Why Hitler occupied mighty France so easily. Italian tanks in Africa Battle of France

In the first weeks after the declaration of war on Britain and France in June 1940, Italian troops in Libya suffered significant losses. On June 28, Marshal Italo Balbo, the energetic governor and commander-in-chief of the colony's troops, died. His plane was shot down over the port of Tobruk by Italian anti-aircraft fire. He was replaced by Marshal Graziani. The local population hated him for the brutality with which he suppressed the uprising in the early 1930s. Graziani fought successfully against the native tribes, but his ability as an army commander in modern warfare was not so obvious.

At the time of entry into the war, the Italians had large forces in North Africa: about 236,000 men, 1,811 guns, 339 tanks and 151 combat aircraft. With the surrender of France, it became possible to quickly transfer the 5th Army from the border of Tripolitania (western province of Libya) with French-ruled Tunisia to the border of Marmariki (eastern Libya) with Egypt and thereby strengthen the 10th Army, which opposed the British there. A different picture was presented by the forces at the disposal of General Wavel, whose area of ​​responsibility included Egypt, Palestine, Iraq, as well as guarding the borders with Vichy Syria. In Egypt there were only General O'Connor's Western Desert troops, numbering about 31,000 people. These were mainly units of the 4th Indian and 7th Armored Divisions.

Italian Somalia, summer 1940. Sergeant of the Somali squad of dubats, or “white turbans”. These native light infantry earned a good reputation for their performance in skirmish lines. The sergeant is dressed in a light khaki jacket and a futa shirt. The turban is also colored light khaki. The colored whistle cord hanging from his neck indicates his military rank. A belt with four pouches of the Austro-Hungarian type came to Italy in 1918, among other trophies. He is most likely armed with an Austrian Mannlicher M1995 rifle. (Marco Novarese)

Mussolini was absolutely confident in the successful outcome of the invasion. Throughout the summer there were minor skirmishes between Italian and British patrols. Both sides thus found out each other's strengths and weaknesses. And, to Mussolini's increasing fury, these skirmishes cost the Italians 3,000 soldiers out of action. The Duce, who did not understand military affairs, hurried Graziani to launch an offensive, refusing to take into account the marshal’s weak attempts to justify his inaction. Graziani, however, had real ideas about the readiness of his armies.

The Italian 5th and 10th armies were fully equipped on paper, but in reality they suffered from numerous problems with infrastructure, equipment and supplies. The Italians had serious difficulties with transport and mobility, which was caused by a lack of cars, and the army itself, which consisted mainly of infantry, was practically deprived of support from modern types of weapons. The lack of anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, outdated field artillery and the technical imperfections of Italian tanks all testified to the weakness of the Italian army. Moreover, not a single reserve storage facility for fuel, ammunition and provisions, which should have been available in such a situation, was built. Mobility and supply problems were compounded by the poor condition of the trucks they had. In November 1940, for example, about 2,000 of the 5,140 Italian transport vehicles in North Africa were unusable.

This fascist militia officer, posing at the entrance to his tent in Ethiopia in 1941, wears a white or very light khaki linen saharian with black linen shoulder straps. If you zoom in, you can see that the cockade on the tropical helmet of the “India” type has crossed swords against the background of the fascia. This indicates that the officer belongs to the MVSN legion, recruited from white IVA colonists. (Vitetti Archive)

There was no practice of “leading from the front” among senior commanders. At the same time, the supply of communications equipment was insufficient. Therefore, control of units during battle was carried out mainly through the ancient system of liaison officers who personally conveyed orders. Despite its long presence in Libya, the command had little understanding of real operations in the desert. It must also be emphasized that a significant number of units had already fought for several years before - in Ethiopia or Spain - and the soldiers were practically never at home. They were extremely tired and had no illusions about their army's compliance with modern European standards.

Finally, on September 13, 1940, after numerous delays and false starts, Italian forces began a timid advance.

Structure of the Libyan division, 1940

2 infantry regiments with 3 battalions and an anti-tank company in each

Artillery Regiment

Sapper battalion

7,400 military personnel of all ranks (including 900 Europeans)

24X65 mm, 12X75 mm, 12X100 mm guns

8X47-mm anti-tank guns

Libyan formations, 1940–1941

1st Libyan Division (Gen. Sibylle)

1st group:

8th, 9th and 10th Libyan infantry battalions.

2nd group: 11th, 12th and 13th Libyan infantry battalions.

2nd Libyan Division (Gen. Pescatori)

3rd group: 2nd, 6th and 7th Libyan infantry battalions.

