1
00:00:50,960 --> 00:00:54,280
That will work.

2
00:00:59,199 --> 00:01:03,199
At 5:30 a.m. on May the 10th, 1940,

3
00:01:03,199 --> 00:01:05,280
Adolf Hitler launched his long-awaited

4
00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:10,159
Western offensive, codenamed Case

5
00:01:12,280 --> 00:01:14,400
Yellow. This was the moment for which

6
00:01:14,400 --> 00:01:16,320
both the Germans and the Allies have

7
00:01:16,320 --> 00:01:17,840
been preparing since the previous

8
00:01:17,840 --> 00:01:20,840
September.

9
00:01:24,159 --> 00:01:26,159
The campaign which followed would see

10
00:01:26,159 --> 00:01:27,920
the Germans achieve one of the most

11
00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:31,920
stunning victories in the annals of

12
00:01:33,640 --> 00:01:36,640
warfare. In the battle of France, the

13
00:01:36,640 --> 00:01:38,400
German army deployed the greatest

14
00:01:38,400 --> 00:01:42,000
concentration of tanks ever

15
00:01:44,439 --> 00:01:46,960
assembled. Their offensive saw the war's

16
00:01:46,960 --> 00:01:51,560
first large-scale airborne operation.

17
00:01:56,799 --> 00:01:59,200
Already victorious in Poland and Norway,

18
00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,119
the Germans would now be meeting forces

19
00:02:01,119 --> 00:02:05,600
equal to their own in both manpower and

20
00:02:10,599 --> 00:02:13,440
material. Yet with new and revolutionary

21
00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,000
tactics, the Germans would destroy the

22
00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:19,120
armies of Belgium, Holland, and France.

23
00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:21,360
and inflict upon the British army its

24
00:02:21,360 --> 00:02:23,760
greatest humiliation since its defeat in

25
00:02:23,760 --> 00:02:26,319
the American

26
00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,840
Revolution. The German campaign would

27
00:02:35,840 --> 00:02:38,239
leave Hitler as undisputed master of

28
00:02:38,239 --> 00:02:41,360
Western Europe and give his army an aura

29
00:02:41,360 --> 00:02:44,519
of invincibility.

30
00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:49,360
So complete was its victory that four

31
00:02:49,360 --> 00:02:51,519
years would pass before Germany's

32
00:02:51,519 --> 00:02:53,280
supremacy in France and the Low

33
00:02:53,280 --> 00:02:56,800
Countries could again be

34
00:03:04,599 --> 00:03:08,239
challenged. On March the 12th, 1938,

35
00:03:08,239 --> 00:03:10,560
Hitler sent his army into Austria and

36
00:03:10,560 --> 00:03:13,319
annexed it to the

37
00:03:13,319 --> 00:03:15,840
Reich. Though the invasion openly

38
00:03:15,840 --> 00:03:18,080
flouted international law, neither

39
00:03:18,080 --> 00:03:22,000
Britain nor France made any

40
00:03:23,720 --> 00:03:26,400
protest. Encouraged by his victory,

41
00:03:26,400 --> 00:03:30,000
Hitler turned his attention toward

42
00:03:31,159 --> 00:03:33,440
Czechoslovakia. He began demanding the

43
00:03:33,440 --> 00:03:35,840
return of the Sudetan land, a Czech

44
00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,799
region inhabited by ethnic Germans.

45
00:03:38,799 --> 00:03:40,799
International tension over the issue

46
00:03:40,799 --> 00:03:43,599
mounted steadily to the point where war

47
00:03:43,599 --> 00:03:46,080
seemed

48
00:03:48,680 --> 00:03:52,319
certain. Eventually, in September 1938,

49
00:03:52,319 --> 00:03:54,720
the leaders of France, Britain, Germany,

50
00:03:54,720 --> 00:03:57,200
and Italy met at Munich to resolve the

51
00:03:57,200 --> 00:04:00,200
crisis.

52
00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:05,360
Eager at all costs to avoid war, the

53
00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,280
Western powers yielded to all of

54
00:04:07,280 --> 00:04:10,080
Hitler's demands, the checks were given

55
00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,840
no say in the carving up of their

56
00:04:15,799 --> 00:04:18,239
country. Britain hoped that peace in

57
00:04:18,239 --> 00:04:20,560
Europe was now assured and that Hitler

58
00:04:20,560 --> 00:04:23,280
would pose no further threat. This

59
00:04:23,280 --> 00:04:25,919
illusion was shattered within 6 months

60
00:04:25,919 --> 00:04:29,360
when in March 1939, the Germans occupied

61
00:04:29,360 --> 00:04:31,919
the rump of

62
00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,440
Czechoslovakia. Britain was outraged and

63
00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:39,800
promptly abandoned its policy of

64
00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:42,639
appeasement. On the 31st of March,

65
00:04:42,639 --> 00:04:45,520
Britain and France promised to guarantee

66
00:04:45,520 --> 00:04:48,240
the independence of Poland, where it

67
00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:53,000
seemed Hitler would strike next.

68
00:04:56,720 --> 00:04:59,680
Just 3 days later, Hitler ordered his

69
00:04:59,680 --> 00:05:04,000
generals to draw up plans for Poland's

70
00:05:04,120 --> 00:05:06,880
destruction. His main objective was to

71
00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:09,120
regain territories seeded to the Poles

72
00:05:09,120 --> 00:05:11,199
after the Great War.

73
00:05:11,199 --> 00:05:13,120
He felt sure the allies would not

74
00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:16,960
actually go through with their threat to

75
00:05:19,639 --> 00:05:21,880
fight. In August

76
00:05:21,880 --> 00:05:25,039
1939, he stunned world opinion by

77
00:05:25,039 --> 00:05:26,880
signing a non-aggression pact with the

78
00:05:26,880 --> 00:05:30,720
Soviet Union, his most hated

79
00:05:32,600 --> 00:05:35,680
enemy. A secret clause in the pact

80
00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:37,759
arranged for the partition of Poland

81
00:05:37,759 --> 00:05:41,639
between the two powers.

82
00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:44,960
With Russian complicity thus assured,

83
00:05:44,960 --> 00:05:47,520
Hitler masked 59 divisions along the

84
00:05:47,520 --> 00:05:49,919
Polish borders and prepared to launch

85
00:05:49,919 --> 00:05:52,800
them in converging

86
00:05:54,039 --> 00:05:56,800
attacks. The German formations included

87
00:05:56,800 --> 00:06:01,199
over 2,500 tanks and 2,000 Luftwafa

88
00:06:01,199 --> 00:06:04,680
fighters and bombers.

89
00:06:06,160 --> 00:06:08,400
The Polish forces facing them were

90
00:06:08,400 --> 00:06:12,080
spread out all along the 1,750 mi of the

91
00:06:12,080 --> 00:06:14,880
frontiers with

92
00:06:15,080 --> 00:06:18,240
Germany. They comprised seven armies

93
00:06:18,240 --> 00:06:20,880
totaling 30 active divisions and 10

94
00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:23,840
reserve divisions. They also possessed

95
00:06:23,840 --> 00:06:28,639
12 large cavalry brigades, 475 tanks,

96
00:06:28,639 --> 00:06:33,240
and 445 aircraft.

97
00:06:41,840 --> 00:06:44,880
On September the 1st, Hitler's armies

98
00:06:44,880 --> 00:06:46,759
surged across the Polish

99
00:06:46,759 --> 00:06:49,440
frontiers. In the north, the German

100
00:06:49,440 --> 00:06:52,160
third army advanced from East Prussia

101
00:06:52,160 --> 00:06:56,360
and the fourth army from Pomerania.

102
00:06:56,400 --> 00:06:58,960
In the south, 8th and 10th armies

103
00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:03,759
attacked from Cicia and 14th army from

104
00:07:04,599 --> 00:07:07,759
Slovakia. By the 5th of September,

105
00:07:07,759 --> 00:07:09,759
fourth army had secured the Danzik

106
00:07:09,759 --> 00:07:11,840
corridor and was moving southeast

107
00:07:11,840 --> 00:07:14,800
alongside Third Army. By the 7th of

108
00:07:14,800 --> 00:07:16,880
September, 10th Army had advanced

109
00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,400
northeast to within 30 mi of Warsaw,

110
00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:22,319
cutting off Polish forces before they

111
00:07:22,319 --> 00:07:26,039
could reach the River Vistula.

112
00:07:31,360 --> 00:07:33,520
The main basis of German success in

113
00:07:33,520 --> 00:07:36,479
Poland was an entirely new tactic which

114
00:07:36,479 --> 00:07:39,360
came to be called blitzkrieged or

115
00:07:39,360 --> 00:07:42,000
lightning

116
00:07:43,319 --> 00:07:46,000
war. Blitzkrieg relied on the deployment

117
00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:49,440
of armored forces in entire divisions.

118
00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:51,919
These Panza divisions consisted of both

119
00:07:51,919 --> 00:07:54,599
light and heavy tanks, motorized

120
00:07:54,599 --> 00:07:59,039
infantry, artillery, and reconnaissance

121
00:08:01,720 --> 00:08:04,479
units. Once the masked heavy tanks had

122
00:08:04,479 --> 00:08:05,919
punched their way through enemy

123
00:08:05,919 --> 00:08:07,840
defenses, the breach would be

124
00:08:07,840 --> 00:08:10,080
consolidated and widened by the

125
00:08:10,080 --> 00:08:11,759
following wave of light tanks and

126
00:08:11,759 --> 00:08:14,759
infantry.

127
00:08:18,160 --> 00:08:20,280
The forward units continued their

128
00:08:20,280 --> 00:08:22,960
advance, carrying the battle into enemy

129
00:08:22,960 --> 00:08:25,360
rear

130
00:08:26,759 --> 00:08:30,080
areas. A key element in Blitzkrieg was

131
00:08:30,080 --> 00:08:32,360
the close ground support provided by the

132
00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:35,039
Luftvafer, whose air strikes helped

133
00:08:35,039 --> 00:08:37,680
isolate frontline forces and cut them

134
00:08:37,680 --> 00:08:42,039
off from any logistic support.

135
00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:47,120
In the skies over Poland, the Luftvafa

136
00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:51,040
rapidly achieved total aerial

137
00:08:52,200 --> 00:08:54,320
supremacy. Attacks against Polish

138
00:08:54,320 --> 00:08:56,720
airfields wiped out a large portion of

139
00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:58,640
the Polish air force on the first day of

140
00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:00,880
the

141
00:09:02,519 --> 00:09:05,680
war. The Luftvafa struck hard at key

142
00:09:05,680 --> 00:09:08,480
military installations, supply lines,

143
00:09:08,480 --> 00:09:11,839
and rail networks. Indeed, the Germans

144
00:09:11,839 --> 00:09:13,600
were all too familiar with the layout of

145
00:09:13,600 --> 00:09:15,839
the Polish railway system, having built

146
00:09:15,839 --> 00:09:18,080
it

147
00:09:21,880 --> 00:09:24,560
themselves. On the 10th of September,

148
00:09:24,560 --> 00:09:26,880
the Poles began a general retreat toward

149
00:09:26,880 --> 00:09:29,600
the southeast of their country. On the

150
00:09:29,600 --> 00:09:32,560
15th of September, the German Third Army

151
00:09:32,560 --> 00:09:35,360
completed its northern Pinsir movement.

152
00:09:35,360 --> 00:09:37,920
fourth and 14th armies completed the

153
00:09:37,920 --> 00:09:39,920
encirclement from the east by September

154
00:09:39,920 --> 00:09:42,160
the

155
00:09:43,080 --> 00:09:46,640
17th. Poland's fate was sealed when on

156
00:09:46,640 --> 00:09:50,000
that same day some 41 Russian divisions

157
00:09:50,000 --> 00:09:52,279
crossed her near defenseless eastern

158
00:09:52,279 --> 00:09:55,440
frontiers. By September the 23rd they

159
00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:57,279
had effortlessly occupied the zone

160
00:09:57,279 --> 00:09:59,360
allotted to them under the Nazi Soviet

161
00:09:59,360 --> 00:10:02,360
pact.

162
00:10:02,959 --> 00:10:05,200
Meanwhile, the Germans mopped up the

163
00:10:05,200 --> 00:10:08,080
final pockets of

164
00:10:10,360 --> 00:10:12,880
resistance. Overwhelmed by ferocious

165
00:10:12,880 --> 00:10:15,760
Luftvafa bombing raids, Warsaw finally

166
00:10:15,760 --> 00:10:18,880
surrendered at 2 p.m. on September the

167
00:10:18,880 --> 00:10:21,880
27th.

168
00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,399
The German victory had been achieved

169
00:10:26,399 --> 00:10:29,920
with a loss of only 44,000 casualties

170
00:10:29,920 --> 00:10:32,160
compared to total Polish losses of

171
00:10:32,160 --> 00:10:37,279
nearly a million in killed, wounded, and

172
00:10:39,399 --> 00:10:42,160
captured. 2 days after the launch of the

173
00:10:42,160 --> 00:10:45,040
Polish invasion, France and Britain, in

174
00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:47,279
line with their earlier guarantees,

175
00:10:47,279 --> 00:10:51,640
declared war on Germany.

176
00:10:52,880 --> 00:10:55,760
However, Poland's geographical location

177
00:10:55,760 --> 00:10:58,079
and the swiftness of the German victory

178
00:10:58,079 --> 00:11:01,600
prevented them from intervening

179
00:11:02,519 --> 00:11:05,200
directly. The French briefly advanced

180
00:11:05,200 --> 00:11:07,680
across Germany's western border, but

181
00:11:07,680 --> 00:11:10,160
upon hearing of Poland's defeat, they

182
00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:13,160
withdrew.

183
00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,200
In September, the first detachments of

184
00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:20,480
the British Expeditionary Force or BEF

185
00:11:20,480 --> 00:11:22,320
began taking up positions along the

186
00:11:22,320 --> 00:11:25,000
Franco Belgian

187
00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,160
border. By the end of the month, 13

188
00:11:28,160 --> 00:11:30,240
British divisions were in place,

189
00:11:30,240 --> 00:11:32,839
numbering over 150,000

190
00:11:32,839 --> 00:11:36,399
men. 21,000 vehicles accompanied the BEF

191
00:11:36,399 --> 00:11:38,399
to France along with almost all of

192
00:11:38,399 --> 00:11:42,519
Britain's heavy military equipment.

193
00:11:44,079 --> 00:11:46,880
The French and British troops dug in and

194
00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,040
waited for the expected German attack in

195
00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:53,040
the west. No attack came, and for the

196
00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:55,440
next 8 months, hostilities would be

197
00:11:55,440 --> 00:11:57,680
limited to sporadic artillery duels and

198
00:11:57,680 --> 00:12:01,000
bombing raids.

199
00:12:01,839 --> 00:12:04,240
The next major German offensive was

200
00:12:04,240 --> 00:12:08,560
directed not at France but

201
00:12:09,079 --> 00:12:12,560
Scandinavia. In April 1940, German

202
00:12:12,560 --> 00:12:16,560
troops moved to occupy Denmark and

203
00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,839
Norway. They were sent to protect

204
00:12:19,839 --> 00:12:22,320
Germany's supplies of iron ore which

205
00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:24,480
were shipped out from Sweden through the

206
00:12:24,480 --> 00:12:28,360
Norwegian port of Narvik.

207
00:12:30,480 --> 00:12:33,200
By occupying Norway, Germany would also

208
00:12:33,200 --> 00:12:35,279
secure bases for air attacks against

209
00:12:35,279 --> 00:12:37,760
Allied shipping in the North Sea and

210
00:12:37,760 --> 00:12:41,040
keep the Royal Navy from the

211
00:12:44,519 --> 00:12:47,120
Baltic. The Allies had already realized

212
00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:49,440
that severing Germany's iron ore supply

213
00:12:49,440 --> 00:12:52,240
would [ __ ] the Nazi war machine, and

214
00:12:52,240 --> 00:12:53,839
they were simultaneously planning their

215
00:12:53,839 --> 00:12:57,800
own operation in Norway.

216
00:12:59,839 --> 00:13:04,399
The Germans narrowly won the ensuing

217
00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:16,000
race. On April the 9th, German troops

218
00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:18,519
landed at Christianund, Bergen,

219
00:13:18,519 --> 00:13:20,680
Tronheim, and

220
00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:23,120
Narvik. Supporting airborne assaults

221
00:13:23,120 --> 00:13:26,959
were made against Oslo and Stanganger.

222
00:13:26,959 --> 00:13:30,079
This was the first major air land sea

223
00:13:30,079 --> 00:13:33,600
operation in history. On the same day

224
00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:36,560
and in the space of 4 hours, the Germans

225
00:13:36,560 --> 00:13:40,639
occupied Denmark. By April the 16th,

226
00:13:40,639 --> 00:13:44,720
Germany controlled most of southern

227
00:13:45,240 --> 00:13:48,079
Norway. Despite heroic resistance,

228
00:13:48,079 --> 00:13:50,560
Norway's largely militia army had been

229
00:13:50,560 --> 00:13:52,399
unable to prevent the German capture of

230
00:13:52,399 --> 00:13:56,120
their coastal cities.

231
00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,279
Over the next three days, British and

232
00:13:59,279 --> 00:14:02,240
French troops landed at Namsos, Narvik,

233
00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:03,079
and

234
00:14:03,079 --> 00:14:05,839
Andles. In the south, they advanced as

235
00:14:05,839 --> 00:14:07,839
far as Lilyhammer, but were then

236
00:14:07,839 --> 00:14:09,920
repulsed and had to be withdrawn by

237
00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:12,240
early

238
00:14:13,000 --> 00:14:15,920
May. In the north, they pushed the

239
00:14:15,920 --> 00:14:18,320
Germans out of Narvik.

240
00:14:18,320 --> 00:14:20,800
However, the Allied campaign was doomed

241
00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:23,680
by poor coordination, especially between

242
00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,639
the navy and infantry. While the total

243
00:14:26,639 --> 00:14:29,199
air supremacy achieved by the Luftvafer

244
00:14:29,199 --> 00:14:30,279
proved

245
00:14:30,279 --> 00:14:32,880
decisive, the outcome of the Norwegian

246
00:14:32,880 --> 00:14:36,160
campaign was a foregone conclusion. Even

247
00:14:36,160 --> 00:14:38,079
before the fighting had finished there,

248
00:14:38,079 --> 00:14:39,920
the Germans were preparing to launch

249
00:14:39,920 --> 00:14:42,399
their greatest gamble of all, the

250
00:14:42,399 --> 00:14:47,720
invasion and conquest of the West.

