cutting off communication and supply lines
by September, 79,000 German prisoners were taken, and most of France recaptured

13. Liberation of Paris (August 1944)
Allied troops entered Paris
V-E Day: May 8, 1945