4th group: 3rd, 15th and 16th Libyan infantry battalions.

In addition, under each division: a colonial artillery regiment, a colonial engineer battalion.

Maletti group

1st, 2nd, 4th, 18th and 19th Libyan Infantry Battalions

colonial artillery unit

1 company of medium and 1 company of light armored vehicles.

1940

September 13–10. The Italian invasion of Egypt with more than four divisions, supported by 200 tanks, was beginning. The 5th and 10th Armies slowly advance approximately 65 miles into Egyptian territory against little resistance. Division "March 23" ( 23 Marzo) takes the small town of Sidi Barrani (where, according to their propaganda, trams continued to operate “as usual”). Graziani refuses to advance further until he receives reinforcements. It does not arrive because priority is given to the armies stuck in Greece. "Temporary" camps along the 40-mile front are fortified and turned into fortresses.

BATTLE SCHEDULE OF THE ITALIAN ARMY IN LIBYA, December 1940

5th Army (Gen. Gariboldi)

infantry divisions "Bologna", "Savona", "Sabrata"

infantry divisions "Pavia", "Brescia", "Sirte"

Maletti Group

2nd Libyan Infantry Division

10th Army (General Bertie)

XXI Corps

infantry divisions "Marmarika", "Cirene"

1st Libyan Infantry Division

December 9, 1940 – February 9, 1941 Operation Compass. General Wavell, forced to send troops to Crete, nevertheless receives 150 tanks from England at the end of September. He plans to launch a limited attack on the Italian camps around Sidi Barrani. The ultimate goal of this "five-day raid" is not clearly defined, so any success may be developed further.

December 9-10. The 4th Indian Division storms the fortified camps at Nibeiwe and Thummar, as well as the town of Sidi Barrani. At the same time, the 7th Armored Division makes an outflanking attack from the south, across the desert. During this spectacular and successful attack, isolated Italian camps fell into British hands one after another, despite good preparation, large garrisons (about 60,000 in total) and the presence of extensive minefields designed to protect the camps from precisely this type of attack. Unfortunately for the Italians, an officer carrying maps of these fields was captured by the enemy. Soon after the attack begins, it becomes obvious that the large distance between the fortified points does not allow them to assist each other. In this way, the British mobile forces can concentrate their efforts on each individual attack. An important factor is the presence of the British Matilda MK II tank, which is armed with the 7th Royal Tank Regiment. This tank does not have high speed and powerful weapons, but is protected by 78 mm frontal armor, which makes it practically invulnerable. Even though Italian field gun crews often fought to the last man, these sacrifices were usually in vain. (Maletti's group, consisting of Libyan units, shows miracles of heroism in Nibeiwa. One of the tankmen of the 7th Tank Regiment comments: "The Italians might seem like weak opponents later, but in Nibeiwa they fought like hell.") During the first three days of fighting, the British capture 237 field guns, 73 tanks, take 38,000 prisoners.

The crew of a 47mm anti-tank gun in a very exposed position, awaiting a British attack. All soldiers (representatives of the elite Bersaglieri corps) are dressed in gray-green woolen uniforms and tropical helmets. One of the helmets is decorated with rooster feathers - the famous symbol of the Bersaglieri. In addition, the equipment must include leather leggings, indicating that they belong to a motorcycle unit. (IWM RML627)

December 11th. General Wavel orders the 4th Indian Division to move to East Africa. It is soon replaced by the 6th Australian Division. Wavel turns his "raid" into a full-scale offensive.

1941

January 1 - February 9. The Western Desert Force (now XIII Corps) continues to advance both along the coast (capturing Bardia, Tobruk, Derna and Benghazi along the way), as well as to the southwest (7th Armored Division), through the "bump" of Cyrenaica (central Libyan province ) to Beda-Fomm. There they find themselves on February 5, cutting off the path of the Italians retreating along the Via Balbia. By 9 February, when the British halt at El Agheil, they had advanced 500 miles, capturing 130,000 prisoners (including 22 generals), 845 field guns and 380 tanks. The British themselves lost about 500 people killed, 1,373 wounded and 56 missing during the entire campaign. About 8,000 demoralized Italian soldiers retreat to Tripolitania, where they soon receive reinforcements. Graziani is removed from command and an investigation into his activities begins. He is replaced by General Gariboldi.