251
00:15:02,959 --> 00:15:05,360
After his lightning conquest of Poland,

252
00:15:05,360 --> 00:15:07,279
Hitler had hoped the Allies would accept

253
00:15:07,279 --> 00:15:09,519
the German victory, just as they had

254
00:15:09,519 --> 00:15:11,120
earlier accepted the occupation of

255
00:15:11,120 --> 00:15:14,760
Austria and Czechoslovakia.

256
00:15:16,720 --> 00:15:18,480
Once he saw they were determined to

257
00:15:18,480 --> 00:15:20,800
fight, he had resolved to launch a

258
00:15:20,800 --> 00:15:23,440
western offensive as soon as possible.

259
00:15:23,440 --> 00:15:25,440
He knew the Allies would need time to

260
00:15:25,440 --> 00:15:27,760
mobilize fully and to draw on the

261
00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:30,720
resources of their overseas colonies. If

262
00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:32,880
given this time, they would be too

263
00:15:32,880 --> 00:15:37,079
strong for Germany to defeat.

264
00:15:37,519 --> 00:15:39,600
It was essential, therefore, that the

265
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,079
German army should attack while it still

266
00:15:42,079 --> 00:15:43,079
had the

267
00:15:43,079 --> 00:15:46,399
initiative. His first strategic priority

268
00:15:46,399 --> 00:15:48,519
was to defeat the French army in the

269
00:15:48,519 --> 00:15:51,519
field. Once this was achieved, he felt

270
00:15:51,519 --> 00:15:55,839
confident that Britain would sue for

271
00:15:56,279 --> 00:15:58,959
peace. Much of Hitler's military outlook

272
00:15:58,959 --> 00:16:00,720
had been shaped by his time as a

273
00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:02,720
frontline soldier on the Western Front

274
00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:06,519
during the Great War.

275
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:10,079
Many of his generals had been staff or

276
00:16:10,079 --> 00:16:12,560
artillery officers during World War I

277
00:16:12,560 --> 00:16:17,240
and as such would not have fought in the

278
00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:19,920
trenches. On this basis, Hitler

279
00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:22,320
distrusted their opinions and frequently

280
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:25,440
overruled them. Indeed, all his military

281
00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:27,360
initiatives to date had been taken

282
00:16:27,360 --> 00:16:29,360
against the express advice of the high

283
00:16:29,360 --> 00:16:32,360
command.

284
00:16:34,240 --> 00:16:36,639
Each one of these had succeeded. And for

285
00:16:36,639 --> 00:16:39,040
Hitler, these successes amounted to

286
00:16:39,040 --> 00:16:41,519
victories over his own generals as well

287
00:16:41,519 --> 00:16:43,920
as the

288
00:16:47,320 --> 00:16:50,079
enemy. Hitler's decision to go to war

289
00:16:50,079 --> 00:16:52,880
with Britain and France deeply dismayed

290
00:16:52,880 --> 00:16:55,839
his commanders. They neither shared his

291
00:16:55,839 --> 00:16:58,639
grand ambitions of conquest nor believe

292
00:16:58,639 --> 00:17:00,480
the army was strong enough to realize

293
00:17:00,480 --> 00:17:03,440
them.

294
00:17:06,199 --> 00:17:09,360
Their opposition to Hitler was weakened

295
00:17:09,360 --> 00:17:11,079
after his run of

296
00:17:11,079 --> 00:17:13,280
successes. The high command was also

297
00:17:13,280 --> 00:17:15,600
indebted to him for restoring the army's

298
00:17:15,600 --> 00:17:18,319
power and

299
00:17:18,520 --> 00:17:20,959
prestige. Hitler could also count on the

300
00:17:20,959 --> 00:17:23,280
support of the rank and file who hero

301
00:17:23,280 --> 00:17:26,679
worshiped him.

302
00:17:27,360 --> 00:17:29,919
By the spring of 1940, Hitler's

303
00:17:29,919 --> 00:17:32,240
leadership was secure and the army's

304
00:17:32,240 --> 00:17:36,200
loyalty was guaranteed.

305
00:17:51,360 --> 00:17:54,720
On the 21st of March 1940, Paul Renault

306
00:17:54,720 --> 00:17:57,480
became France's prime

307
00:17:57,480 --> 00:18:00,400
minister. Two years earlier, as Minister

308
00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:02,960
of Finance, he had affected major

309
00:18:02,960 --> 00:18:06,160
improvements in the French

310
00:18:06,200 --> 00:18:09,679
economy. Aged 62, he now found himself

311
00:18:09,679 --> 00:18:11,280
at the head of a government and a

312
00:18:11,280 --> 00:18:13,919
country that had long been torn by

313
00:18:13,919 --> 00:18:17,799
bitter political divisions.

314
00:18:18,320 --> 00:18:20,880
Militarily, he was a hardliner against

315
00:18:20,880 --> 00:18:23,200
Germany and wanted France to adopt a

316
00:18:23,200 --> 00:18:24,440
more aggressive

317
00:18:24,440 --> 00:18:27,039
attitude. Upon taking office, he

318
00:18:27,039 --> 00:18:29,200
immediately cooperated with Britain in

319
00:18:29,200 --> 00:18:31,039
planning and executing the Allied

320
00:18:31,039 --> 00:18:33,760
intervention in

321
00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:39,120
Norway. Yet time and again, Renault's

322
00:18:39,120 --> 00:18:41,440
initiatives were blocked by his numerous

323
00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:44,440
enemies.

324
00:18:44,880 --> 00:18:46,559
He was also at loggerheads with his

325
00:18:46,559 --> 00:18:47,960
senior military

326
00:18:47,960 --> 00:18:50,720
commanders. He had long argued, though

327
00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,280
without success, for the formation of

328
00:18:53,280 --> 00:18:56,880
armored core in the French

329
00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:00,880
army. The eve of the German offensive

330
00:19:00,880 --> 00:19:03,120
found Reena's government virtually

331
00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:07,240
paralyzed by disunityity.

332
00:19:21,520 --> 00:19:23,880
Before becoming prime minister in

333
00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:26,160
1937, Neville Chamberlain had been

334
00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:30,320
Minister of Health and Chancellor of the

335
00:19:30,520 --> 00:19:32,799
Excheer. He believed that peace in

336
00:19:32,799 --> 00:19:34,880
Europe could best be achieved by making

337
00:19:34,880 --> 00:19:37,440
concessions to Germany. Even though he

338
00:19:37,440 --> 00:19:40,960
had a deep personal dislike of

339
00:19:42,039 --> 00:19:44,799
Hitler, it was a belief shared by many

340
00:19:44,799 --> 00:19:47,360
people in Britain. And when Chamberlain

341
00:19:47,360 --> 00:19:49,120
returned home after signing the Munich

342
00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:51,799
Agreement, he received a hero's

343
00:19:51,799 --> 00:19:54,480
welcome. But while appeasing Hitler on

344
00:19:54,480 --> 00:19:56,799
the political front, Chamberlain also

345
00:19:56,799 --> 00:19:58,799
oversaw British preparations for the

346
00:19:58,799 --> 00:20:00,520
possibility of

347
00:20:00,520 --> 00:20:05,760
war. In 1938, he introduced

348
00:20:08,280 --> 00:20:10,720
rearmorament. The regular army received

349
00:20:10,720 --> 00:20:12,960
new weapons and vehicles as well as

350
00:20:12,960 --> 00:20:16,360
improved salaries and living

351
00:20:16,360 --> 00:20:18,960
conditions. The territorial army reserve

352
00:20:18,960 --> 00:20:22,080
was reorganized and

353
00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:25,280
expanded. Following Germany's takeover

354
00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:27,760
of Czechoslovakia, Chamberlain quickly

355
00:20:27,760 --> 00:20:30,000
introduced conscription and stepped up

356
00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,559
the pace of

357
00:20:33,960 --> 00:20:36,159
rearmament. He also arranged for the

358
00:20:36,159 --> 00:20:37,760
British Expeditionary Force to go to

359
00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:41,039
France in September

360
00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:45,760
1939. His political standing, however,

361
00:20:45,760 --> 00:20:48,240
had been badly undermined by his earlier

362
00:20:48,240 --> 00:20:51,799
policy of appeasement.

363
00:20:52,640 --> 00:20:55,039
He had also spurned Russian offers of an

364
00:20:55,039 --> 00:20:57,280
alliance, thus paving the way for the

365
00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,159
Nazi Soviet

366
00:21:01,159 --> 00:21:04,480
Pat. His political fate would be sealed

367
00:21:04,480 --> 00:21:06,320
by the defeat of the Allied expedition

368
00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:08,559
in

369
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:11,280
Norway. On the first day of the German

370
00:21:11,280 --> 00:21:13,919
offensive in the West, Chamberlain would

371
00:21:13,919 --> 00:21:16,320
be forced to resign.

372
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,720
The man who would replace him had been

373
00:21:18,720 --> 00:21:21,120
one of his sternest opponents and an

374
00:21:21,120 --> 00:21:24,240
arch critic of

375
00:21:38,120 --> 00:21:40,960
appeasement. At the outbreak of war,

376
00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,280
Winston Churchill was first lord of the

377
00:21:43,280 --> 00:21:46,080
admiral team. He was one of Britain's

378
00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:48,480
most experienced politicians, having

379
00:21:48,480 --> 00:21:50,480
held eight cabinet positions in a

380
00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:52,799
40-year career, interspersed with

381
00:21:52,799 --> 00:21:54,520
frequent spells in the political

382
00:21:54,520 --> 00:21:57,760
wilderness. In 1938, he had even

383
00:21:57,760 --> 00:22:02,520
considered retiring from public life.

384
00:22:07,360 --> 00:22:09,200
Churchill had been one of the fiercest

385
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,000
critics of the pre-war policy of

386
00:22:11,000 --> 00:22:13,039
appeasement and was absolutely

387
00:22:13,039 --> 00:22:16,880
unshakable in his opposition to

388
00:22:18,280 --> 00:22:20,880
Hitler. He was largely responsible for

389
00:22:20,880 --> 00:22:22,559
planning and directing the Allied

390
00:22:22,559 --> 00:22:25,600
campaign in Norway but escaped serious

391
00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:28,559
criticism for its

392
00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:31,080
failure. In spite of his great

393
00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:33,120
experience, Churchill was only a

394
00:22:33,120 --> 00:22:37,559
compromised choice for prime minister.

395
00:22:37,919 --> 00:22:39,679
Though the support he received was less

396
00:22:39,679 --> 00:22:42,559
than wholehearted, he himself had

397
00:22:42,559 --> 00:22:45,200
complete

398
00:22:45,480 --> 00:22:48,320
self-belief. He would later remark that

399
00:22:48,320 --> 00:22:50,559
assuming the leadership felt like

400
00:22:50,559 --> 00:22:54,280
walking with destiny.

401
00:23:03,120 --> 00:23:05,600
Within a week of defeating Poland,

402
00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:07,600
Hitler had issued a directive stating

403
00:23:07,600 --> 00:23:09,280
that Germany should launch an attack

404
00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,840
against France through the low countries

405
00:23:11,840 --> 00:23:14,640
as quickly as

406
00:23:15,400 --> 00:23:17,919
possible. Hitler dismissed his general's

407
00:23:17,919 --> 00:23:20,480
objections to this order as defeist and

408
00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:24,159
insisted on the operation going

409
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,320
ahead. At once, the German high command

410
00:23:28,320 --> 00:23:30,080
prepared their first plan for the

411
00:23:30,080 --> 00:23:33,120
western offensive code named Case

412
00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:36,120
Yellow.

413
00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:46,880
Case yellow gave the major role to the

414
00:23:46,880 --> 00:23:50,080
army's right wing, Army Group B, which

415
00:23:50,080 --> 00:23:52,000
would overwhelm the Belgian forces along

416
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,880
the line of the Albert Canal and then

417
00:23:54,880 --> 00:23:57,760
push towards the

418
00:23:59,240 --> 00:24:02,799
SA. Army Group A in the center would

419
00:24:02,799 --> 00:24:04,960
attack through southern Belgium in

420
00:24:04,960 --> 00:24:07,840
support while Army Group C held the

421
00:24:07,840 --> 00:24:10,080
Franco-German frontier in a largely

422
00:24:10,080 --> 00:24:13,559
static role.

423
00:24:13,760 --> 00:24:16,159
Case yellow was virtually a repeat of

424
00:24:16,159 --> 00:24:19,600
the German invasion plan of

425
00:24:22,360 --> 00:24:25,200
1914. Hitler had misgivings about this

426
00:24:25,200 --> 00:24:27,840
version of case yellow, noting that its

427
00:24:27,840 --> 00:24:30,240
proposed advance had to be made across

428
00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:31,400
difficult

429
00:24:31,400 --> 00:24:34,320
terrain. Worse still, it seemed likely

430
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:36,240
to lead to the sort of static war of

431
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:38,559
attrition he had himself endured in the

432
00:24:38,559 --> 00:24:42,600
trenches of World War I.

433
00:24:43,279 --> 00:24:45,279
He suggested making an attack against

434
00:24:45,279 --> 00:24:46,600
the Allied

435
00:24:46,600 --> 00:24:49,200
center. Over the ensuing months, the

436
00:24:49,200 --> 00:24:51,200
high command prepared several minor

437
00:24:51,200 --> 00:24:54,159
variations of case yellow, none of which

438
00:24:54,159 --> 00:24:56,840
quite satisfied

439
00:24:56,840 --> 00:25:00,240
him. In any case, the onset of winter

440
00:25:00,240 --> 00:25:02,400
forced Hitler to postpone his offensive

441
00:25:02,400 --> 00:25:05,679
time and again. The Germans now began

442
00:25:05,679 --> 00:25:07,919
studying a fifth and very different

443
00:25:07,919 --> 00:25:12,159
version of case yellow known as

444
00:25:18,440 --> 00:25:21,200
sicklestroke. Sicklestroke required Army

445
00:25:21,200 --> 00:25:24,480
Group B, now much reduced in size, to

446
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:27,320
attack Belgium and

447
00:25:27,320 --> 00:25:30,240
Holland. First, airborne troops would be

448
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,320
parachuted into Rotterdam, where they

449
00:25:32,320 --> 00:25:35,840
would seize the aer drones.

450
00:25:38,159 --> 00:25:40,159
Paratroops would also be used to secure

451
00:25:40,159 --> 00:25:42,760
bridges over Belgium's Albert

452
00:25:42,760 --> 00:25:45,600
Canal and to capture the vital fortress

453
00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:47,840
of

454
00:25:50,279 --> 00:25:53,120
Ebeneale. Next, the Luftvafa was to

455
00:25:53,120 --> 00:25:55,440
attack airfields in Belgium, Holland,

456
00:25:55,440 --> 00:25:57,080
and

457
00:25:57,080 --> 00:26:00,159
France, destroying enemy aircraft before

458
00:26:00,159 --> 00:26:04,480
they even had a chance to take off.

459
00:26:04,480 --> 00:26:07,600
Finally, the main body of Army Group B

460
00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:10,640
was to commence its

461
00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,840
advance. Its main purpose was to lure

462
00:26:13,840 --> 00:26:15,840
the Franco British forces into the

463
00:26:15,840 --> 00:26:17,720
Belgian

464
00:26:17,720 --> 00:26:20,480
lands. In the south, facing the

465
00:26:20,480 --> 00:26:22,559
formidable fixed defenses of France's

466
00:26:22,559 --> 00:26:25,840
Majino line, Army Group C was to engage

467
00:26:25,840 --> 00:26:28,240
its defenders and affect a breakthrough

468
00:26:28,240 --> 00:26:31,480
if possible.

469
00:26:32,480 --> 00:26:34,559
The main effort was to be delivered by

470
00:26:34,559 --> 00:26:36,799
the strongest German force, Army Group

471
00:26:36,799 --> 00:26:40,480
A, in the center. Spearheaded by seven

472
00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:44,240
armored and three motorized

473
00:26:44,919 --> 00:26:47,200
divisions, Army Group A would attack

474
00:26:47,200 --> 00:26:49,360
across the dense forest of the Arden

475
00:26:49,360 --> 00:26:53,880
through Luxembourg and southern Belgium.

476
00:26:56,320 --> 00:26:59,120
Bypassing the Majino line, they were to

477
00:26:59,120 --> 00:27:02,240
cross the MS between Dong and Saddon,

478
00:27:02,240 --> 00:27:05,760
then break out toward the S. By so

479
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:08,880
doing, they would drive a huge wedge in

480
00:27:08,880 --> 00:27:13,000
the center of the Allied armies.

481
00:27:20,720 --> 00:27:23,520
If all went to plan, Sicklestroke could

482
00:27:23,520 --> 00:27:26,400
yield a decisive victory. Its very

483
00:27:26,400 --> 00:27:28,400
boldness had deterred the high command

484
00:27:28,400 --> 00:27:32,159
when it was first laid before them in

485
00:27:34,440 --> 00:27:37,200
November. Since then, there've been time

486
00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:40,080
to perfect its details.

487
00:27:40,080 --> 00:27:42,080
When sicklestroke was finally put to

488
00:27:42,080 --> 00:27:45,279
Hitler in February 1940, that same

489
00:27:45,279 --> 00:27:48,640
boldness appealed to him

490
00:27:49,480 --> 00:27:52,159
instinctively. Furthermore, Sicklestroke

491
00:27:52,159 --> 00:27:53,919
was in line with his own earlier

492
00:27:53,919 --> 00:27:55,919
suggestion that an attack might be

493
00:27:55,919 --> 00:27:59,120
possible against the Allied

494
00:27:59,559 --> 00:28:03,559
center. Its adoption was thus

495
00:28:03,559 --> 00:28:06,640
assured. From that point on, all the

496
00:28:06,640 --> 00:28:08,480
deliberations and preparations of the

497
00:28:08,480 --> 00:28:10,559
general staff were geared entirely

498
00:28:10,559 --> 00:28:13,919
towards its successful

499
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,760
realization. For months on end, its

500
00:28:17,760 --> 00:28:19,840
every aspect was carefully rehearsed in

501
00:28:19,840 --> 00:28:22,799
elaborate training

502
00:28:27,399 --> 00:28:31,360
exercises. By May the 10th, 1940, every

503
00:28:31,360 --> 00:28:33,520
German soldier from the highest rank to

504
00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:35,520
the lowest knew exactly what was

505
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:39,919
expected of him if victory was to be

506
00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:53,120
achieved. France's principal system of

507
00:28:53,120 --> 00:28:57,720
defense was the Majino line.