will come actions of German-fascist troops May 10 - June 24 against the forces of the Anglo-French. coalition in France during World War II 1939-45. The goals of the German-Fasc. The leadership was the occupation of the Netherlands and Belgium and the withdrawal of France from the war. During the F.C., 2 strategic offensives were carried out. operations under code names. "Gelb" ("Yellow") and "Rot" ("Red"). To carry out Operation Gelb, the German-fascist. the command concentrated 136 divisions (including 10 tank divisions), 2580 tanks, 3824 aircraft, 7378 field guns. Army Group "A" (commanded by General Regiment G. von Rundstedt), consisting of 45 divisions (including 7 tank divisions), delivered the main blow through the Ardennes at the weakest section of the Allied defense on the river. Meuse between Dinan and Sedan with the task of cutting through the grouping of allied forces, reaching the English Channel coast and, together with Army Group B, destroying the Anglo-Franco-Belgians. troops in Belgium and North. France. In the direction of Ch. the impact was carried out by the tank. gene group E. von Kleist with 2 tanks. corps and 1 motorized (1250 tanks, 362 armored vehicles). Army Group B (commanded by General Regiment F. von Bock) consisting of 29 divisions (including 3 tank divisions) deployed against the Netherlands and Belgium with the task of capturing the Netherlands and breaking through the Belgian defenses. troops along the Albert Canal and push them back beyond the Antwerp-Namur line, actively pin down the Allied troops in Belgium, and then take part in their destruction after encirclement. Army Group C (commanded by General Regiment F.W. von Leeb), consisting of 19 divisions, was supposed to pin down a larger number of French troops on the Maginot Line through demonstrative actions. troops.

In France, the Allied Command deployed 2 fronts: North-Eastern from Pas-de-Calais to Switzerland under command. gene. J. Georges as part of 3 army groups (108 divisions, including 98 French and 10 British) and the South-Eastern in the Alps under command. gene. R. Olry (8 French divisions). In the reserve of the commander-in-chief of the French. land by the forces of the gene. M. Gamelin had 6 divisions left, including 3 tank divisions. In service with the Anglo-French. troops were located in St. 3,100 tanks, 12,500 field guns, 1,648 French. and 1837 English aircraft (of which about 500 are in France). The Netherlands had 10, Belgium 22 divisions. According to the plan of the allied command, with the beginning of hostilities, the strongest grouping was the Anglo-French. troops moved to Belgium, where, together with the Belgians. The army had to create a strong defense at the line Antwerp - Wavre - r. Dil - r. Meuse from Namur to Sedan (Diehl plan).

May 10 German-Fasc. troops, violating the neutrality of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, went on the offensive. Using air landings, they captured important positions in the Netherlands and crossings across the river. Meuse and Albert Canal in Belgium. May 14, Netherlands the army capitulated. Belg. The troops retreated to the Allied defense line. May 13 fascist German troops in the direction of the main attack crossed the river. Meuse, crushed the weak French defense. troops and began to develop an offensive in the north-west. direction towards the mouth of the river. Somme. On May 20, the Germans captured Abbeville and reached the English Channel coast, cutting off a large Anglo-Franco-Belgian group. troops. Attempts by the gene. M. Weygand, who replaced the gene. Gamelin and the French commander-in-chief who received the powers. armed forces, stopping the enemy’s advance and breaking through the encirclement were unsuccessful. During the Dunkirk operation of 1940, the Anglo-French. the troops with heavy losses were evacuated to England, and the Belgians. The troops capitulated on May 28.

June 5 German-Fasc. The command launched Operation Roth. Army Group B went on the offensive from the river line. Somme to the south and southwest directions with the task of defeating the lion. French flank groups and reach the Atlantic. coast. Army Group A delivered the main attack between Paris and the Argonne to the southeast. direction with the aim of defeating the French. forces in the Paris-Metz-Belfort triangle and access to the rear of the Maginot Line. Army Group C carried out auxiliary attacks. blow to break the Maginot Line. German-fascist commands used 130 divisions in Operation Roth, French. the forces consisted of 71 divisions. On the territory France has only 2 English left. connections. Having broken the stubborn resistance of the French. troops, German-fascist The armies began to develop an offensive deep into France. Basic the striking force was the tank. divisions operating with active air support.

Franz. The government, in which defeatist and capitulatory elements began to predominate, failed to organize the defense of the country and rejected the proposal of the Central Committee of Franz. Communist Party of June 6 to mobilize the masses to repel the enemy and turn the war into people's liberation. the struggle for freedom and independence of France. On June 10, the production left Paris and went to Bordeaux. On the same day, Italy declared war on France and Great Britain. On June 14, Paris was surrendered to the Nazis without a fight. to the command. French resistance The army was disorganized. German-fascist The troops rapidly advanced to the south. On June 16, Marshal A.F. Petain, a supporter of surrender, formed a new government and turned to the German fascists. command asking for a truce. On June 22, in Compiegne, the act of surrender of France to Germany was signed, and on June 24, in the suburbs of Rome, a similar document of surrender to Italy was signed. Most of France was occupied by the Nazis. troops. Franz. the army lost 84 thousand killed, 1547 thousand French. soldiers and officers ended up in Germany. captivity. German-fascist losses. troops amounted to 43.5 thousand killed and missing, 111.6 thousand wounded.

Reasons for the defeat of the Anglo-French. coalitions in the FK consisted primarily of the policies of the ruling circles of Great Britain and France, which in the name of the class interests of the imperialist. bourgeoisie in the pre-war for years they pursued a policy of encouraging Hitler’s aggression, trying to direct it against the USSR. This policy determined the inaction of the app. allies during the “Phantom War” (September 1939 - May 1940) and led to serious miscalculations in their strategy. In Great Britain and especially in France there were influential circles that advocated a conspiracy with the Nazis. Germany.

Lit.: History Vel. Fatherland wars of the Sov. Union. 1941-1945, vol. 1, M., 1960; The Second World War. 1939-1945, M., 1958; Projector D.M., War in Europe. 1939-1941, M., 1963; Sekistov V. A., “Strange War” in Western. Europe and the Mediterranean basin (1939-1943), M., 1958; Ratiani G.M., The End of the Third Republic in France, M., 1964; Michel H., La seconde guerre mondiale, t. 1, P., 1968; Ellis L., The War in France and Flanders. 1939-1940, L., 1953; Jacobsen H. A., Fall Gelb. Der Kampf um den deutschen Operatiensplan zur Westoffensive 1940, Wiesladen, 1967.

I. A. Chelyshev. Moscow.

Military operations in the Netherlands, Belgium and France in 1940

"The French (and the BEF along with them) fought poorly - the soldiers were cowards, and the commanders were stupid"
firstly, I would like to note that the Wehrmacht itself (and the Reich’s military machine in general) was such that it could “kick in the ass” to anyone - which is what it actually did. Breaking him and beating him took a lot of work, even at the end of the war. Of course, in many ways, the top leadership (military and political) quite skillfully used political nuances, chose the enemy according to their strengths, the Germans did not immediately become powerful (in numerical and quantitative terms) and skillful, but had the opportunity before the 1940-Western campaign, to train in Poland, before 1941 Barbarossa and landings in Greece, France, Benelux and Norway.
secondly, the commanders of France and Britain were experienced military leaders who served in senior officer ranks or even as generals in WWII. They underwent the most difficult “training with iron” during 4+ years of war (and especially important, they participated in the stage of 17-18, when the technical exposition of the war took on an unprecedented scale)
Just like the Germans.
For example, the commander of Army Group "A", General (at the time of the beginning of the May campaign) von Rundstedt, for example, ended WWII as a major, but not much less - the chief of staff of the army corps, his opponent in the arena is the commander of Army Group N1, General Billot ), by the way, the same age, born in 1875, in November 1918 he was a colonel, commander of an infantry regiment. On May 21, 1940, he was seriously injured in a night accident, and died 2 days later, he was replaced by General Blanchard, commander of the 1st Army, who in 1918 was just an artillery major, serving on the headquarters of one of the artillery units.
The Chief of the German General Staff Halder in WWII was also just a major, an operational officer at the headquarters of the theater of operations (High Command "East"), his "counter-colleague" Gamelin, the Chief of the General Staff (and, due to the peculiarities of the French system, also the shit commander) in 1918 was a division commander, still 8 years older (1880 and 1872) and began his career 11 years earlier (1902 and 1891)
The commander of the BEF (as some analogue - a separate army, the most important direction) Lord Gort in 1918 was a major, commander of an infantry battalion.
etc. and so on.