508
00:28:58,480 --> 00:29:00,480
The line was an extensive bullwwork of

509
00:29:00,480 --> 00:29:04,880
fortifications deemed impossible to

510
00:29:06,360 --> 00:29:09,440
breach. This elaborate defensive network

511
00:29:09,440 --> 00:29:12,559
contained numerous tank traps, mines,

512
00:29:12,559 --> 00:29:14,840
fortified machine gun imp placements,

513
00:29:14,840 --> 00:29:17,200
anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and heavy

514
00:29:17,200 --> 00:29:20,520
field artillery.

515
00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:24,640
The forts were all linked by connecting

516
00:29:24,640 --> 00:29:26,960
lifts and tunnels. They could supply

517
00:29:26,960 --> 00:29:29,679
their own needs of water and power, and

518
00:29:29,679 --> 00:29:31,520
the largest could accommodate a garrison

519
00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,320
of a thousand

520
00:29:34,520 --> 00:29:38,320
men. France had spent a staggering 7,000

521
00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:40,520
million Franks in building the Majino

522
00:29:40,520 --> 00:29:43,279
line, by far the greater part of her

523
00:29:43,279 --> 00:29:47,320
overall defense budget.

524
00:29:50,880 --> 00:29:52,559
Due to the strength of the Machino

525
00:29:52,559 --> 00:29:54,799
defenses, French strategists were

526
00:29:54,799 --> 00:29:56,480
certain the Germans would have to repeat

527
00:29:56,480 --> 00:30:01,279
their 1914 attack through Belgium and

528
00:30:03,480 --> 00:30:06,159
Holland. However, in planning how to

529
00:30:06,159 --> 00:30:08,320
meet this threat, they were immediately

530
00:30:08,320 --> 00:30:09,840
faced with the problem of Belgian

531
00:30:09,840 --> 00:30:12,840
neutrality.

532
00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:16,000
The Belgians were afraid of provoking

533
00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,760
Germany by being seen to align

534
00:30:17,760 --> 00:30:21,039
themselves with Britain and

535
00:30:22,360 --> 00:30:24,720
France. They were also worried that a

536
00:30:24,720 --> 00:30:26,640
close alliance with France would

537
00:30:26,640 --> 00:30:29,440
antagonize their Flemish population who

538
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:33,120
harbored strong anti-French

539
00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,760
sentiments. They therefore pursued a

540
00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:41,200
policy of strict neutrality.

541
00:30:41,200 --> 00:30:43,440
Allied troops were forbidden to enter

542
00:30:43,440 --> 00:30:47,840
Belgium unless the country was actually

543
00:30:48,039 --> 00:30:50,399
attacked. They were denied the chance of

544
00:30:50,399 --> 00:30:52,000
familiarizing themselves with the

545
00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,320
terrain or even of learning the battle

546
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:56,039
plans of the Belgian

547
00:30:56,039 --> 00:30:58,799
army. Eventually, the Allies developed

548
00:30:58,799 --> 00:31:01,600
the strategy known as the deal plan or

549
00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,000
plan D.

550
00:31:10,960 --> 00:31:13,360
Once the Germans attacked, the French

551
00:31:13,360 --> 00:31:16,080
first and seventh armies and the BEF,

552
00:31:16,080 --> 00:31:18,640
the most mobile Allied forces, would

553
00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:21,520
advance into Belgium and occupy a line

554
00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,000
running from Antwerp to Namur along the

555
00:31:24,000 --> 00:31:26,200
Deal

556
00:31:26,200 --> 00:31:28,880
River. Here they hoped to link up with

557
00:31:28,880 --> 00:31:30,960
the Belgian army.

558
00:31:30,960 --> 00:31:33,520
To their right, the French 9inth Army

559
00:31:33,520 --> 00:31:36,320
would deploy along the river MS from

560
00:31:36,320 --> 00:31:39,600
Namur to the French

561
00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:44,159
border. In March 1940, the modification

562
00:31:44,159 --> 00:31:47,200
known as the Brada variant was added.

563
00:31:47,200 --> 00:31:49,519
This required the French 7th Army on the

564
00:31:49,519 --> 00:31:53,519
left to proceed even further to Brada so

565
00:31:53,519 --> 00:31:56,000
as to form a continuous Allied Dutch

566
00:31:56,000 --> 00:31:59,559
Belgian front.

567
00:32:01,120 --> 00:32:03,360
South of this, the French second army

568
00:32:03,360 --> 00:32:06,880
group was to man the Majino

569
00:32:07,480 --> 00:32:09,840
line. And in the center of the Allied

570
00:32:09,840 --> 00:32:12,480
position, a small covering force of five

571
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:14,320
divisions would be stationed behind the

572
00:32:14,320 --> 00:32:16,880
Arden

573
00:32:18,440 --> 00:32:21,240
forest. Because the Arden was considered

574
00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:23,840
impossible, no anti-tank or

575
00:32:23,840 --> 00:32:26,159
anti-aircraft weapons were given to

576
00:32:26,159 --> 00:32:29,480
these troops.

577
00:32:30,799 --> 00:32:33,200
To the north, both Belgium and Holland

578
00:32:33,200 --> 00:32:34,960
had evolved their own independent

579
00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,559
strategies to counter a German

580
00:32:40,679 --> 00:32:42,880
invasion. Belgium's first line of

581
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,640
defense ran along the Albert

582
00:32:46,919 --> 00:32:50,000
Canal. Its lynchpin was the formidable

583
00:32:50,000 --> 00:32:52,240
Fort Ebony Male, and there were

584
00:32:52,240 --> 00:32:54,640
fieldworks with machine gun posts every

585
00:32:54,640 --> 00:32:58,440
5 to 800 yd.

586
00:33:00,159 --> 00:33:01,919
But the Belgians did not expect to be

587
00:33:01,919 --> 00:33:05,200
able to hold this line for

588
00:33:06,120 --> 00:33:08,720
long. They subsequently planned to fall

589
00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,440
back on a line from Antworp to Namore,

590
00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:14,640
known as the KW

591
00:33:15,320 --> 00:33:17,919
line, the same line that the French

592
00:33:17,919 --> 00:33:22,480
would advance to as part of their deal

593
00:33:23,960 --> 00:33:27,600
plan. Since November 1939, they had been

594
00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:30,399
fortifying this sector and by May of the

595
00:33:30,399 --> 00:33:32,320
following year had erected hundreds of

596
00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:35,000
pillboxes along

597
00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,679
it. A small percentage of which were

598
00:33:37,679 --> 00:33:39,919
earmarked for occupation by the French

599
00:33:39,919 --> 00:33:42,039
and

600
00:33:42,039 --> 00:33:45,120
British. The Dutch too had decided to

601
00:33:45,120 --> 00:33:49,640
defend only part of their country.

602
00:33:50,080 --> 00:33:52,720
This was the vital economic area located

603
00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:54,559
between the three large rivers of the

604
00:33:54,559 --> 00:33:57,240
Murs, Val, and

605
00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:59,679
Rin. The Dutch army was to fight

606
00:33:59,679 --> 00:34:01,880
delaying actions on the Greb

607
00:34:01,880 --> 00:34:05,279
line and would then withdraw and resort

608
00:34:05,279 --> 00:34:07,279
to the traditional tactics of deliberate

609
00:34:07,279 --> 00:34:11,800
flooding to impede the enemy.

610
00:34:15,119 --> 00:34:17,119
The allies prospects of repelling the

611
00:34:17,119 --> 00:34:19,919
German invasion would depend entirely on

612
00:34:19,919 --> 00:34:23,079
factors beyond their

613
00:34:23,079 --> 00:34:25,679
control. Firstly, the Belgians would

614
00:34:25,679 --> 00:34:27,280
have to delay the Germans long enough

615
00:34:27,280 --> 00:34:31,119
for the Allies to occupy the deal

616
00:34:33,560 --> 00:34:36,000
line. Next, there would have to be

617
00:34:36,000 --> 00:34:38,079
perfect coordination between the various

618
00:34:38,079 --> 00:34:41,079
forces.

619
00:34:41,599 --> 00:34:43,359
This coordination would have to be

620
00:34:43,359 --> 00:34:46,119
worked out in the very heat of

621
00:34:46,119 --> 00:34:48,960
battle. Above all, the Germans would

622
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:51,119
have to attack precisely where the

623
00:34:51,119 --> 00:34:56,119
Allied strategists expected they would.

624
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:16,400
The commanderin-chief of the German army

625
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:19,920
was General Valter von

626
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:24,000
Broich. 58 years old, he was a decorated

627
00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:26,320
veteran of the First World War. An

628
00:35:26,320 --> 00:35:30,160
excellent linguist and student of world

629
00:35:30,200 --> 00:35:33,040
affairs. A highly intelligent officer,

630
00:35:33,040 --> 00:35:34,800
he was Hitler's personal choice to

631
00:35:34,800 --> 00:35:39,320
become commander-in-chief in 1938.

632
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,320
However, he lacked the strength of

633
00:35:44,320 --> 00:35:47,280
character to stand up to Hitler. Like

634
00:35:47,280 --> 00:35:49,680
many of his colleagues, Brohitch doubted

635
00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:53,280
the wisdom of launching a Western

636
00:35:53,960 --> 00:35:56,320
offensive. When he voiced these doubts

637
00:35:56,320 --> 00:35:59,359
to Hitler, he was so fiercely berated,

638
00:35:59,359 --> 00:36:01,359
he never again dared to question the

639
00:36:01,359 --> 00:36:04,920
Furer's directives.

640
00:36:07,760 --> 00:36:09,320
In November

641
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:11,920
1939, Brohitch was presented with the

642
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:15,599
first draft of the sicklestroke

643
00:36:15,800 --> 00:36:18,720
plan. Its author was Lieutenant General

644
00:36:18,720 --> 00:36:21,200
Fritz Eric von Mannstein, one of the

645
00:36:21,200 --> 00:36:25,200
keenest operational minds in the German

646
00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:28,960
army. Brokich thought Sicklestroke

647
00:36:28,960 --> 00:36:32,079
unfeasible and dismissed it. But

648
00:36:32,079 --> 00:36:33,920
Mannstein kept lobbying for its

649
00:36:33,920 --> 00:36:36,560
acceptance until at last Brohitch lost

650
00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:38,640
patience and transferred him to a

651
00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:41,280
command in the

652
00:36:43,960 --> 00:36:46,960
east. Soon afterwards in February,

653
00:36:46,960 --> 00:36:49,839
Mannstein met Hitler and described his

654
00:36:49,839 --> 00:36:53,280
plan to him. The very next day, Brohitch

655
00:36:53,280 --> 00:36:55,680
was ordered to adopt sicklestroke, which

656
00:36:55,680 --> 00:36:59,680
the Furer presented as his own

657
00:37:00,119 --> 00:37:01,640
idea.

658
00:37:01,640 --> 00:37:04,800
Over the following weeks, as he oversaw

659
00:37:04,800 --> 00:37:07,520
the rehearsals for sicklestroke, Rohich

660
00:37:07,520 --> 00:37:11,200
himself came to appreciate its

661
00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:14,320
potential. His troops had also benefited

662
00:37:14,320 --> 00:37:16,760
from months of training and

663
00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:19,160
reorganizing. Despite his cautious

664
00:37:19,160 --> 00:37:22,320
nature, Brohitch felt the army at last

665
00:37:22,320 --> 00:37:26,760
had a real chance of victory.

666
00:37:38,800 --> 00:37:40,720
The supreme commander of the allied

667
00:37:40,720 --> 00:37:45,040
forces in France was General Maurice

668
00:37:45,079 --> 00:37:48,079
Gamina. He was aloof and felt ill at

669
00:37:48,079 --> 00:37:50,560
ease amongst his troops. He preferred to

670
00:37:50,560 --> 00:37:52,800
spend his time at his headquarters, cut

671
00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,440
off from the man.

672
00:37:59,520 --> 00:38:02,880
In May 1940, Gamla's command was made up

673
00:38:02,880 --> 00:38:06,000
of four operational areas. The most

674
00:38:06,000 --> 00:38:08,000
important of these was in the northeast

675
00:38:08,000 --> 00:38:09,160
facing

676
00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:12,079
Germany. Gamalan retained direct control

677
00:38:12,079 --> 00:38:15,040
of planning and strategy, leaving his

678
00:38:15,040 --> 00:38:16,960
frontline commanders in charge of

679
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:22,119
operations and liaison with each other.

680
00:38:23,040 --> 00:38:25,160
It was a desperately flawed command

681
00:38:25,160 --> 00:38:27,760
structure characterized by inefficient

682
00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:29,400
coordination and

683
00:38:29,400 --> 00:38:32,000
communication. To make matters worse,

684
00:38:32,000 --> 00:38:35,240
Gamla had fallen out with his key

685
00:38:35,240 --> 00:38:38,599
commanders. The BEF commander, Lord John

686
00:38:38,599 --> 00:38:41,200
Gort, was disturbed by the blatant

687
00:38:41,200 --> 00:38:42,640
weakness of the French command

688
00:38:42,640 --> 00:38:45,200
structure, but as he was subordinate to

689
00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:50,280
Gamala, he could do little about it.

690
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:54,640
Gamala had been a staff officer during

691
00:38:54,640 --> 00:38:57,040
the first world war and the strategies

692
00:38:57,040 --> 00:39:01,200
of that era still dominated his

693
00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:05,200
outlook. He believed that infantry still

694
00:39:05,200 --> 00:39:08,320
reign supreme on the battlefield. He

695
00:39:08,320 --> 00:39:10,640
discounted the idea that tanks on their

696
00:39:10,640 --> 00:39:13,280
own could breach a continuous line of

697
00:39:13,280 --> 00:39:15,359
defense.

698
00:39:15,359 --> 00:39:17,359
As the lessons of the Polish campaign

699
00:39:17,359 --> 00:39:20,079
were pondered, he confidently asserted

700
00:39:20,079 --> 00:39:22,640
that his forces could contain and cut

701
00:39:22,640 --> 00:39:27,200
off any possible breakthrough by

702
00:39:27,640 --> 00:39:30,640
panzas. Gamla's passive strategy

703
00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,119
infuriated France's new prime minister,

704
00:39:33,119 --> 00:39:37,760
Paul Renault, who called him a nerveless

705
00:39:38,920 --> 00:39:41,839
philosopher. twice in April and again on

706
00:39:41,839 --> 00:39:44,160
the very eve of the German invasion. He

707
00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:47,200
tried to have Gamalan

708
00:39:47,480 --> 00:39:50,079
dismissed. However, each time the

709
00:39:50,079 --> 00:39:51,760
general's political supporters had

710
00:39:51,760 --> 00:39:54,960
stepped in to save him. France's fate

711
00:39:54,960 --> 00:39:59,400
would now rest in his hands.

712
00:40:09,760 --> 00:40:12,720
Germany had mustered 136 divisions for

713
00:40:12,720 --> 00:40:15,680
its assault on France. No more than a

714
00:40:15,680 --> 00:40:17,359
third were fully experienced and

715
00:40:17,359 --> 00:40:19,200
equipped, and these would all be

716
00:40:19,200 --> 00:40:22,640
committed in the attack's first

717
00:40:25,560 --> 00:40:28,400
wave. In spite of Blitz Creek's reliance

718
00:40:28,400 --> 00:40:31,200
on mobile forces, the army was far from

719
00:40:31,200 --> 00:40:34,079
being entirely motorized and had only

720
00:40:34,079 --> 00:40:36,960
120,000

721
00:40:37,000 --> 00:40:42,000
trucks. Many of its guns still had to be

722
00:40:43,800 --> 00:40:46,079
horsedrawn. Because Germany lacked the

723
00:40:46,079 --> 00:40:48,320
military and industrial resources for a

724
00:40:48,320 --> 00:40:53,480
long war, it needed swift victories.

725
00:40:54,640 --> 00:40:57,040
Blitzkrieg provided the method by which

726
00:40:57,040 --> 00:40:58,920
such victories could be

727
00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:01,040
secured. It required the close

728
00:41:01,040 --> 00:41:03,359
cooperation of all arms, especially

729
00:41:03,359 --> 00:41:06,440
between the army and air

730
00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:10,000
force. To achieve this, Luftafa ground

731
00:41:10,000 --> 00:41:12,880
crews accompanied the Panza divisions to

732
00:41:12,880 --> 00:41:17,720
help coordinate air and ground attacks.

733
00:41:22,880 --> 00:41:25,280
At the war's outbreak, the Luftvafa was

734
00:41:25,280 --> 00:41:27,280
Europe's largest and most powerful air

735
00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:29,599
force. Its planes were deployed in

736
00:41:29,599 --> 00:41:32,160
semi-autonomous fleets, the aerial

737
00:41:32,160 --> 00:41:35,319
equivalent of Panza

738
00:41:35,319 --> 00:41:37,520
divisions. The Luftvafa largely

739
00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:39,440
functioned in a sophisticated army

740
00:41:39,440 --> 00:41:42,240
support role typified by such planes as

741
00:41:42,240 --> 00:41:44,000
the highly effective Stooker dive

742
00:41:44,000 --> 00:41:47,000
bomber.

743
00:41:52,800 --> 00:41:54,640
Because most of its planes were short

744
00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:57,119
range, the Luftwaffer needed to occupy

745
00:41:57,119 --> 00:42:00,960
and operate from captured enemy

746
00:42:04,760 --> 00:42:08,160
airfields. Over 4,000 Luftvafa planes

747
00:42:08,160 --> 00:42:10,640
would take part in the Battle of France,

748
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:13,040
giving it a numerical superiority of

749
00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:17,839
almost 2:1 over the Allied air forces.

750
00:42:22,720 --> 00:42:26,720
By May 1940, German Panza strength stood

751
00:42:26,720 --> 00:42:27,720
at over

752
00:42:27,720 --> 00:42:29,400
2,500

753
00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:32,400
machines. Individually, the German tanks

754
00:42:32,400 --> 00:42:34,880
held no clear advantage in either armor

755
00:42:34,880 --> 00:42:37,839
or firepower, but their deployment in

756
00:42:37,839 --> 00:42:40,160
armored divisions guaranteed them

757
00:42:40,160 --> 00:42:42,400
battlefield superiority at the point of

758
00:42:42,400 --> 00:42:45,400
contact.

759
00:42:50,000 --> 00:42:53,520
Each armored division included about 240

760
00:42:53,520 --> 00:42:56,119
tanks as well as supporting

761
00:42:56,119 --> 00:42:58,720
vehicles. These divisions would have a

762
00:42:58,720 --> 00:43:01,280
decisive and dramatic influence in the

763
00:43:01,280 --> 00:43:04,599
coming conflict.

764
00:43:14,240 --> 00:43:18,800
The Panza 2 was first produced in

765
00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:22,079
1935. It featured a new suspension

766
00:43:22,079 --> 00:43:25,359
system using five large independently

767
00:43:25,359 --> 00:43:28,079
sprung road

768
00:43:28,119 --> 00:43:30,960
wheels. Though heavier than the Panza 1,

769
00:43:30,960 --> 00:43:36,040
it was also faster and more powerful.

770
00:43:39,960 --> 00:43:42,800
955 Panza 2s would be committed in the

771
00:43:42,800 --> 00:43:45,200
Battle for France, almost half of the

772
00:43:45,200 --> 00:43:47,800
army's total tank

773
00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:50,960
strength. Its 20 mm cannon was a

774
00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:53,680
converted aircraft gun and would be no

775
00:43:53,680 --> 00:43:56,640
match for many of the Allied tanks. It

776
00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:59,280
was essentially a lightly armed scout

777
00:43:59,280 --> 00:44:02,280
tank.

778
00:44:08,240 --> 00:44:11,119
The Panza 3 was intended as Germany's

779
00:44:11,119 --> 00:44:13,520
main battle tank and was expected to

780
00:44:13,520 --> 00:44:18,079
make up 75% of an armored division's

781
00:44:19,960 --> 00:44:22,560
strength. It was primarily designed to

782
00:44:22,560 --> 00:44:25,119
fill an anti-tank role and was equipped

783
00:44:25,119 --> 00:44:27,119
with the same anti-tank gun that was

784
00:44:27,119 --> 00:44:30,680
used by the infantry.

785
00:44:32,720 --> 00:44:34,960
Problems in development meant that only

786
00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:37,119
350 were available at the beginning of

787
00:44:37,119 --> 00:44:39,680
the western

788
00:44:41,640 --> 00:44:44,880
offensive. The Panza 3 had six small

789
00:44:44,880 --> 00:44:47,920
road wheels per side, each independently

790
00:44:47,920 --> 00:44:51,040
sprung on a torsion

791
00:44:51,800 --> 00:44:54,240
bar. Very little of its suspension

792
00:44:54,240 --> 00:44:57,440
system was exposed to enemy weapons.

793
00:44:57,440 --> 00:44:59,920
However, difficulties with rough terrain

794
00:44:59,920 --> 00:45:01,920
caused this type of suspension to be

795
00:45:01,920 --> 00:45:05,040
abandoned in later

796
00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:09,520
models. In 1938, it was decided to

797
00:45:09,520 --> 00:45:12,280
upgrade the Panzer 3's main gun to 50

798
00:45:12,280 --> 00:45:15,040
mm, but this new model was not ready

799
00:45:15,040 --> 00:45:17,839
when the offensive began. During the

800
00:45:17,839 --> 00:45:20,640
course of the campaign, 40 upgunned

801
00:45:20,640 --> 00:45:25,000
Panza 3es were to see action.

802
00:45:34,480 --> 00:45:37,119
The Panza 4 was designed as an infantry

803
00:45:37,119 --> 00:45:39,599
support tank and equipped with a short

804
00:45:39,599 --> 00:45:44,400
low velocity gun firing high explosive

805
00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:47,119
shells. It was designed to deal with

806
00:45:47,119 --> 00:45:50,560
enemy infantry and anti-tank guns. Its

807
00:45:50,560 --> 00:45:52,880
suspension system was a simple bogey

808
00:45:52,880 --> 00:45:56,880
arrangement using quarter elliptical

809
00:45:59,400 --> 00:46:03,200
springs. Though first planned in 1935,

810
00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:06,640
it wasn't until 1939 that the Panza 4

811
00:46:06,640 --> 00:46:10,480
finally came off the production line.

812
00:46:10,480 --> 00:46:13,040
Though intended to make up 25% of an

813
00:46:13,040 --> 00:46:16,400
armored division's strength, the 278

814
00:46:16,400 --> 00:46:19,119
tanks which fought in France constituted

815
00:46:19,119 --> 00:46:23,400
only 2% of total German armored

816
00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:26,720
strength. With gun changes, it was to be

817
00:46:26,720 --> 00:46:28,880
the mainstay of the Panza force

818
00:46:28,880 --> 00:46:32,520
throughout the war.

819
00:46:37,680 --> 00:46:40,880
The Panza 38T was originally a Czech

820
00:46:40,880 --> 00:46:42,960
tank and had been the mainstay of the

821
00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:45,280
Czech

822
00:46:45,720 --> 00:46:48,720
army. An excellent wellarmored light

823
00:46:48,720 --> 00:46:50,800
tank, it came into German possession

824
00:46:50,800 --> 00:46:54,800
with the occupation of Czechoslovakia in

825
00:46:56,119 --> 00:47:00,400
1939. Over 438 Ts took part in the

826
00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:03,800
Western offensive.

827
00:47:20,160 --> 00:47:23,119
In just 7 years, the German army had

828
00:47:23,119 --> 00:47:25,359
grown from a 100,000, the figure

829
00:47:25,359 --> 00:47:27,760
permitted by the Versail treaty, to a

830
00:47:27,760 --> 00:47:31,000
grand total of 3.5

831
00:47:31,000 --> 00:47:34,000
million.

832
00:47:34,200 --> 00:47:37,760
Of these 2.5 million would be committed

833
00:47:37,760 --> 00:47:40,400
to the western

834
00:47:41,880 --> 00:47:44,319
offensive. A large percentage of German

835
00:47:44,319 --> 00:47:46,640
troops were conscripts drafted from the

836
00:47:46,640 --> 00:47:50,480
brown shirts, the police, and

837
00:47:50,599 --> 00:47:54,480
elsewhere. By May 1940, the army's

838
00:47:54,480 --> 00:47:57,040
morale could not have been higher. to

839
00:47:57,040 --> 00:47:58,720
the earlier bloodless conquests of

840
00:47:58,720 --> 00:48:01,119
Austria and the checks, they could now

841
00:48:01,119 --> 00:48:02,960
add their well-fought victories in

842
00:48:02,960 --> 00:48:05,760
Poland and

843
00:48:07,720 --> 00:48:10,160
Norway. These campaigns gave the

844
00:48:10,160 --> 00:48:12,319
ordinary German soldier complete

845
00:48:12,319 --> 00:48:14,880
confidence in his training, equipment,

846
00:48:14,880 --> 00:48:17,200
and

847
00:48:17,560 --> 00:48:19,839
leadership. The German troops were well

848
00:48:19,839 --> 00:48:22,400
paid and received generous home leave,

849
00:48:22,400 --> 00:48:24,000
factors which further boosted their

850
00:48:24,000 --> 00:48:27,000
morale.

851
00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:30,160
Though discipline was strict, relations

852
00:48:30,160 --> 00:48:31,839
between the men and their officers were

853
00:48:31,839 --> 00:48:34,000
very good, and a strong spirit of

854
00:48:34,000 --> 00:48:37,760
comradeship was fostered throughout the

855
00:48:42,839 --> 00:48:45,599
army. Alongside the regular army,

856
00:48:45,599 --> 00:48:47,359
Germany would field three divisions of

857
00:48:47,359 --> 00:48:53,160
the Vaffan SS totaling 100,000 men.

858
00:48:54,480 --> 00:48:57,040
It had been founded in March 1939 as the

859
00:48:57,040 --> 00:48:59,119
military wing of the Nazi party's elite

860
00:48:59,119 --> 00:49:01,599
SS

861
00:49:04,839 --> 00:49:07,440
organization. It had been arranged that

862
00:49:07,440 --> 00:49:09,520
should war break out, it would come

863
00:49:09,520 --> 00:49:10,839
under army

864
00:49:10,839 --> 00:49:14,000
command. Entry standards were rigorous.

865
00:49:14,000 --> 00:49:16,640
Out of every 100 applicants, only seven

866
00:49:16,640 --> 00:49:19,960
were accepted.

867
00:49:20,720 --> 00:49:23,119
The SS were the first German units to

868
00:49:23,119 --> 00:49:25,680
train with live ammunition and to be

869
00:49:25,680 --> 00:49:27,960
issued with camouflage

870
00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,319
jackets. SS divisions were all

871
00:49:31,319 --> 00:49:33,920
motorized. Highly organized and

872
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:36,319
fanatically loyal to Hitler, they were

873
00:49:36,319 --> 00:49:40,760
intended to be used as shock troops.

874
00:49:42,000 --> 00:49:44,000
Although Hitler was intensely proud of

875
00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:47,040
these his personal regiments, the Vaffan

876
00:49:47,040 --> 00:49:49,839
SS were initially mistrusted by the army

877
00:49:49,839 --> 00:49:53,200
who regarded them as amateur

878
00:49:54,359 --> 00:49:57,040
soldiers. However, they fought well in

879
00:49:57,040 --> 00:49:59,760
Poland, thereby earning a reputation for

880
00:49:59,760 --> 00:50:03,480
courage and discipline.

881
00:50:05,839 --> 00:50:08,480
In the battle for France, Germany would

882
00:50:08,480 --> 00:50:11,520
field a highly organized and motivated

883
00:50:11,520 --> 00:50:13,920
fighting

884
00:50:21,800 --> 00:50:26,720
force. By May 1940, 94 French divisions

885
00:50:26,720 --> 00:50:29,119
containing 2 and a4 million men were

886
00:50:29,119 --> 00:50:31,359
deployed to meet the expected German

887
00:50:31,359 --> 00:50:32,800
attack.

888
00:50:32,800 --> 00:50:34,720
However, much of their artillery dated

889
00:50:34,720 --> 00:50:37,040
from the First World War, and they were

890
00:50:37,040 --> 00:50:39,359
dangerously short of effective anti-tank

891
00:50:39,359 --> 00:50:42,480
and anti-aircraft

892
00:50:44,839 --> 00:50:47,280
guns. French and British tactical

893
00:50:47,280 --> 00:50:50,240
doctrine regarding tanks and aircraft

894
00:50:50,240 --> 00:50:53,359
lagged far behind the Germans. Both the

895
00:50:53,359 --> 00:50:55,520
high commands considered tanks as first

896
00:50:55,520 --> 00:51:00,599
and foremost an infantry support weapon.

897
00:51:02,480 --> 00:51:04,559
The few French armored divisions formed

898
00:51:04,559 --> 00:51:07,359
by 1940 contained only half as many

899
00:51:07,359 --> 00:51:10,480
tanks as their German

900
00:51:10,839 --> 00:51:13,599
counterparts. Between them, the Allies

901
00:51:13,599 --> 00:51:18,160
deployed 3,100 tanks in May 1940, but

902
00:51:18,160 --> 00:51:20,319
they were widely dispersed amongst the

903
00:51:20,319 --> 00:51:23,720
infantry divisions.

904
00:51:25,520 --> 00:51:27,599
As for the French Air Force, it could

905
00:51:27,599 --> 00:51:31,920
field only 740 modern fighters and 140

906
00:51:31,920 --> 00:51:35,440
effective light or medium

907
00:51:36,359 --> 00:51:40,079
bombers. These were reinforced by 350

908
00:51:40,079 --> 00:51:42,800
aircraft from Britain's RAF attached to

909
00:51:42,800 --> 00:51:44,960
the

910
00:51:46,680 --> 00:51:49,599
BEF. The Allied aircraft were dispersed

911
00:51:49,599 --> 00:51:51,520
amongst the different areas of the front

912
00:51:51,520 --> 00:51:53,200
in just the same way as the armored

913
00:51:53,200 --> 00:51:56,400
forces were.

914
00:51:58,240 --> 00:52:00,319
This made it impossible for individual

915
00:52:00,319 --> 00:52:02,880
army commanders to obtain a sufficient

916
00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:05,960
concentration of air power at the right

917
00:52:05,960 --> 00:52:08,960
moment. This shortcoming would be one of

918
00:52:08,960 --> 00:52:10,960
the major factors in the outcome of the

919
00:52:10,960 --> 00:52:14,440
battle of France.

920
00:52:24,160 --> 00:52:26,319
The French Army's standard light tank

921
00:52:26,319 --> 00:52:30,160
from 1935, the R35, was used in an

922
00:52:30,160 --> 00:52:34,800
infantry support role. 855 R35s equipped

923
00:52:34,800 --> 00:52:38,000
the army in May 1940, making it France's

924
00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:39,480
most numerous

925
00:52:39,480 --> 00:52:42,960
tank. Extremely slow, it was unsuitable

926
00:52:42,960 --> 00:52:46,000
for mobile strategic operations.

927
00:52:46,000 --> 00:52:48,480
Like all French tanks, its effectiveness

928
00:52:48,480 --> 00:52:50,160
was limited by the fact that its

929
00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:53,040
commander had also to act as gunner,

930
00:52:53,040 --> 00:52:56,559
loader, and radio

931
00:53:03,559 --> 00:53:05,800
operator. First developed in the mid

932
00:53:05,800 --> 00:53:08,880
1930s, the Char B was a formidable

933
00:53:08,880 --> 00:53:11,440
weapon with thicker armor than any

934
00:53:11,440 --> 00:53:15,200
Panzer. It mounted a 47 mm gun in a

935
00:53:15,200 --> 00:53:19,119
revolving turret, backed up by a 75 mm

936
00:53:19,119 --> 00:53:21,559
gun in the

937
00:53:21,559 --> 00:53:23,920
hull. Though limited by a short

938
00:53:23,920 --> 00:53:27,040
operating range of 85 mi, the Charb

939
00:53:27,040 --> 00:53:29,280
could cope with any German tank pitted

940
00:53:29,280 --> 00:53:32,880
against it. Like other French tanks, it

941
00:53:32,880 --> 00:53:38,040
was poorly deployed by the army command.

942
00:53:44,400 --> 00:53:47,119
The Matilda 2 would prove to be the best

943
00:53:47,119 --> 00:53:50,240
British tank in the Battle of France. It

944
00:53:50,240 --> 00:53:51,920
was one of the earliest tanks to have a

945
00:53:51,920 --> 00:53:53,720
hydraulically controlled

946
00:53:53,720 --> 00:53:56,319
turret. Designed purely for infantry

947
00:53:56,319 --> 00:53:59,040
support. Its cross-country speed was

948
00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:01,920
little faster than walking pace. The

949
00:54:01,920 --> 00:54:04,000
Matilda was the best protected tank of

950
00:54:04,000 --> 00:54:06,559
its day, but it suffered somewhat from

951
00:54:06,559 --> 00:54:09,760
poor vision and

952
00:54:20,599 --> 00:54:23,920
mobility. During the interwar years, the

953
00:54:23,920 --> 00:54:25,760
French army was regarded as the most

954
00:54:25,760 --> 00:54:28,520
formidable in Europe. By

955
00:54:28,520 --> 00:54:31,680
1939, this reputation no longer stood up

956
00:54:31,680 --> 00:54:33,079
to close

957
00:54:33,079 --> 00:54:35,680
scrutiny. Throughout the 1930s,

958
00:54:35,680 --> 00:54:38,079
recruitment had fallen and funding

959
00:54:38,079 --> 00:54:40,480
declined due to the depression and the

960
00:54:40,480 --> 00:54:43,920
large costs of the Majino

961
00:54:45,480 --> 00:54:48,559
line. The troops received only 50 simmes

962
00:54:48,559 --> 00:54:51,040
a day, compared to a British private

963
00:54:51,040 --> 00:54:54,079
daily allowance of 17 Franks.

964
00:54:54,079 --> 00:54:55,839
This caused great resentment amongst the

965
00:54:55,839 --> 00:54:58,559
French rank and

966
00:54:59,000 --> 00:55:01,280
file. Their living conditions were

967
00:55:01,280 --> 00:55:03,240
uncomfortable and

968
00:55:03,240 --> 00:55:06,240
impoverished. Discipline was lacks with

969
00:55:06,240 --> 00:55:07,920
soldiers often neglecting to salute

970
00:55:07,920 --> 00:55:10,319
their officers and even leaving their

971
00:55:10,319 --> 00:55:13,319
barracks each weekend without

972
00:55:13,319 --> 00:55:15,599
permission. Many of the officers did

973
00:55:15,599 --> 00:55:17,839
their level best to secure a posting far

974
00:55:17,839 --> 00:55:20,880
behind the lines, away from the dreiness

975
00:55:20,880 --> 00:55:23,920
and danger of the front.

976
00:55:23,920 --> 00:55:27,800
The winter of 1939 was the coldest in 50

977
00:55:27,800 --> 00:55:31,400
years, making life at the front harsher

978
00:55:31,400 --> 00:55:34,000
still. Training and work routines were

979
00:55:34,000 --> 00:55:36,800
curtailed, which gave rise to idleness

980
00:55:36,800 --> 00:55:37,960
and then

981
00:55:37,960 --> 00:55:40,640
boredom. Amongst the BEF, where the

982
00:55:40,640 --> 00:55:42,480
officers insisted on keeping their men

983
00:55:42,480 --> 00:55:45,760
busy, morale was a good deal better.

984
00:55:45,760 --> 00:55:47,599
Their months of waiting were spent

985
00:55:47,599 --> 00:55:50,160
improving defense works and completing

986
00:55:50,160 --> 00:55:51,760
the training of the recently raised

987
00:55:51,760 --> 00:55:53,319
territorial army

988
00:55:53,319 --> 00:55:56,240
units. For the French soldiers, however,

989
00:55:56,240 --> 00:55:58,240
their army's ingrained defensive

990
00:55:58,240 --> 00:56:01,040
strategy added to its inertia and

991
00:56:01,040 --> 00:56:04,480
further sapped their fighting

992
00:56:04,520 --> 00:56:07,680
spirit. On May the 10th, the French army

993
00:56:07,680 --> 00:56:10,319
would go into battle with a fatal mix of

994
00:56:10,319 --> 00:56:14,359
apathy and disharmony.