B-3, actually “bloody losses” (it’s interesting that the data “floats” quite well in various sources, although it seems like the panicked countries should have counted everyone)
in the May campaign, the French lost (May-June, including the days before May 10, of course) 64 thousand killed (63908, plus from 1.5 to 2 thousand of the wounded died of wounds in the next six months - in their hospitals or in captivity) and another 122 thousand (122,695) were wounded, also approximately 38 thousand (~30213) were “missing” - these are those about whom there was no information - those who died in captivity (including from wounds and from executions by the Germans ), or who died and was not found. In total ~(63.9+30.2+122.7) 216.7 thousand “bloody losses” - for an army that has 94 combined arms divisions in the French theater of operations (excluding colonies on other continents and Norway). In my opinion, quite a lot (~2300 per division - on average)

BEF (combined arms formations - 13pd, 4pbr, 1brtd) amounted (according to the official report) - 3457 fallen and 13602 wounded - a total of 17 thousand people (also 3267 missing, a total of 20.326 people) - although his participation in the French campaign was quite specific in place and narrow in time.
The Golan lost 13 divisions (12 infantry divisions and 1 infantry division) - 9779 KIA\WIA (and the rest captured, of course) in ~five to six days of fighting on the territory of Holland
The Belgians (22 divisions - 18 infantry, 2 chasseurs, 2 cavalry) lost 23.2 thousand KIA\MIA

The losses in prisoners were also high.
c-4, space and pace of operation.
The first operation (“Campaign in Flanders”) - the Germans were separated from the sea (in the area north-west of Abbeville) in the direction of their main attack - the “cutting claw” by about 370 km. from the border with Luxembourg to the coast north of the city of Abbeville.
It took the Germans 12 days (May 10-21) to reach the sea (at least with advanced detachments).

For comparison, on July 3, in the Baltic states (where there were no large pockets), the Germans captured the small town of Gulbene - northeast of Riga, approximately ~390 km from the border.
Against our Western Front (where there was a complete collapse) - on July 3, fighting took place on the German bridgehead on the Berezina River in Borisov (400+ km from the border near Brest in a straight line).. Of course, we can say that in the same Baltic states the main front of the Germans advanced less - but similarly in May 1940 - the main front of the Germans advanced less, but a narrow “spear” was enough to cut off the northern flank. Features of the operational picture, so to speak, and nothing more.

In 1940, the Germans cut off the northern side of the Allied front, and although they managed to avoid complete beating, they saved at least some of the people by abandoning their equipment. But the losses in the formations were great - in France, 6 out of 7 motorized divisions, all 3 light-mechanized, 2 cavalry (taking into account attempts to restore others at the expense of individual cavalry units, remnants etc.), 2 out of 4 tank, and 17 infantry were defeated, only 2 British remained from the BEF (out of 14+), a total of immediately minus 30 French and 12 British divisions, which reduced the number of divisional formations by almost 40 % (out of 94+14 who were at the beginning)

The French tried - they immediately began to pump up the remnants of the mobile divisions with people and equipment (they had many tanks “in reserve” just to make up for losses), they began to quickly form small infantry divisions (and managed to form ~13 units from reinforcements, remnants of units, etc.) etc.), transferring divisions from Africa, quickly creating battle groups, etc.

But the superiority of forces was already on the side of the Germans, and the Italians also joined in the Maritime Alps (without much success, however), the Germans themselves did not intend to waste time after such a successful victory in Flanders and they had already pushed the Franks further and crushed them en masse. left flank (of the French) and expanding the arena of attack everywhere... And the territory of France simply ended.

The thesis “The French did not launch counterattacks” - put forward on jingoistic resources - is also very wrong.
During the battle on the heights south of Sedan - which began on May 15 (2 days after the breakthrough) - known as the Battle of Stonne (Mont Deu) - the village of Stonne changed hands 17 times (even though this place was critical for the Germans and they brought a lot of aircraft there, etc.). Tensions can be evidenced by the participation in counterattacks of the 64GRDI (divisional "reconnaissance cavalry regiment") of the 55th Infantry Division, which was literally scattered by a concentric attack a couple of days earlier on the defense line here at Sedan.

This year, France celebrated a tragic anniversary - the 75th anniversary of the shameful surrender to Nazi Germany.

As a result of the offensive that began on May 10, 1940, the Germans defeated the French army in just a month. On June 14, German troops entered Paris without a fight, which had been declared an open city by the French government to avoid its destruction. On June 22, 1940, France capitulated on humiliating terms: 60% of its territory was occupied, part of the land was annexed by Germany and Italy, the rest of the territory was controlled by a puppet government. The French had to maintain the occupying German troops, the army and navy were disarmed, the French prisoners were supposed to be in camps (out of one and a half million French prisoners of war, about a million remained in camps until 1945).

I dedicate this photo collection to this tragic event for France.