995
00:56:22,400 --> 00:56:24,880
By the spring of 1940, there was a

996
00:56:24,880 --> 00:56:26,640
widespread belief amongst the French

997
00:56:26,640 --> 00:56:28,640
army that the war would be settled by

998
00:56:28,640 --> 00:56:30,799
diplomatic agreement without a shot

999
00:56:30,799 --> 00:56:33,040
being

1000
00:56:34,520 --> 00:56:38,079
fired. On May the 7th, normal leave was

1001
00:56:38,079 --> 00:56:40,880
restored to the

1002
00:56:41,880 --> 00:56:45,280
army. By now, relations between Paul

1003
00:56:45,280 --> 00:56:47,280
Renault and General Gamalan had

1004
00:56:47,280 --> 00:56:49,760
completely broken down. And on May the

1005
00:56:49,760 --> 00:56:51,920
9th, the French premier offered to

1006
00:56:51,920 --> 00:56:53,520
resign because his government would not

1007
00:56:53,520 --> 00:56:56,400
let him sack the

1008
00:56:57,400 --> 00:57:00,040
general. In the wake of the Norwegian

1009
00:57:00,040 --> 00:57:02,160
disaster, Britain's Prime Minister

1010
00:57:02,160 --> 00:57:04,160
Neville Chamberlain was also preparing

1011
00:57:04,160 --> 00:57:06,400
to

1012
00:57:06,839 --> 00:57:09,440
resign. That same evening, the

1013
00:57:09,440 --> 00:57:12,079
Luftwaffer informed Hitler, the weather

1014
00:57:12,079 --> 00:57:14,359
on May the 10th will be

1015
00:57:14,359 --> 00:57:17,720
good. Later that night, the code word

1016
00:57:17,720 --> 00:57:20,559
Danzig went out to the already alerted

1017
00:57:20,559 --> 00:57:23,359
German units, signaling that the long-

1018
00:57:23,359 --> 00:57:28,480
aaited offensive would begin at 0535

1019
00:57:29,640 --> 00:57:33,040
hours. The long gathering storm was

1020
00:57:33,040 --> 00:57:37,480
finally about to break.

1021
00:57:54,319 --> 00:57:57,200
On the 9th of May 1940, all along

1022
00:57:57,200 --> 00:57:59,520
Germany's western borders, the forces of

1023
00:57:59,520 --> 00:58:01,440
the Vermachar were packing up and

1024
00:58:01,440 --> 00:58:05,160
getting ready to move.

1025
00:58:05,200 --> 00:58:07,839
Hitler's insistence on secrecy and speed

1026
00:58:07,839 --> 00:58:10,440
was followed to the

1027
00:58:10,440 --> 00:58:13,280
letter. Even frontline commanders were

1028
00:58:13,280 --> 00:58:14,960
not informed of the offensive's launch

1029
00:58:14,960 --> 00:58:18,680
until the last moment.

1030
00:58:20,880 --> 00:58:23,200
In the early hours of May the 10th,

1031
00:58:23,200 --> 00:58:25,280
Luftwafer crews were roused out of their

1032
00:58:25,280 --> 00:58:26,960
beds and told to be ready for action

1033
00:58:26,960 --> 00:58:29,839
within 15

1034
00:58:32,520 --> 00:58:35,839
minutes. Before dawn, every available

1035
00:58:35,839 --> 00:58:39,200
Luftvafa plane was

1036
00:58:40,599 --> 00:58:43,520
airborne. Meanwhile, long columns of

1037
00:58:43,520 --> 00:58:45,680
panzas were leaving their quarters and

1038
00:58:45,680 --> 00:58:47,280
driving along the approach routes to

1039
00:58:47,280 --> 00:58:51,160
France and the Low Countries.

1040
00:58:57,440 --> 00:59:00,400
At first light, the skies over Belgium

1041
00:59:00,400 --> 00:59:02,480
and Holland were suddenly filled with

1042
00:59:02,480 --> 00:59:05,760
the roar of Luvafa

1043
00:59:07,000 --> 00:59:10,319
planes. Wave after wave of fighters,

1044
00:59:10,319 --> 00:59:14,520
bombers, and transports swept over the

1045
00:59:14,520 --> 00:59:17,559
frontiers. After 8 months of uneasy

1046
00:59:17,559 --> 00:59:22,880
peace, war had finally come to the

1047
00:59:31,799 --> 00:59:34,920
west. As he prepared to launch his great

1048
00:59:34,920 --> 00:59:37,920
offensive, Adolf Hitler left Berlin with

1049
00:59:37,920 --> 00:59:41,359
his entourage in his personal train.

1050
00:59:41,359 --> 00:59:43,119
Despite the weariness that some of his

1051
00:59:43,119 --> 00:59:44,880
generals continued to feel about the

1052
00:59:44,880 --> 00:59:47,960
coming campaign, he felt supremely

1053
00:59:47,960 --> 00:59:50,160
confident. He asserted that the French

1054
00:59:50,160 --> 00:59:52,640
were too fond of easy living and lacked

1055
00:59:52,640 --> 00:59:55,359
fighting spirit. He declared that by

1056
00:59:55,359 --> 00:59:58,000
applying all means at its command,

1057
00:59:58,000 --> 01:00:00,400
Germany could deliver one gigantic

1058
01:00:00,400 --> 01:00:03,960
knockout blow.

1059
01:00:11,440 --> 01:00:13,440
The German forces assembled along the

1060
01:00:13,440 --> 01:00:15,760
western front were divided into three

1061
01:00:15,760 --> 01:00:17,960
army

1062
01:00:17,960 --> 01:00:21,520
groups. In the north was Army Group B,

1063
01:00:21,520 --> 01:00:24,920
commanded by 55-year-old General Fedor

1064
01:00:24,920 --> 01:00:28,000
vonbach, a First World War hero who came

1065
01:00:28,000 --> 01:00:30,680
from a longestablished military

1066
01:00:30,680 --> 01:00:32,680
family.

1067
01:00:32,680 --> 01:00:37,040
His forces were 18th Army facing Holland

1068
01:00:37,040 --> 01:00:40,200
and Sixth Army facing northern

1069
01:00:40,200 --> 01:00:44,839
Belgium. Army Group B totaled 29

1070
01:00:44,839 --> 01:00:47,839
divisions, three of which were armored

1071
01:00:47,839 --> 01:00:49,880
and two

1072
01:00:49,880 --> 01:00:53,160
motorized. Amongst these formations were

1073
01:00:53,160 --> 01:00:56,880
4,500 paratroops and one airborne light

1074
01:00:56,880 --> 01:01:00,280
infantry division.

1075
01:01:00,319 --> 01:01:02,559
These units would play a key role in the

1076
01:01:02,559 --> 01:01:04,799
coming

1077
01:01:06,040 --> 01:01:08,400
offensive. Extending from Lege to

1078
01:01:08,400 --> 01:01:11,359
Luxembourg was Army Group A under

1079
01:01:11,359 --> 01:01:13,680
General Carl von Runstead, one of the

1080
01:01:13,680 --> 01:01:15,359
Vermachar's most resourceful and

1081
01:01:15,359 --> 01:01:16,920
flexible-minded

1082
01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:20,319
commanders. A general since 1927,

1083
01:01:20,319 --> 01:01:22,680
Runstead was highly respected within the

1084
01:01:22,680 --> 01:01:25,960
army. His command was made up of fourth

1085
01:01:25,960 --> 01:01:30,599
army, 12th army and 16th

1086
01:01:30,599 --> 01:01:34,240
army. Altogether, army group A mustered

1087
01:01:34,240 --> 01:01:37,599
35 infantry

1088
01:01:37,720 --> 01:01:40,559
divisions. Its key units, however, were

1089
01:01:40,559 --> 01:01:43,200
the seven armored and three motorized

1090
01:01:43,200 --> 01:01:44,960
divisions which would form the vanguard

1091
01:01:44,960 --> 01:01:48,359
of the attack.

1092
01:01:50,400 --> 01:01:53,119
Nearly all of Germany's heavy panzas had

1093
01:01:53,119 --> 01:01:57,000
been allotted to this massive armored

1094
01:01:57,000 --> 01:01:59,920
falank. In the south, deployed opposite

1095
01:01:59,920 --> 01:02:02,880
the Majino line was Army Group C,

1096
01:02:02,880 --> 01:02:05,640
commanded by Colonel General Ritter von

1097
01:02:05,640 --> 01:02:09,359
Lee. Having left the army in 1938, he

1098
01:02:09,359 --> 01:02:11,200
had been recalled from retirement on the

1099
01:02:11,200 --> 01:02:13,440
outbreak of war.

1100
01:02:13,440 --> 01:02:15,599
Army Group C's formations were drawn

1101
01:02:15,599 --> 01:02:17,920
from seventh army on the east bank of

1102
01:02:17,920 --> 01:02:20,839
the Rine and first army in

1103
01:02:20,839 --> 01:02:24,559
Lraine. It had a fighting strength of 19

1104
01:02:24,559 --> 01:02:27,119
infantry

1105
01:02:29,799 --> 01:02:32,559
divisions. Added to the ground forces

1106
01:02:32,559 --> 01:02:34,400
was the formidable striking power of

1107
01:02:34,400 --> 01:02:37,040
Herman Guring's Luftvafer.

1108
01:02:37,040 --> 01:02:39,599
A prominent World War I flying ace,

1109
01:02:39,599 --> 01:02:41,280
Guring had risen to be the highest

1110
01:02:41,280 --> 01:02:45,040
ranking Nazi after Hitler

1111
01:02:45,240 --> 01:02:48,240
himself. The Luftwaffer had over 3,000

1112
01:02:48,240 --> 01:02:50,280
planes committed to the Western

1113
01:02:50,280 --> 01:02:54,240
offensive. Army groups A and B were each

1114
01:02:54,240 --> 01:02:57,200
supported by a self-contained air fleet

1115
01:02:57,200 --> 01:02:59,839
comprising fighters, bombers, and

1116
01:02:59,839 --> 01:03:02,079
reconnaissance aircraft.

1117
01:03:02,079 --> 01:03:04,000
The Stooka dive bombers which would

1118
01:03:04,000 --> 01:03:06,079
provide close support artillery for the

1119
01:03:06,079 --> 01:03:08,400
armor remained under the centralized

1120
01:03:08,400 --> 01:03:11,119
control of

1121
01:03:12,040 --> 01:03:14,960
Guring. The Germans maintained a reserve

1122
01:03:14,960 --> 01:03:17,680
strength of 42 divisions of which two

1123
01:03:17,680 --> 01:03:18,760
were

1124
01:03:18,760 --> 01:03:21,440
motorized. This reserve was under the

1125
01:03:21,440 --> 01:03:24,000
direct command of the commanderin-chief

1126
01:03:24,000 --> 01:03:28,119
General Valter von Brahich.

1127
01:03:38,000 --> 01:03:40,559
The Supreme Allied Commander, General

1128
01:03:40,559 --> 01:03:43,039
Maurice Gamla, had his headquarters at

1129
01:03:43,039 --> 01:03:46,119
the chat deen on the outskirts of

1130
01:03:46,119 --> 01:03:49,760
Paris. Gamla had chosen Vansen so that

1131
01:03:49,760 --> 01:03:51,480
he could be close to his political

1132
01:03:51,480 --> 01:03:54,319
masters, but it was nearly a 100 miles

1133
01:03:54,319 --> 01:03:57,039
from the front. It did not even possess

1134
01:03:57,039 --> 01:04:00,319
a radio communication center. From this

1135
01:04:00,319 --> 01:04:03,599
distant ivory tower, Gamla surveyed the

1136
01:04:03,599 --> 01:04:07,760
Allied forces poised to meet the German

1137
01:04:13,000 --> 01:04:16,079
onslaught. On the extreme left from the

1138
01:04:16,079 --> 01:04:18,799
North Sea to Bayer was the French 7th

1139
01:04:18,799 --> 01:04:23,240
Army under General Ziro.

1140
01:04:23,440 --> 01:04:25,920
60 years old, Jiro was considered one of

1141
01:04:25,920 --> 01:04:28,839
France's ablest

1142
01:04:28,839 --> 01:04:31,680
generals. His army consisted of seven

1143
01:04:31,680 --> 01:04:34,720
elite divisions, including two motorized

1144
01:04:34,720 --> 01:04:38,880
infantry and one light mechanized

1145
01:04:39,480 --> 01:04:42,400
division. Next in line came the British

1146
01:04:42,400 --> 01:04:45,079
Expeditionary Force under Lord John

1147
01:04:45,079 --> 01:04:48,720
Gort. Though subordinate to Gamala, Gort

1148
01:04:48,720 --> 01:04:50,400
had the right of appeal to his own

1149
01:04:50,400 --> 01:04:52,880
government before carrying out any order

1150
01:04:52,880 --> 01:04:55,240
which imperiled his

1151
01:04:55,240 --> 01:04:58,000
force. The British Expeditionary Forces

1152
01:04:58,000 --> 01:05:01,440
position stretched from Bayer to Mold.

1153
01:05:01,440 --> 01:05:04,000
It included nine infantry divisions and

1154
01:05:04,000 --> 01:05:06,799
one tank brigade as well as supporting

1155
01:05:06,799 --> 01:05:09,599
units.

1156
01:05:09,599 --> 01:05:11,440
From mold to the western end of the

1157
01:05:11,440 --> 01:05:14,400
majino line was army group one under

1158
01:05:14,400 --> 01:05:15,480
general

1159
01:05:15,480 --> 01:05:17,920
biott. Biott would also be given the

1160
01:05:17,920 --> 01:05:19,520
responsibility of liazing with the

1161
01:05:19,520 --> 01:05:22,000
Belgian

1162
01:05:22,039 --> 01:05:25,039
forces. Army group one consisted of

1163
01:05:25,039 --> 01:05:30,480
first army, 9inth army and second army.

1164
01:05:30,480 --> 01:05:33,200
These formations comprise 21 divisions

1165
01:05:33,200 --> 01:05:36,880
in all, including 14 infantry, three

1166
01:05:36,880 --> 01:05:39,760
motorized infantry, and six light

1167
01:05:39,760 --> 01:05:42,319
mechanized

1168
01:05:44,760 --> 01:05:47,039
divisions. Holding the Majino line

1169
01:05:47,039 --> 01:05:51,160
itself was Army Group 2 under General

1170
01:05:51,160 --> 01:05:54,160
Pittala. Pretila's command numbered four

1171
01:05:54,160 --> 01:05:57,280
armies totaling some 44 divisions, one

1172
01:05:57,280 --> 01:06:00,799
of which was British.

1173
01:06:01,039 --> 01:06:03,440
The French General Reserve consisted of

1174
01:06:03,440 --> 01:06:06,079
22 divisions, including all three

1175
01:06:06,079 --> 01:06:08,640
armored divisions and two motorized

1176
01:06:08,640 --> 01:06:11,039
infantry

1177
01:06:12,280 --> 01:06:14,960
divisions. Of this total, seven

1178
01:06:14,960 --> 01:06:17,359
divisions, including two armored, were

1179
01:06:17,359 --> 01:06:19,240
earmarked for Army Group

1180
01:06:19,240 --> 01:06:22,000
One. Another five infantry divisions

1181
01:06:22,000 --> 01:06:23,520
were allotted to guard against a

1182
01:06:23,520 --> 01:06:25,119
possible German strike through

1183
01:06:25,119 --> 01:06:27,839
Switzerland.

1184
01:06:27,839 --> 01:06:29,920
The French Air Force's planes were

1185
01:06:29,920 --> 01:06:32,520
deployed in so-called zones of air

1186
01:06:32,520 --> 01:06:34,400
operations corresponding to the

1187
01:06:34,400 --> 01:06:37,280
boundaries of the different army groups.

1188
01:06:37,280 --> 01:06:39,720
The French Air Force numbered some,200

1189
01:06:39,720 --> 01:06:43,440
planes comprising bombers, fighters, and

1190
01:06:43,440 --> 01:06:45,920
reconnaissance craft. These were

1191
01:06:45,920 --> 01:06:50,960
reinforced by 350 planes of the RAF.

1192
01:06:50,960 --> 01:06:53,440
To the north, the Dutch army mustered

1193
01:06:53,440 --> 01:06:55,440
eight divisions with two more in

1194
01:06:55,440 --> 01:06:58,720
reserve, and the Belgian army fielded 18

1195
01:06:58,720 --> 01:07:03,119
divisions with an extra four in

1196
01:07:14,200 --> 01:07:17,680
reserve. At sunrise on May the 10th,

1197
01:07:17,680 --> 01:07:20,160
waves of Luftvafa bombers struck at

1198
01:07:20,160 --> 01:07:22,720
roads, railways, and airfields in

1199
01:07:22,720 --> 01:07:25,839
Holland, Belgium, and

1200
01:07:27,720 --> 01:07:29,839
France. While the Dutch frontier

1201
01:07:29,839 --> 01:07:31,440
defenses were being attacked to the

1202
01:07:31,440 --> 01:07:34,319
east, thousands of German paratroops and

1203
01:07:34,319 --> 01:07:36,480
airborne troops were dropped over the

1204
01:07:36,480 --> 01:07:41,240
key cities of Rotterdam and the Hague.