1. Residents of Paris look at the German army entering the city. 06/14/1940

2. German soldiers on the armor of an abandoned French light tank Hotchkiss H35.

3. Captured wounded French officer from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.

4. Captured wounded French soldiers from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.

5. A column of French prisoners of war on a march along a country road.

6. A group of French prisoners of war follows a city street to a meeting place. In the photo: on the left are French sailors, on the right are Senegalese riflemen of the French colonial troops.

7. Captured French soldiers, among them several blacks from French colonial units.

8. German soldiers next to a French light tank Renault R35 abandoned on the road near Lahn.

9. German soldiers and an officer pose with a downed British Spitfire fighter (Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I) on the beach near Dunkirk.

10. Two French Renault R35 light tanks abandoned on the street of a populated area.

11. A column of French prisoners of war passes through the village.

12. Captured French soldiers walk along the line of German soldiers. The picture shows soldiers from various units defending the Maginot Line.

13. Captured soldiers of various units of the French colonial troops.

14. Captured French soldiers at the assembly point in Saint-Florentin.

15. Captured French soldiers guarded by a German sentry.

16. A column of French North African prisoners of war heading to the gathering place.

17. French artillery equipment abandoned on the side of the road near Brunhamel.

18. Helmets and equipment abandoned by French soldiers during the surrender on a city street.

19. A column of French prisoners of war on the road in the Moy-de-Aisne area.

20. A group of captured French soldiers in Amiens.

21. French soldiers with their hands raised surrender to German troops.

22. German mountain rangers near the captured 155-mm French cannon Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877 de Bange, with a barrel made in 1916 (sometimes called Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877/1916), captured near the Marne.

23. French prisoners of war on vacation in the Dieppe area. Judging by the characteristic elements of the uniform in the picture, the servicemen are from a cavalry unit.

24. German soldiers on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.

25. A group of captured Moroccan soldiers of French colonial troops in Amiens.

26. Line up of captured Senegalese riflemen of French colonial troops in Amiens.

27. French prisoners of war at the assembly point. Among the prisoners are members of the French North African colonial forces, presumably Senegalese.

28. Wounded French soldiers at the infirmary in the city of Rocroi.

29. French prisoners of war drink water during a halt.

30. Vehicles abandoned by the Allies on the beach near Dunkirk.

31. The commander of the 7th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, Major General Erwin Rommel, and his headquarters officers are crossing the river by boat.

32. A column of French prisoners of war is walking along the side of the road, escorted by German soldiers. Presumably the area around Rocroi.

33. A group of French prisoners of war on the march along the road. In the background is a flying German transport plane Ju-52.

34. German artillerymen transport a 37-mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun by boat across the Meuse.

35. A German military band marches along the streets of occupied Paris.

36. French prisoners of war follow the road to the gathering place. In the center of the photo are three prisoners of war from the Zouave regiment.

37. French prisoner of war in the field.

38. French Navy Loire-Nieuport LN-411 dive bomber made an emergency landing.

39. A German soldier near the crashed French fighter Bloch MB.152.

40. A group of French prisoners of war in formation.

41. German soldiers pose next to a broken French 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun (Canon de 25 mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).

42. Black prisoners of French colonial units in formation.

43. Two German soldiers change position during a battle in a destroyed French town.

44. A German soldier examines a captured saber captured in France.

45. Captured French pilots talk with German soldiers near the tent.

46. ​​German soldiers next to a captured French 25-mm anti-tank gun of the 1934 model of the Hotchkiss system (Canon de 25-mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).

47. A captured French infantryman (possibly an officer) shows something on the map to German officers. To the right and left in helmets are captured French tank crews.

48. Column of French prisoners at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

49. Abandoned French light tanks AMR-35.

50. An unknown prisoner of war soldier of one of the French North African (Moroccan) spagi regiments on the march as part of a column of prisoners.

51. A column of French prisoners of war in Rocroi is moving towards the gathering place. There is a sign on the road showing the direction to Fume.

52. Line up of prisoners of war from the French North African spagi regiments in the joint camp in Etampes during assignment to work.

53. An unknown prisoner of war soldier from the French 9th Algerian Regiment of the 2nd Spagi Brigade. The remnants of the regiment surrendered on June 18, 1940 near the city of Besançon.

54. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.

55. German soldiers and French prisoners from colonial units in the camp at the Proto barracks in Cherbourg.

56. A German soldier distributes cigarettes to prisoners of French colonial units.

57. Column of the 6th German Panzer Division in a field in France. In the foreground is a Czech-made light tank LT vz.35 (German designation Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)), in the background are German Pz.Kpfw tanks. IV early modifications.