1205
01:07:42,400 --> 01:07:44,720
These troops took the Dutch defenders

1206
01:07:44,720 --> 01:07:47,440
completely by surprise and succeeded in

1207
01:07:47,440 --> 01:07:50,000
capturing and holding the vital bridges

1208
01:07:50,000 --> 01:07:52,319
on the Rine until the mobile ground

1209
01:07:52,319 --> 01:07:55,200
forces could come

1210
01:07:55,640 --> 01:07:58,640
up. It was the first major attempt in

1211
01:07:58,640 --> 01:08:00,960
history to conquer a country from the

1212
01:08:00,960 --> 01:08:03,440
air and the success of the airborne

1213
01:08:03,440 --> 01:08:05,440
operation was vital to the whole

1214
01:08:05,440 --> 01:08:08,000
invasion's

1215
01:08:08,359 --> 01:08:11,119
outcome. To disguise the small numbers

1216
01:08:11,119 --> 01:08:13,680
of their airborne troops, the Germans

1217
01:08:13,680 --> 01:08:15,560
adopted the ruse of dropping dummy

1218
01:08:15,560 --> 01:08:18,880
parachutists at scores of locations,

1219
01:08:18,880 --> 01:08:20,719
effectively creating the impression of

1220
01:08:20,719 --> 01:08:23,440
overwhelming

1221
01:08:25,159 --> 01:08:27,839
numbers. The trick also helped spread

1222
01:08:27,839 --> 01:08:30,560
panic and confusion amongst defending

1223
01:08:30,560 --> 01:08:32,960
forces.

1224
01:08:32,960 --> 01:08:35,199
The attack against Belgium was also

1225
01:08:35,199 --> 01:08:37,600
spearheaded by paratroops whose

1226
01:08:37,600 --> 01:08:39,520
objectives were the two main bridges

1227
01:08:39,520 --> 01:08:42,080
over the Albert Canal and the key

1228
01:08:42,080 --> 01:08:45,199
fortress of Ebony

1229
01:08:51,239 --> 01:08:53,920
Male. The fortress was the lynch pin of

1230
01:08:53,920 --> 01:08:56,880
Belgium's main line of defense. It

1231
01:08:56,880 --> 01:08:59,359
dominated the Albert Canal, the main

1232
01:08:59,359 --> 01:09:01,679
roads leading west, and the vitally

1233
01:09:01,679 --> 01:09:04,759
important high bridges over the

1234
01:09:04,759 --> 01:09:09,199
canal. Built between 1932 and 1936, it

1235
01:09:09,199 --> 01:09:11,520
was regarded as the strongest fort in

1236
01:09:11,520 --> 01:09:12,279
the

1237
01:09:12,279 --> 01:09:16,480
world. Measuring 900 yd by 700, its

1238
01:09:16,480 --> 01:09:18,640
fortifications were a tight complex of

1239
01:09:18,640 --> 01:09:20,640
mutually supporting artillery and

1240
01:09:20,640 --> 01:09:23,120
infantry installations.

1241
01:09:23,120 --> 01:09:25,199
A series of forts with observation

1242
01:09:25,199 --> 01:09:27,759
posts, search lights, and machine guns

1243
01:09:27,759 --> 01:09:30,359
was linked together by a network of

1244
01:09:30,359 --> 01:09:33,040
tunnels. The only access to the network

1245
01:09:33,040 --> 01:09:35,239
was through Fort

1246
01:09:35,239 --> 01:09:37,679
17. There were turrets with twin

1247
01:09:37,679 --> 01:09:40,400
revolving cannon, retractable cannon,

1248
01:09:40,400 --> 01:09:43,759
and rapid fire guns.

1249
01:09:43,759 --> 01:09:45,759
There were also anti-aircraft machine

1250
01:09:45,759 --> 01:09:49,199
guns and dummy

1251
01:09:50,040 --> 01:09:53,120
positions. On its northeastern side, a

1252
01:09:53,120 --> 01:09:56,000
steep slope plunged 40 m to the Albert

1253
01:09:56,000 --> 01:10:00,080
Canal, providing complete

1254
01:10:02,040 --> 01:10:05,280
security. On its northwestern side, the

1255
01:10:05,280 --> 01:10:07,120
flood plane of the river Ja had been

1256
01:10:07,120 --> 01:10:09,920
raised by the fortifications.

1257
01:10:09,920 --> 01:10:12,400
Extra security was provided by a steeply

1258
01:10:12,400 --> 01:10:15,440
embanked trench containing machine guns,

1259
01:10:15,440 --> 01:10:19,440
anti-tank cannon, and search

1260
01:10:21,880 --> 01:10:24,480
lights. Similarly equipped trenches

1261
01:10:24,480 --> 01:10:27,840
faced west and south, and here there

1262
01:10:27,840 --> 01:10:30,800
were also 4 m high walls.

1263
01:10:30,800 --> 01:10:33,440
The allies counted on Ebony Male holding

1264
01:10:33,440 --> 01:10:36,159
out for at least 5 days, which would

1265
01:10:36,159 --> 01:10:37,920
give their troops time to get in

1266
01:10:37,920 --> 01:10:39,880
position on the deal

1267
01:10:39,880 --> 01:10:42,719
line. The mission of capturing Ebony

1268
01:10:42,719 --> 01:10:45,360
Male was entrusted to a tiny but highly

1269
01:10:45,360 --> 01:10:48,920
trained unit of 78 parachute

1270
01:10:48,920 --> 01:10:51,760
engineers. The key element in the attack

1271
01:10:51,760 --> 01:10:53,920
was the use of gliders, which

1272
01:10:53,920 --> 01:10:55,840
transported the troops to their target

1273
01:10:55,840 --> 01:10:59,760
in absolute silence. Attack from the air

1274
01:10:59,760 --> 01:11:02,080
was the one thing Ebony Male was not

1275
01:11:02,080 --> 01:11:03,560
protected

1276
01:11:03,560 --> 01:11:06,239
against. When the gliders crash landed

1277
01:11:06,239 --> 01:11:08,560
onto its roof in the dawn halflight of

1278
01:11:08,560 --> 01:11:11,280
May the 10th, the defenders were taken

1279
01:11:11,280 --> 01:11:14,159
completely by

1280
01:11:18,920 --> 01:11:21,600
surprise. In the first 10 minutes, the

1281
01:11:21,600 --> 01:11:24,719
Germans occupied nine installations.

1282
01:11:24,719 --> 01:11:26,400
They then blew up the casemates and

1283
01:11:26,400 --> 01:11:28,560
cupillers of all the guns with a new

1284
01:11:28,560 --> 01:11:32,320
highintensity hollow charge

1285
01:11:33,960 --> 01:11:36,640
explosive. Finally, they kept the fort's

1286
01:11:36,640 --> 01:11:39,679
garrison of,200 men pinned down until

1287
01:11:39,679 --> 01:11:42,400
the arrival 24 hours later of the

1288
01:11:42,400 --> 01:11:47,000
advanced troops from sixth army.

1289
01:11:48,480 --> 01:11:50,880
The capture of Ebony Male was achieved

1290
01:11:50,880 --> 01:11:53,600
with the loss of only six German dead

1291
01:11:53,600 --> 01:11:58,960
and 15 wounded. It was a sensational

1292
01:11:59,320 --> 01:12:02,560
coup. Afterwards, Hitler would decorate

1293
01:12:02,560 --> 01:12:05,040
personally all the engineers who had

1294
01:12:05,040 --> 01:12:08,920
taken part in the operation.

1295
01:12:22,800 --> 01:12:24,560
About an hour and a half after the

1296
01:12:24,560 --> 01:12:26,080
opening of the German offensive in the

1297
01:12:26,080 --> 01:12:28,679
north, the French commander, General

1298
01:12:28,679 --> 01:12:31,120
Gamina, ordered the implementation of

1299
01:12:31,120 --> 01:12:34,400
the deal plan. The units of the Allied

1300
01:12:34,400 --> 01:12:36,320
first army group rolled across the

1301
01:12:36,320 --> 01:12:38,800
Belgian border and advanced towards

1302
01:12:38,800 --> 01:12:42,600
their allotted positions along the river

1303
01:12:42,600 --> 01:12:45,040
deal. Here they planned to halt the

1304
01:12:45,040 --> 01:12:48,280
advancing Germans. Gamal felt calm and

1305
01:12:48,280 --> 01:12:50,480
confident, delighted that the Germans

1306
01:12:50,480 --> 01:12:52,800
were attacking just where he had guessed

1307
01:12:52,800 --> 01:12:56,040
they would.

1308
01:13:01,360 --> 01:13:04,159
On the Allied left, the French 7th Army

1309
01:13:04,159 --> 01:13:06,480
raced northwards to link up with the

1310
01:13:06,480 --> 01:13:10,520
Dutch as part of Gamla's so-called Breda

1311
01:13:10,520 --> 01:13:13,360
variant. By lunchtime the following day,

1312
01:13:13,360 --> 01:13:15,679
they reached Tillberg, only to find

1313
01:13:15,679 --> 01:13:20,159
their advance cut off by the 9th Panza

1314
01:13:21,400 --> 01:13:23,760
Division. The Dutch had already been

1315
01:13:23,760 --> 01:13:27,440
forced to retreat northwards.

1316
01:13:27,440 --> 01:13:30,320
Gamla's braider variant was thus negated

1317
01:13:30,320 --> 01:13:33,840
at a stroke and Jiro had no option but

1318
01:13:33,840 --> 01:13:36,040
to fall back towards

1319
01:13:36,040 --> 01:13:38,880
Antwerb along the river deal itself.

1320
01:13:38,880 --> 01:13:40,719
Other allied units were horrified to

1321
01:13:40,719 --> 01:13:43,719
find that the defenses were

1322
01:13:43,719 --> 01:13:46,400
incomplete. Worst of all, the quick

1323
01:13:46,400 --> 01:13:48,719
collapse of Ebony Male had already

1324
01:13:48,719 --> 01:13:50,480
forced the Belgians to start falling

1325
01:13:50,480 --> 01:13:53,199
back toward the deal well before many of

1326
01:13:53,199 --> 01:13:54,880
the Allied units had even got into

1327
01:13:54,880 --> 01:13:57,600
position.

1328
01:14:03,199 --> 01:14:05,040
As battle was being joined in the Low

1329
01:14:05,040 --> 01:14:07,920
Countries to the south, Army Group A's

1330
01:14:07,920 --> 01:14:09,840
massive armored formations were moving

1331
01:14:09,840 --> 01:14:12,800
forward towards the

1332
01:14:14,120 --> 01:14:16,560
Arden. These were arrayed in three

1333
01:14:16,560 --> 01:14:18,880
densely packed blocks with armored

1334
01:14:18,880 --> 01:14:21,280
divisions in the first two and motorized

1335
01:14:21,280 --> 01:14:25,080
infantry in the third.

1336
01:14:26,560 --> 01:14:28,640
Altogether their columns stretched out

1337
01:14:28,640 --> 01:14:31,280
for a 100

1338
01:14:33,480 --> 01:14:37,120
miles. Overhead an immense umbrella of

1339
01:14:37,120 --> 01:14:40,080
Luftvafa fighters flew cover against any

1340
01:14:40,080 --> 01:14:43,440
possible air attack by the

1341
01:14:43,880 --> 01:14:46,400
Allies. But with Allied eyes fixed

1342
01:14:46,400 --> 01:14:50,520
firmly on Belgium, no such attack

1343
01:14:50,520 --> 01:14:53,840
came. Within 2 days, the mechanized

1344
01:14:53,840 --> 01:14:56,800
spearheads of Army Group A erupted out

1345
01:14:56,800 --> 01:14:59,040
of the

1346
01:14:59,480 --> 01:15:02,320
Arden. Surging across the French border,

1347
01:15:02,320 --> 01:15:03,920
they arrived at the banks of the river

1348
01:15:03,920 --> 01:15:07,920
MS on the afternoon of May the

1349
01:15:10,360 --> 01:15:13,440
12th. The German forces in this sector

1350
01:15:13,440 --> 01:15:16,159
comprised three Panza divisions and the

1351
01:15:16,159 --> 01:15:19,120
elite Gross Deutsand motorized infantry

1352
01:15:19,120 --> 01:15:22,120
regiment.

1353
01:15:22,560 --> 01:15:24,320
For their imminent attempt across the

1354
01:15:24,320 --> 01:15:26,560
river, they were promised overwhelming

1355
01:15:26,560 --> 01:15:28,760
air

1356
01:15:28,760 --> 01:15:31,760
support. Facing them were 10 infantry

1357
01:15:31,760 --> 01:15:33,760
divisions drawn from the French 9inth

1358
01:15:33,760 --> 01:15:36,320
and second

1359
01:15:37,480 --> 01:15:39,920
armies. These were woefully short of

1360
01:15:39,920 --> 01:15:42,880
anti-tank and anti-aircraft artillery,

1361
01:15:42,880 --> 01:15:45,480
and six of the divisions consisted of

1362
01:15:45,480 --> 01:15:48,000
reserveists, many of whom were over 40

1363
01:15:48,000 --> 01:15:51,199
years old.

1364
01:15:53,199 --> 01:15:55,679
The successful crossing of the MS was

1365
01:15:55,679 --> 01:15:58,560
vital for the German invasion. Only then

1366
01:15:58,560 --> 01:16:01,040
would the panzas be able to fan out and

1367
01:16:01,040 --> 01:16:04,239
operate on favorable

1368
01:16:10,520 --> 01:16:12,960
ground. When the Germans launched their

1369
01:16:12,960 --> 01:16:15,360
assault, the main effort was made just

1370
01:16:15,360 --> 01:16:18,840
west of Sedon.

1371
01:16:19,280 --> 01:16:21,920
On the afternoon of the 13th, 12

1372
01:16:21,920 --> 01:16:24,719
squadrons of Stookers struck and forced

1373
01:16:24,719 --> 01:16:26,320
the French gunners on the far side of

1374
01:16:26,320 --> 01:16:30,239
the river to retreat into their

1375
01:16:31,400 --> 01:16:34,640
dugouts. At 400 p.m., detachments of

1376
01:16:34,640 --> 01:16:37,280
Panza infantry in rubber boats began

1377
01:16:37,280 --> 01:16:39,840
crossing the

1378
01:16:40,040 --> 01:16:42,719
river. These units managed to secure a

1379
01:16:42,719 --> 01:16:45,840
tow hold on the opposite bank. By

1380
01:16:45,840 --> 01:16:48,719
midnight, the Germans had driven a wedge

1381
01:16:48,719 --> 01:16:51,840
5 mi deep in the French defenses and

1382
01:16:51,840 --> 01:16:54,000
built another bridge across which the

1383
01:16:54,000 --> 01:16:57,120
panzas began to

1384
01:17:00,760 --> 01:17:04,400
pour. On the 14th of May, Allied air

1385
01:17:04,400 --> 01:17:06,400
strikes were mounted against the German

1386
01:17:06,400 --> 01:17:09,920
bridge heads, but as in Belgium, ground

1387
01:17:09,920 --> 01:17:12,560
flack units beat them off, inflicting

1388
01:17:12,560 --> 01:17:14,480
heavy casualties.

1389
01:17:14,480 --> 01:17:17,360
Indeed, in this engagement, the RAF

1390
01:17:17,360 --> 01:17:19,199
incurred the greatest rate of loss it

1391
01:17:19,199 --> 01:17:22,000
ever sustained in any single operation,

1392
01:17:22,000 --> 01:17:26,640
losing 40 out of 71

1393
01:17:36,440 --> 01:17:39,600
planes. By that afternoon, all three

1394
01:17:39,600 --> 01:17:42,159
Panza divisions, first, second, and

1395
01:17:42,159 --> 01:17:44,960
10th, were across the river and had

1396
01:17:44,960 --> 01:17:46,840
repulsed a French

1397
01:17:46,840 --> 01:17:49,199
counterattack. Commanding them was

1398
01:17:49,199 --> 01:17:52,080
General Heints

1399
01:17:52,440 --> 01:17:56,320
Gderion. Aged 52, Gdderion was a pioneer

1400
01:17:56,320 --> 01:17:58,800
of Blitzcrete tactics and its most

1401
01:17:58,800 --> 01:18:01,199
outstanding exponent.

1402
01:18:01,199 --> 01:18:02,880
Although the German high command

1403
01:18:02,880 --> 01:18:05,000
mistrusted Gderrion's revolutionary

1404
01:18:05,000 --> 01:18:07,840
theories, Hitler found them attractive

1405
01:18:07,840 --> 01:18:09,840
and had sanctioned the earlier formation

1406
01:18:09,840 --> 01:18:11,320
of Panza

1407
01:18:11,320 --> 01:18:13,920
divisions. In command of an armored core

1408
01:18:13,920 --> 01:18:16,560
for the invasion of Poland, Gdderion had

1409
01:18:16,560 --> 01:18:19,360
played a key role in the German victory.

1410
01:18:19,360 --> 01:18:21,600
His tanks achieved deep penetration with

1411
01:18:21,600 --> 01:18:23,920
such incredible speed they earned their

1412
01:18:23,920 --> 01:18:29,080
commander the nickname hurrying heights.

1413
01:18:29,760 --> 01:18:32,480
Despite his success, the high command

1414
01:18:32,480 --> 01:18:34,719
continued to feel uneasy about Gadder's

1415
01:18:34,719 --> 01:18:37,120
methods of striking into enemy terrain

1416
01:18:37,120 --> 01:18:39,760
far ahead of infantry support.

1417
01:18:39,760 --> 01:18:41,679
Consequently, when arrangements were

1418
01:18:41,679 --> 01:18:43,199
being finalized for the western

1419
01:18:43,199 --> 01:18:45,440
offensive, they made his command

1420
01:18:45,440 --> 01:18:47,440
subordinate to the more conservatively

1421
01:18:47,440 --> 01:18:51,360
minded General Paul Ludvigon

1422
01:18:56,760 --> 01:18:59,679
Klest. With his tanks safely across the

1423
01:18:59,679 --> 01:19:02,239
MS, a number of options were open to

1424
01:19:02,239 --> 01:19:04,800
Gdderion.

1425
01:19:04,800 --> 01:19:06,719
He could wait for the infantry who were

1426
01:19:06,719 --> 01:19:09,480
still 36 hours away from Sidon to catch

1427
01:19:09,480 --> 01:19:13,440
up. He could push on towards Paris or

1428
01:19:13,440 --> 01:19:16,080
swing round to take the Majino defenses

1429
01:19:16,080 --> 01:19:17,159
from the

1430
01:19:17,159 --> 01:19:20,400
rear. However, Gderrion ordered first

1431
01:19:20,400 --> 01:19:23,440
and second Panza to change direction and

1432
01:19:23,440 --> 01:19:26,719
drive west toward the Arden Canal with

1433
01:19:26,719 --> 01:19:29,120
the objective of breaking clear through

1434
01:19:29,120 --> 01:19:31,760
the French defenses.