58. Black French prisoners of colonial units wash clothes in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.

59. Black French prisoners in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.

60. Two German soldiers walk along the street of the French village of Saint-Simon past dead cows.

61. Five French prisoners (four are black) stand by the railway.

62. Killed French soldier on the edge of a field in Normandy.

63. A group of French prisoners of war is walking along the road.

64. Representatives of France are sent to the “carriage of Marshal Foch” to negotiate an armistice with representatives of Germany. In this very place, in this very carriage, on November 11, 1918, the Compiegne Truce, humiliating for Germany, was signed, which recorded the shameful defeat of Germany in the First World War. The signing of the new Compiegne Truce in the same place, according to Hitler, was supposed to symbolize the historical revenge of Germany. In order to roll the carriage out into the clearing, the Germans destroyed the wall of the museum where it was stored and laid rails to the historical site.

65. A group of Wehrmacht soldiers take cover from fire in the French town of Sedan.

66. German soldiers smoke next to horses. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

67. German soldiers settled down to rest next to their bicycles. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

68. Artillery pieces captured by German troops during the French campaign. In the foreground are French 155-mm cannons of the 1917 model from Schneider. These guns in the Wehrmacht received the designation 15.5 cm gun K.416(f). In the background are French heavy 220-mm Schneider model 1917 cannons, barrels and carriages, which were transported separately. These guns were designated by the Wehrmacht as the 22 cm gun K.232(f).

69. A German soldier demonstrates trophies - captured weapons and ammunition of French troops. Photo from the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

70. A team of donkeys as part of a German convoy. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.

71. German sappers are restoring a destroyed bridge. Photo from the personal album of a Wehrmacht engineer battalion soldier.

72. Two German officers and a non-commissioned officer look at the map.

73. German soldiers at the entrance to the military cemetery in honor of those killed in the First World War near Verdun in the French town of Duamon.

74. Wehrmacht soldiers “wash” awards received for the campaign in France. Photo from the personal album of a Wehrmacht Oberfeldwebel.

75. A French officer talks to a German officer during the surrender of the Nantes garrison.

76. German nurses at the monument to Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch in the Compiegne Forest. Very close to this place, the surrender of France in the war with Germany was signed (and in 1918, the surrender of Germany in the First World War).

77. A French bomber Amiot 143 captured by German troops on a field in the commune of Sombernon in Burgundy. The aircraft belongs to the 2nd Air Group of the 38th Bombardment Squadron. The 38th Bombardment Squadron was stationed near the city of Auxerre in Burgundy. The plane returning from a mission made an emergency landing on a field due to unfavorable weather conditions and was captured by German troops. Next to the plane are motorcycles of one of the units of the German troops.

78. Two French prisoners stand against the wall of the house.

79. Column of French prisoners on a village street.

80. Five non-commissioned officers of the 173rd Wehrmacht artillery regiment on vacation during the French campaign.

81. The French battleship Bretagne (commissioned in 1915) was sunk at Mers-El-Kebir during Operation Catapult by the British fleet. Operation Catapult was intended to capture and destroy French ships in English and colonial ports to prevent the ships from falling under German control after the surrender of France. The battleship "Brittany" was hit by the third salvo, hitting the base of the tripod mast, after which a strong fire began. The commander tried to run the ship aground, but the battleship was hit by another salvo from the English battleship Hood. Two minutes later, the old battleship began to capsize and suddenly exploded, taking the lives of 977 crew members. The photo was probably taken from the French seaplane Commandant Test, which miraculously avoided being hit during the entire battle, and subsequently took on board the surviving crew members of the deceased battleship.

82. A column of French captured colonial units on the march on the railway bridge.

83. A soldier of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Division poses with a French prisoner.

84. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.

85. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.

86. The body of a British artilleryman near a 40 mm 2 pounder QF 2 pounder anti-tank gun.

87. French prisoners are standing near a tree.

88. Soldiers of the Royal Highlanders "Black Watch" buy dishes from a French woman. 10/16/1939

89. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.

90. German soldiers with horses on Stanislaus Square in the French city of Nancy at the monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.

91. German cars on Place Stanislas in the French city of Nancy. In the center of the square is a monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.

93. German 150-mm self-propelled howitzer "Bison" (15 cm sIG 33 Sfl. auf Pz.KpfW.I Ausf B ohne Aufbau; Sturmpanzer I) against the background of the explosion of its shell on the second floor of a corner building during fighting in France.

94. British soldiers captured by the Germans in Dunkirk, in the city square.

95. Oil storage tank fire in Dunkirk. The plane on the right is a Lockheed Hudson, owned by the British Royal Air Force.

96. A German soldier killed in battle during the French campaign of the Wehrmacht. On the parapet of the trench there is a German cap and parts of a belt.

97. Column of captured French soldiers. Among them are many Africans from French colonial units.

98. A French woman greets Canadian soldiers who landed in France 4 days before the surrender of French troops.

99. French soldiers take pictures on the street of the town during the “Phantom War”. 12/18/1939

100. German women, children and soldiers of the cordon in the Nazi salute at a mass event in Germany dedicated to the victory of German troops in France.

101. The sinking of the British troop transport RMS Lancastria on June 17, 1940. In the water and on the sides of the tilted ship, many people are visible trying to escape. On June 17, 1940, the English troop transport Lancastria (before the war, a passenger liner that cruised the Mediterranean Sea) with a displacement of 16,243 tons was sunk by German Ju-88 bombers off the coast of France. The transport evacuated English military units from France to Great Britain. There were also a large number of civilians on board, including women and children. The ship was sunk in a twenty-minute attack shortly after leaving the French port of Saint-Nazaire. As a result, about four thousand passengers died - drowned, died from bomb explosions, shelling, and suffocated in oil-contaminated water. 2,477 people were saved.

102. Bombing by British aircraft of a French airfield in the city of Abbeville, captured by the Germans. The picture shows falling British 500-pound (227 kg) aerial bombs.

103. The crew of the French tank Char B1 No. 350 “Fleurie” in front of their vehicle.

104. German dive bombers Junkers Ju 87 B-2 from the Immelmann squadron (StG2 Immelmann) in the skies of France.

105. Killed black French soldier.

106. During Operation Dynamo (the evacuation of Anglo-French troops from Dunkirk to England), the destroyer Bourrasque hit a mine on May 29, 1940 in the area of ​​Ostend (Belgium) and sank the next day.

107. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” in battle in France.

108. Motorcyclist of the SS division “Totenkopf” in France.

109. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” regulate traffic on the streets of a French city, accelerating the advance of lagging troops.

On the day of change of government in Great Britain May 10, 1940 The German offensive began on the Western Front. Bypassing the French defensive Maginot Line, German divisions invaded the territory of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg and launched an offensive against France. With approximately equal forces, the success of the Germans was ensured by a tactically competent distribution of divisions, the massive use of tank formations in the direction of the main attack, and a breakthrough of the front that was unexpected for the enemy.

Unlike the 1914 campaign, the German offensive turned not towards Paris, but towards the sea. On May 20, German troops reached the coast of Pas-de-Calais and turned to the rear of the Anglo-French forces, encircling 28 Allied divisions. Only an unexpected stop to the German offensive made it possible to evacuate Allied troops from the port city of Dunkirk to the British Isles (“the miracle of Dunkirk”). 338 thousand people were saved, but the losses of weapons were enormous.

Soon the Nazis sent their forces to Paris. From the south, French troops had to repel the attacks of the Italian army (On June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on France), and in the north and northeast they had to resist Wehrmacht units.

On June 14, German troops entered Paris without a fight, the government fled to Bordeaux, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud was replaced by a hero of the First World War Marshal Petain, who immediately began negotiations for a truce. June 22, 1940 In the famous headquarters carriage in Compiègne, an armistice was signed between Germany and France.

The new French government agreed to the German occupation of most of the country, the demobilization of almost the entire army and the transfer of the French navy and military aircraft to Germany and Italy. The seat of Petain’s government was the small southern French town of Vichy, so his regime, which took a course towards cooperation with the occupiers (collaborationism), was called the “Vichy regime.”

French General Charles de Gaulle, who found himself in England, condemned the actions of the Petain government and called on the French to continue resistance to Nazi Germany.

By the time of the capture of France, the Versailles decisions hated by Hitler had been annulled, and the Fuhrer found himself at the zenith of his own glory. Material from the site

German success in France was based not on superior numbers of troops and weapons, but on the skillful distribution of German divisions when they appeared in a numerical majority at a weak point on the Allied front. The massive and well-coordinated use of German tank formations ensured a breakthrough of the front, and this success was then consistently developed. The failure of the Allies, first of all, turned out to be strategic - the French troops were in complete confusion, their generals lost control over communications and the movements of entire armies. No soldier in such a situation can fight successfully.