1435
01:19:31,760 --> 01:19:34,159
The Arden Canal formed the hinge between

1436
01:19:34,159 --> 01:19:37,360
the French 2nd and 9inth Armies. And if

1437
01:19:37,360 --> 01:19:40,080
Gderrion could breach that line, he

1438
01:19:40,080 --> 01:19:42,640
would split apart the Allied armies and

1439
01:19:42,640 --> 01:19:44,880
strike at the flank and rear of the

1440
01:19:44,880 --> 01:19:48,920
forces moving into Belgium.

1441
01:19:49,600 --> 01:19:51,920
The main danger was that the swing west

1442
01:19:51,920 --> 01:19:54,800
would leave his left flank exposed and

1443
01:19:54,800 --> 01:19:56,800
he left the 10th Panza and the Gross

1444
01:19:56,800 --> 01:19:59,280
Deutsland regiment to guard against any

1445
01:19:59,280 --> 01:20:02,159
Allied counter

1446
01:20:05,880 --> 01:20:08,159
strike. Reacting to the German

1447
01:20:08,159 --> 01:20:10,400
breakthrough at Saddon, the French

1448
01:20:10,400 --> 01:20:12,000
ordered the cracked third armored

1449
01:20:12,000 --> 01:20:13,920
division to attack the Sedon bridge head

1450
01:20:13,920 --> 01:20:16,400
on the morning of the 14th.

1451
01:20:16,400 --> 01:20:18,640
However, it failed to reach its start

1452
01:20:18,640 --> 01:20:21,679
lines until late that afternoon and also

1453
01:20:21,679 --> 01:20:23,520
found itself without artillery or

1454
01:20:23,520 --> 01:20:25,880
infantry

1455
01:20:25,880 --> 01:20:28,719
support. The local commander, Second

1456
01:20:28,719 --> 01:20:31,040
Army's General Huniker, called off the

1457
01:20:31,040 --> 01:20:33,440
attack and ordered the division's tanks

1458
01:20:33,440 --> 01:20:35,199
to be dispersed amongst his infantry

1459
01:20:35,199 --> 01:20:38,000
units, thus dismantling the one Allied

1460
01:20:38,000 --> 01:20:40,239
force which stood a chance of repelling

1461
01:20:40,239 --> 01:20:42,400
the Panzers.

1462
01:20:42,400 --> 01:20:44,560
Huniger also decided to pull back his

1463
01:20:44,560 --> 01:20:46,880
left flank to guard against a German

1464
01:20:46,880 --> 01:20:50,000
thrust into eastern

1465
01:20:50,600 --> 01:20:53,360
France. This merely widened the Sedon

1466
01:20:53,360 --> 01:20:56,960
breach from 5 mi to

1467
01:21:00,760 --> 01:21:04,239
15. Further up the river MS, German

1468
01:21:04,239 --> 01:21:06,719
panzas had also crossed at Montterme and

1469
01:21:06,719 --> 01:21:09,280
Dino and severely battered the units of

1470
01:21:09,280 --> 01:21:13,120
General Korap's 9inth army.

1471
01:21:14,239 --> 01:21:16,239
The Don crossing had been made by

1472
01:21:16,239 --> 01:21:18,800
Seventh Panza under the command of a

1473
01:21:18,800 --> 01:21:23,440
48-year-old Major General Irwin

1474
01:21:25,880 --> 01:21:28,880
Raml. By the evening of the 15th,

1475
01:21:28,880 --> 01:21:31,199
Gderian's panzas had broken through the

1476
01:21:31,199 --> 01:21:33,360
defenses on the Arden Canal and the

1477
01:21:33,360 --> 01:21:37,640
roads to the west lay open.

1478
01:21:38,560 --> 01:21:41,520
Yet that very evening, Klest, worried

1479
01:21:41,520 --> 01:21:44,400
that Gderian's forces were overextended,

1480
01:21:44,400 --> 01:21:46,800
ordered him to halt and to confine his

1481
01:21:46,800 --> 01:21:49,239
troops to the bridge head already

1482
01:21:49,239 --> 01:21:51,840
gained. Gdderion argued forcefully

1483
01:21:51,840 --> 01:21:53,920
against the order and received

1484
01:21:53,920 --> 01:21:55,840
permission to continue the advance for

1485
01:21:55,840 --> 01:21:58,639
another 24 hours in order to widen the

1486
01:21:58,639 --> 01:22:00,880
bridge

1487
01:22:01,000 --> 01:22:03,920
head. With his customary boldness,

1488
01:22:03,920 --> 01:22:05,360
Gderrion made the most of this

1489
01:22:05,360 --> 01:22:08,400
permission, advancing 50 miles, as far

1490
01:22:08,400 --> 01:22:09,719
as the river

1491
01:22:09,719 --> 01:22:13,199
was. To his right, Raml also advanced

1492
01:22:13,199 --> 01:22:16,639
some 50 mi, capturing 10,000 prisoners

1493
01:22:16,639 --> 01:22:20,000
and 100 tanks for the loss of only 35

1494
01:22:20,000 --> 01:22:24,199
killed and 59 wounded.

1495
01:22:25,120 --> 01:22:28,400
At nightfall on the 16th, Gderrion was

1496
01:22:28,400 --> 01:22:31,000
again ordered to

1497
01:22:31,000 --> 01:22:33,600
halt. Neither Hitler nor his high

1498
01:22:33,600 --> 01:22:36,080
command could quite believe how easily

1499
01:22:36,080 --> 01:22:37,480
the French had been

1500
01:22:37,480 --> 01:22:39,760
overcome. They were still fearful of a

1501
01:22:39,760 --> 01:22:41,280
strong counterattack against the

1502
01:22:41,280 --> 01:22:43,840
vulnerable left flank. And Hitler

1503
01:22:43,840 --> 01:22:46,560
insisted on Gdderian waiting until an

1504
01:22:46,560 --> 01:22:48,639
infantry corps could come up and form a

1505
01:22:48,639 --> 01:22:51,960
flank shield.

1506
01:23:06,800 --> 01:23:09,360
As Gderian's panzas were slicing through

1507
01:23:09,360 --> 01:23:11,679
French defenses to the south, in the

1508
01:23:11,679 --> 01:23:14,320
north the Germans were also gaining the

1509
01:23:14,320 --> 01:23:17,639
upper hand.

1510
01:23:21,360 --> 01:23:24,560
On May the 12th and 13th, the first

1511
01:23:24,560 --> 01:23:27,400
major tank battle of the war took

1512
01:23:27,400 --> 01:23:31,120
place at Meadow. The French First Army's

1513
01:23:31,120 --> 01:23:33,840
two light mechanized divisions came into

1514
01:23:33,840 --> 01:23:35,840
contact with powerful elements of the

1515
01:23:35,840 --> 01:23:39,400
German third and fourth Panza

1516
01:23:39,400 --> 01:23:42,400
divisions, aly supported by Stooka dive

1517
01:23:42,400 --> 01:23:45,400
bombers.

1518
01:23:48,960 --> 01:23:51,440
On the first day, the French tanks did

1519
01:23:51,440 --> 01:23:53,600
well, proving that on a one-to-one

1520
01:23:53,600 --> 01:23:56,520
basis, they could match the much vaunted

1521
01:23:56,520 --> 01:23:59,600
panzas. The Samuas, in particular, could

1522
01:23:59,600 --> 01:24:02,000
stand more than one hit by all but the

1523
01:24:02,000 --> 01:24:05,760
heaviest German tank cannon. However, as

1524
01:24:05,760 --> 01:24:08,000
the battle progressed, the Panza's

1525
01:24:08,000 --> 01:24:10,239
superior tactics enabled them to

1526
01:24:10,239 --> 01:24:12,800
outmaneuver the French repeatedly. And

1527
01:24:12,800 --> 01:24:15,440
at nightfall on the 13th, the French

1528
01:24:15,440 --> 01:24:17,920
tanks

1529
01:24:21,080 --> 01:24:24,239
withdrew. That same evening, the tanks

1530
01:24:24,239 --> 01:24:26,080
of the 9inth Panza division reached the

1531
01:24:26,080 --> 01:24:28,400
outskirts of Rotterdam and the Dutch

1532
01:24:28,400 --> 01:24:31,199
position, despite heroic resistance,

1533
01:24:31,199 --> 01:24:33,600
became

1534
01:24:35,400 --> 01:24:38,480
hopeless. The next day, following

1535
01:24:38,480 --> 01:24:40,679
ferocious Luftvafa bombing raids on

1536
01:24:40,679 --> 01:24:45,400
Rotterdam, Holland capitulated.

1537
01:25:01,760 --> 01:25:04,000
The German breakthrough on the MS

1538
01:25:04,000 --> 01:25:07,159
reduced Gamla's entire strategy to

1539
01:25:07,159 --> 01:25:09,719
tatters. Realizing the extent of the

1540
01:25:09,719 --> 01:25:12,960
catastrophe, French Premier Paul Renault

1541
01:25:12,960 --> 01:25:14,960
phoned Winston Churchill early on the

1542
01:25:14,960 --> 01:25:19,199
15th to say, "We have lost the battle."

1543
01:25:19,199 --> 01:25:21,040
Churchill insisted that the advancing

1544
01:25:21,040 --> 01:25:23,320
panzas would have to stop soon to

1545
01:25:23,320 --> 01:25:26,159
resupply, at which stage they could be

1546
01:25:26,159 --> 01:25:29,360
attacked and cut

1547
01:25:35,880 --> 01:25:38,639
off. The sheer speed of the German

1548
01:25:38,639 --> 01:25:41,040
advance had thrown Gamla and his

1549
01:25:41,040 --> 01:25:43,920
commanders completely off balance.

1550
01:25:43,920 --> 01:25:45,800
In trying to devise effective

1551
01:25:45,800 --> 01:25:47,920
counterstrokes, they kept thinking in

1552
01:25:47,920 --> 01:25:50,719
terms of infantry pace rather than panza

1553
01:25:50,719 --> 01:25:53,840
pace and so were consistently too slow

1554
01:25:53,840 --> 01:25:57,440
in responding to the changing

1555
01:26:01,800 --> 01:26:04,320
situation. Time and again they would

1556
01:26:04,320 --> 01:26:06,560
designate a halt line where the German

1557
01:26:06,560 --> 01:26:09,280
advance could be stemmed only to find

1558
01:26:09,280 --> 01:26:11,440
that the panzas had already passed that

1559
01:26:11,440 --> 01:26:14,440
line.

1560
01:26:18,480 --> 01:26:22,080
Early on the 15th, General Jiro was

1561
01:26:22,080 --> 01:26:24,080
switched from the seventh army to take

1562
01:26:24,080 --> 01:26:26,360
over the shattered remnants of the 9inth

1563
01:26:26,360 --> 01:26:30,000
army. Late that night, Gamla, realizing

1564
01:26:30,000 --> 01:26:32,239
the breach at Sedon was irreparable,

1565
01:26:32,239 --> 01:26:33,920
ordered the whole Allied front in

1566
01:26:33,920 --> 01:26:36,000
Belgium to be withdrawn to the line of

1567
01:26:36,000 --> 01:26:38,400
the river

1568
01:26:39,800 --> 01:26:42,800
Shelt. Poor leazison meant that the BEF

1569
01:26:42,800 --> 01:26:44,960
and the Belgians did not receive the

1570
01:26:44,960 --> 01:26:48,480
order until the following

1571
01:26:51,800 --> 01:26:55,600
day. On May the 16th, Paul Renault took

1572
01:26:55,600 --> 01:26:58,560
steps to replace Gamala and summoned

1573
01:26:58,560 --> 01:27:02,600
General Maxim Veand from Syria to assume

1574
01:27:02,600 --> 01:27:06,480
command. Vegan was 73 years old and had

1575
01:27:06,480 --> 01:27:08,400
been recalled from retirement just the

1576
01:27:08,400 --> 01:27:11,679
previous year.

1577
01:27:12,239 --> 01:27:14,280
He didn't reach France until May the

1578
01:27:14,280 --> 01:27:17,040
19th, causing a further delay in Allied

1579
01:27:17,040 --> 01:27:20,880
attempts to devise effective counter

1580
01:27:20,920 --> 01:27:24,000
measures. In any case, Vegan's ideas

1581
01:27:24,000 --> 01:27:26,560
were just as outdated as Gamalan's, and

1582
01:27:26,560 --> 01:27:29,120
so his accession to the command saw no

1583
01:27:29,120 --> 01:27:33,719
significant change in Allied tactics.

1584
01:27:35,840 --> 01:27:38,239
Following the French collapse at Sedon,

1585
01:27:38,239 --> 01:27:40,320
the British War Cabinet decided that

1586
01:27:40,320 --> 01:27:42,480
they would send no more RAF fighters

1587
01:27:42,480 --> 01:27:45,600
across the channel.

1588
01:27:45,600 --> 01:27:48,480
On May the 17th, the Royal Navy were

1589
01:27:48,480 --> 01:27:50,480
informally asked to draw up plans for

1590
01:27:50,480 --> 01:27:52,800
the possible evacuation of the British

1591
01:27:52,800 --> 01:27:56,400
Expeditionary Force from

1592
01:28:05,800 --> 01:28:10,080
France. In the south, on May the 17th, a

1593
01:28:10,080 --> 01:28:11,760
counterattack was launched against the

1594
01:28:11,760 --> 01:28:14,320
Panza corridor by Colonel De Gaulle's

1595
01:28:14,320 --> 01:28:17,120
fourth armored brigade, but this was

1596
01:28:17,120 --> 01:28:18,199
easily

1597
01:28:18,199 --> 01:28:21,360
repulsed. On May the 18th, Gerrion

1598
01:28:21,360 --> 01:28:24,320
reached Peron, while to the north, Raml

1599
01:28:24,320 --> 01:28:25,639
occupied

1600
01:28:25,639 --> 01:28:29,440
Camre. That same night, General Jiro

1601
01:28:29,440 --> 01:28:31,840
arrived at his new headquarters to find

1602
01:28:31,840 --> 01:28:34,800
that the 41st Panza Corps had got there

1603
01:28:34,800 --> 01:28:36,560
before him.

1604
01:28:36,560 --> 01:28:38,400
Early the following morning, he was

1605
01:28:38,400 --> 01:28:41,840
captured by a German tank

1606
01:28:43,320 --> 01:28:46,480
patrol. Later that day, De Gaul's fourth

1607
01:28:46,480 --> 01:28:48,400
armored brigade mounted another attack

1608
01:28:48,400 --> 01:28:51,600
against Gderian's flank, but the panzas,

1609
01:28:51,600 --> 01:28:54,880
well supported by Stookers, again beat

1610
01:28:54,880 --> 01:28:58,120
him off.

1611
01:28:59,840 --> 01:29:02,800
To the north on May the 17th, Louva and

1612
01:29:02,800 --> 01:29:06,760
Brussels were occupied by the German 6th

1613
01:29:06,760 --> 01:29:09,520
Army. As the Allied troops retreated

1614
01:29:09,520 --> 01:29:12,080
westwards through Belgium, they began to

1615
01:29:12,080 --> 01:29:15,920
threaten the right flank of the German

1616
01:29:19,639 --> 01:29:22,080
advance. In the early hours of May the

1617
01:29:22,080 --> 01:29:24,880
20th, RML occupied the strategic heights

1618
01:29:24,880 --> 01:29:27,760
near Aras. He was about to be attacked

1619
01:29:27,760 --> 01:29:30,600
by the British Expeditionary

1620
01:29:30,600 --> 01:29:34,199
Force. The offensive launched on May the

1621
01:29:34,199 --> 01:29:36,800
21st was supposed to be made by two

1622
01:29:36,800 --> 01:29:39,760
British and eight French divisions.

1623
01:29:39,760 --> 01:29:41,440
However, the French were still not ready

1624
01:29:41,440 --> 01:29:44,080
at the allotted time, and so the British

1625
01:29:44,080 --> 01:29:46,120
had to attack on their

1626
01:29:46,120 --> 01:29:49,120
own with only three infantry battalions

1627
01:29:49,120 --> 01:29:53,159
and 74 tanks.

1628
01:29:53,679 --> 01:29:56,000
Nevertheless, they took Raml's forward

1629
01:29:56,000 --> 01:29:58,480
units completely by surprise and

1630
01:29:58,480 --> 01:30:01,440
succeeded in driving them back 10 m,

1631
01:30:01,440 --> 01:30:05,040
destroying a large number of

1632
01:30:05,719 --> 01:30:08,480
panzas. The German artillery could make

1633
01:30:08,480 --> 01:30:10,440
little impression on the heavily armored

1634
01:30:10,440 --> 01:30:13,760
Matildas, and in desperation, RML formed

1635
01:30:13,760 --> 01:30:19,639
a gun line made up largely of flak 88s.

1636
01:30:22,480 --> 01:30:26,159
Firing over open sights, the German guns

1637
01:30:26,159 --> 01:30:28,520
finally stemmed the British

1638
01:30:28,520 --> 01:30:31,679
advance. 188 battery alone knocked out

1639
01:30:31,679 --> 01:30:34,960
nine British tanks. Heavy attacks by

1640
01:30:34,960 --> 01:30:37,600
Stookers later that evening, forced the

1641
01:30:37,600 --> 01:30:40,080
British to

1642
01:30:43,880 --> 01:30:46,400
withdraw. As the British expeditionary

1643
01:30:46,400 --> 01:30:49,280
force were preparing to attack at Aras,

1644
01:30:49,280 --> 01:30:51,520
General Vegan was startled to learn that

1645
01:30:51,520 --> 01:30:53,840
Gderian's panzas had reached the channel

1646
01:30:53,840 --> 01:30:55,560
coast the previous

1647
01:30:55,560 --> 01:30:58,159
evening. The Allied armies in the north

1648
01:30:58,159 --> 01:31:02,760
were now completely cut off.

1649
01:31:03,040 --> 01:31:05,520
After much debate, it was decided the

1650
01:31:05,520 --> 01:31:07,920
allies would fall back to a new front

1651
01:31:07,920 --> 01:31:11,760
marked by Vanien, the river Esco, the

1652
01:31:11,760 --> 01:31:13,520
old frontier position from Mold to

1653
01:31:13,520 --> 01:31:17,040
Alawan and the river

1654
01:31:20,199 --> 01:31:22,800
Lease. A strong offensive was also

1655
01:31:22,800 --> 01:31:25,280
planned involving a simultaneous strike

1656
01:31:25,280 --> 01:31:29,639
from both north and south.

1657
01:31:29,840 --> 01:31:31,840
While returning to his headquarters,

1658
01:31:31,840 --> 01:31:35,120
General Biott was killed in a car crash,

1659
01:31:35,120 --> 01:31:37,040
and it was not until the following day

1660
01:31:37,040 --> 01:31:39,040
that his successor received the

1661
01:31:39,040 --> 01:31:41,520
necessary

1662
01:31:42,520 --> 01:31:45,360
orders. The French First Army was

1663
01:31:45,360 --> 01:31:47,560
consequently behind

1664
01:31:47,560 --> 01:31:50,080
schedule. As the allies affected the

1665
01:31:50,080 --> 01:31:52,320
withdrawal to their new positions, their

1666
01:31:52,320 --> 01:31:54,080
progress was severely hampered by the

1667
01:31:54,080 --> 01:31:57,040
flood of refugees fleeing the advancing

1668
01:31:57,040 --> 01:32:01,679
Germans and continuous Luftvafa bombing

1669
01:32:09,480 --> 01:32:13,199
raids. On May the 22nd, Brahic ordered

1670
01:32:13,199 --> 01:32:16,480
Army Group A to swing right. It was to

1671
01:32:16,480 --> 01:32:18,400
head for a line through Arontierre,

1672
01:32:18,400 --> 01:32:21,600
Epra, and Aend, cutting off the channel

1673
01:32:21,600 --> 01:32:24,400
ports as they

1674
01:32:25,159 --> 01:32:28,080
advanced. Army Group B was to wheel its

1675
01:32:28,080 --> 01:32:30,880
left flank around to face north, thus

1676
01:32:30,880 --> 01:32:32,920
strengthening the walls of the

1677
01:32:32,920 --> 01:32:36,320
trap. That same day, second Panza

1678
01:32:36,320 --> 01:32:39,520
reached Bologin, and on May the 23rd,

1679
01:32:39,520 --> 01:32:44,320
10th Panza invested Calala.

1680
01:32:44,320 --> 01:32:46,400
While fighting continued to rage around

1681
01:32:46,400 --> 01:32:49,840
both ports, by May the 24th, First

1682
01:32:49,840 --> 01:32:51,520
Panzer Division had reached the line of

1683
01:32:51,520 --> 01:32:56,159
the R canal barely 10 mi from

1684
01:32:56,679 --> 01:32:59,760
Dunkirk. At this moment, the Germans

1685
01:32:59,760 --> 01:33:02,199
were closer to Dunkirk than most British

1686
01:33:02,199 --> 01:33:04,440
formations. And between them and their

1687
01:33:04,440 --> 01:33:07,280
objective, there stood just one British

1688
01:33:07,280 --> 01:33:09,000
Expeditionary Force

1689
01:33:09,000 --> 01:33:12,080
Battalion. Total victory was within the

1690
01:33:12,080 --> 01:33:13,920
Germans grasp.

1691
01:33:13,920 --> 01:33:15,920
Yet as they stood poised to deliver the

1692
01:33:15,920 --> 01:33:19,040
Cuda grass, they were stunned to receive

1693
01:33:19,040 --> 01:33:21,600
orders to

1694
01:33:22,280 --> 01:33:25,280
halt. The order to halt was issued by

1695
01:33:25,280 --> 01:33:27,199
General Vonrunstead on the evening of

1696
01:33:27,199 --> 01:33:30,560
the 23rd. Despite Brahish's desire for a

1697
01:33:30,560 --> 01:33:32,040
vigorous

1698
01:33:32,040 --> 01:33:34,960
advance, Runstead wanted a pause to let

1699
01:33:34,960 --> 01:33:37,120
his forces regroup.

1700
01:33:37,120 --> 01:33:39,360
He had lost half his armor in the drive

1701
01:33:39,360 --> 01:33:41,520
through France. Though most of these

1702
01:33:41,520 --> 01:33:43,840
losses had resulted from wear and tear

1703
01:33:43,840 --> 01:33:45,560
rather than enemy

1704
01:33:45,560 --> 01:33:48,320
action. Hitler not only approved his

1705
01:33:48,320 --> 01:33:50,960
decision to halt the armor, he also gave

1706
01:33:50,960 --> 01:33:54,880
orders that the halt be made

1707
01:33:56,520 --> 01:33:59,120
permanent. As the panzas were driving

1708
01:33:59,120 --> 01:34:01,600
ever deeper into France, Hitler had

1709
01:34:01,600 --> 01:34:04,880
become increasingly edgy and nervous. He

1710
01:34:04,880 --> 01:34:07,280
feared that at any moment an Allied

1711
01:34:07,280 --> 01:34:09,600
counterstroke could cut them off and

1712
01:34:09,600 --> 01:34:11,480
deny him his imminent

1713
01:34:11,480 --> 01:34:14,960
victory. Frightened by his own success,

1714
01:34:14,960 --> 01:34:16,880
he preferred to pull the reigns on his

1715
01:34:16,880 --> 01:34:21,360
advancing columns rather than take any

1716
01:34:22,600 --> 01:34:25,120
risks. Hitler may even have wanted to

1717
01:34:25,120 --> 01:34:27,320
avoid destroying the

1718
01:34:27,320 --> 01:34:30,159
BEF. While visiting Runstead, Hitler

1719
01:34:30,159 --> 01:34:32,080
astonished his generals by speaking

1720
01:34:32,080 --> 01:34:35,199
admiringly of the British Empire. He

1721
01:34:35,199 --> 01:34:37,440
claimed all he wanted from Britain was

1722
01:34:37,440 --> 01:34:39,199
that she acknowledged Germany's

1723
01:34:39,199 --> 01:34:41,800
continental

1724
01:34:41,800 --> 01:34:44,880
supremacy. Once France was defeated,

1725
01:34:44,880 --> 01:34:47,239
Hitler assumed he could make peace with

1726
01:34:47,239 --> 01:34:50,400
Britain. Sparing the British army would,

1727
01:34:50,400 --> 01:34:53,600
Hitler believed, make that peace easier

1728
01:34:53,600 --> 01:34:56,840
to reach.

1729
01:34:57,360 --> 01:34:59,280
Above all, there was the influence of

1730
01:34:59,280 --> 01:35:00,280
Herman

1731
01:35:00,280 --> 01:35:02,880
Gurring. Guring was eager that the glory

1732
01:35:02,880 --> 01:35:05,040
of the final victory should belong to

1733
01:35:05,040 --> 01:35:07,199
the

1734
01:35:07,239 --> 01:35:09,760
Luftvafer. He argued that the Luftvafer

1735
01:35:09,760 --> 01:35:11,760
was much more loyal to the Nazi party

1736
01:35:11,760 --> 01:35:14,080
than the army and they therefore

1737
01:35:14,080 --> 01:35:18,000
deserved the honor of the ultimate

1738
01:35:18,360 --> 01:35:20,719
triumph. The Luftwaffer commander

1739
01:35:20,719 --> 01:35:23,040
assured Hitler that his air force could

1740
01:35:23,040 --> 01:35:26,159
finish off Dunkirk on its own.

1741
01:35:26,159 --> 01:35:29,120
Guring's arguments gave Hitler the final

1742
01:35:29,120 --> 01:35:31,760
justification he was looking for to halt

1743
01:35:31,760 --> 01:35:34,000
the

1744
01:35:42,360 --> 01:35:45,679
panzas. Since May the 20th, a huge

1745
01:35:45,679 --> 01:35:48,159
flotilla of ships of all sizes was being

1746
01:35:48,159 --> 01:35:50,800
assembled along England's channel coast

1747
01:35:50,800 --> 01:35:52,800
in case the British expeditionary force

1748
01:35:52,800 --> 01:35:55,600
would have to be evacuated.

1749
01:35:55,600 --> 01:35:57,440
These would later be augmented by

1750
01:35:57,440 --> 01:36:00,239
thousands of small boats essential for

1751
01:36:00,239 --> 01:36:03,840
fing troops from shore to

1752
01:36:05,400 --> 01:36:08,000
ship. Many of the small boats, which

1753
01:36:08,000 --> 01:36:10,960
included yachts, lifeboats, twers, and

1754
01:36:10,960 --> 01:36:14,040
more, were manned by civilian

1755
01:36:14,040 --> 01:36:16,880
volunteers. The planned evacuation was

1756
01:36:16,880 --> 01:36:20,400
cenamed Operation Dynamo and commanded

1757
01:36:20,400 --> 01:36:25,000
by Vice Admiral Subertam Ramsey.

1758
01:36:25,360 --> 01:36:28,800
At 1900 hours on May the 26th, Ramsay

1759
01:36:28,800 --> 01:36:31,639
was ordered to commence operation

1760
01:36:31,639 --> 01:36:34,080
Dynamo. He had been counting on three

1761
01:36:34,080 --> 01:36:36,199
French ports being available for the

1762
01:36:36,199 --> 01:36:39,600
evacuation, but by now both Bologone and

1763
01:36:39,600 --> 01:36:42,639
Cala had been

1764
01:36:44,600 --> 01:36:47,920
captured. With Dunkirk the only port

1765
01:36:47,920 --> 01:36:51,040
remaining in Allied hands, Ramsay feared

1766
01:36:51,040 --> 01:36:55,840
no more than 45,000 troops could be

1767
01:36:57,560 --> 01:37:00,719
rescued. On the evening of May the 25th,

1768
01:37:00,719 --> 01:37:02,960
Lord John Gort had ordered the British

1769
01:37:02,960 --> 01:37:05,480
Expeditionary Force to retreat to the

1770
01:37:05,480 --> 01:37:08,159
sea. His decision was prompted by the

1771
01:37:08,159 --> 01:37:10,159
critical position of the Belgian army on

1772
01:37:10,159 --> 01:37:13,719
the Allied left.

1773
01:37:14,239 --> 01:37:16,719
It had already used up all its reserves

1774
01:37:16,719 --> 01:37:19,760
and was on the brink of

1775
01:37:19,880 --> 01:37:22,719
collapse. Once the Germans overran the

1776
01:37:22,719 --> 01:37:25,199
Belgian line, they could then strike at

1777
01:37:25,199 --> 01:37:27,719
the British army's exposed

1778
01:37:27,719 --> 01:37:31,280
flank. Gort felt it was wiser to retreat

1779
01:37:31,280 --> 01:37:33,520
than comply with Vegan's orders for an

1780
01:37:33,520 --> 01:37:34,840
attack to the

1781
01:37:34,840 --> 01:37:37,920
south. The following day, the Germans

1782
01:37:37,920 --> 01:37:39,520
finally broke through the Belgian

1783
01:37:39,520 --> 01:37:43,199
defenses. Just as importantly, Hitler

1784
01:37:43,199 --> 01:37:45,679
gave permission for Army Group A to

1785
01:37:45,679 --> 01:37:48,400
resume its

1786
01:37:50,040 --> 01:37:53,600
advance. On May the 27th, the exhausted

1787
01:37:53,600 --> 01:37:56,320
Belgian army could fight no further, and

1788
01:37:56,320 --> 01:37:59,320
King Leopold asked the Germans for an

1789
01:37:59,320 --> 01:38:02,360
armistice. By dragging out the surrender

1790
01:38:02,360 --> 01:38:04,639
negotiations, the Belgians managed to

1791
01:38:04,639 --> 01:38:07,280
buy their allies an extra 24 hours in

1792
01:38:07,280 --> 01:38:11,880
the life or death race for Dunkirk.

1793
01:38:13,560 --> 01:38:16,480
Nonetheless, it took hard and desperate

1794
01:38:16,480 --> 01:38:19,199
fighting by French and British forces to

1795
01:38:19,199 --> 01:38:21,920
keep their escape routes open. One

1796
01:38:21,920 --> 01:38:24,320
British division was reduced to the size

1797
01:38:24,320 --> 01:38:28,719
of a single brigade by nightfall on the

1798
01:38:31,159 --> 01:38:34,159
27th. The following day, the Belgians

1799
01:38:34,159 --> 01:38:37,679
officially surrendered. At Le almost

1800
01:38:37,679 --> 01:38:40,000
half of the French first army who had

1801
01:38:40,000 --> 01:38:43,840
been slow to retreat were cut

1802
01:38:44,760 --> 01:38:47,920
off. Despite being surrounded they chose

1803
01:38:47,920 --> 01:38:51,119
to fight on and over the next 3 days

1804
01:38:51,119 --> 01:38:53,960
would tie down seven German

1805
01:38:53,960 --> 01:38:56,960
divisions. That evening the retreating

1806
01:38:56,960 --> 01:38:59,040
allies were hemmed into a narrow bridge

1807
01:38:59,040 --> 01:39:02,719
head around Dunkirk and only 25,000 men

1808
01:39:02,719 --> 01:39:05,360
had yet been evacuated.

1809
01:39:05,360 --> 01:39:08,000
But the vast armada of small boats now

1810
01:39:08,000 --> 01:39:10,880
began to arrive, enabling more and more

1811
01:39:10,880 --> 01:39:14,159
troops to be rescued each

1812
01:39:17,719 --> 01:39:20,719
day. Poor weather had hindered Luftvafa

1813
01:39:20,719 --> 01:39:22,639
operations during the early stages of

1814
01:39:22,639 --> 01:39:24,440
the

1815
01:39:24,440 --> 01:39:27,040
evacuation. The first heavy Luftvafa

1816
01:39:27,040 --> 01:39:30,000
raid did not come until May the 29th,

1817
01:39:30,000 --> 01:39:32,320
but their attacks increased in intensity

1818
01:39:32,320 --> 01:39:36,239
over the next 3 days.

1819
01:39:37,520 --> 01:39:39,760
Though the RAF committed every available

1820
01:39:39,760 --> 01:39:42,239
plane to provide fighter cover, they

1821
01:39:42,239 --> 01:39:43,480
were heavily

1822
01:39:43,480 --> 01:39:46,080
outnumbered. Nor could they stay long

1823
01:39:46,080 --> 01:39:49,199
because of the distance from

1824
01:39:50,920 --> 01:39:53,800
England. Luftwafa attacks accounted for

1825
01:39:53,800 --> 01:39:57,600
243 ships, including eight destroyers

1826
01:39:57,600 --> 01:40:01,639
and eight troop carriers.

1827
01:40:02,480 --> 01:40:04,159
Luckily for the British Expeditionary

1828
01:40:04,159 --> 01:40:06,960
Force, the Lufafa failed to put Dunkerk

1829
01:40:06,960 --> 01:40:09,760
Harbor out of action. It was from the

1830
01:40:09,760 --> 01:40:12,560
harbor rather than the beaches that the

1831
01:40:12,560 --> 01:40:16,000
great majority of troops were

1832
01:40:21,480 --> 01:40:25,119
embarked. Late on the 30th, the Germans

1833
01:40:25,119 --> 01:40:27,440
finally realized the scale of Operation

1834
01:40:27,440 --> 01:40:30,560
Dynamo. It was decided that an all-out

1835
01:40:30,560 --> 01:40:32,320
effort must be made to break through the

1836
01:40:32,320 --> 01:40:35,679
British Expeditionary Force

1837
01:40:38,360 --> 01:40:41,440
defenses. On May the 31st, the Allies

1838
01:40:41,440 --> 01:40:43,119
were forced to fall back to the line of

1839
01:40:43,119 --> 01:40:46,800
defenses along the Franco Belgian

1840
01:40:47,639 --> 01:40:49,920
frontier. German pressure on the

1841
01:40:49,920 --> 01:40:52,239
perimeter continued throughout the next

1842
01:40:52,239 --> 01:40:54,320
day and there were further massive

1843
01:40:54,320 --> 01:40:58,040
assaults from the Luftvafer.

1844
01:40:58,239 --> 01:41:00,719
Yet again, the Allied rear guard was

1845
01:41:00,719 --> 01:41:02,880
forced back, though they managed to

1846
01:41:02,880 --> 01:41:04,600
prevent a German

1847
01:41:04,600 --> 01:41:07,840
breakthrough. On June the 2nd, daylight

1848
01:41:07,840 --> 01:41:10,239
evacuation had to be suspended because

1849
01:41:10,239 --> 01:41:13,920
of the ferocity of Luftvafa

1850
01:41:14,199 --> 01:41:17,600
attacks. But by then, Operation Dynamo

1851
01:41:17,600 --> 01:41:20,960
was nearly finished. That night, the

1852
01:41:20,960 --> 01:41:23,520
last British troops were brought safely

1853
01:41:23,520 --> 01:41:26,520
away.

1854
01:41:27,119 --> 01:41:29,840
On June the 3, the Germans drove the

1855
01:41:29,840 --> 01:41:33,119
French rear guard numbering 30,000 into

1856
01:41:33,119 --> 01:41:35,080
the outskirts of Dunkirk

1857
01:41:35,080 --> 01:41:38,159
itself. That night, Ramsay's ships

1858
01:41:38,159 --> 01:41:42,080
attempted to evacuate this last

1859
01:41:42,920 --> 01:41:45,199
contingent. Their task was complicated

1860
01:41:45,199 --> 01:41:47,760
by the sudden arrival of thousands more

1861
01:41:47,760 --> 01:41:50,480
unarmed French troops.

1862
01:41:50,480 --> 01:41:52,480
These had quit fighting earlier in the

1863
01:41:52,480 --> 01:41:54,880
week and had since hidden in cellars,

1864
01:41:54,880 --> 01:41:56,960
empty houses, and anywhere else they

1865
01:41:56,960 --> 01:41:59,600
could around the

1866
01:42:00,280 --> 01:42:03,520
port. Now, news of the Navy's last

1867
01:42:03,520 --> 01:42:05,679
departure brought them streaming onto

1868
01:42:05,679 --> 01:42:08,000
the beaches, desperate to get on board

1869
01:42:08,000 --> 01:42:10,800
one of the final

1870
01:42:11,639 --> 01:42:14,440
ships. In spite of all the ensuing

1871
01:42:14,440 --> 01:42:17,679
confusion, 26,000 French troops were

1872
01:42:17,679 --> 01:42:19,920
successfully evacuated.

1873
01:42:19,920 --> 01:42:22,840
However, as the last ship sailed out of

1874
01:42:22,840 --> 01:42:26,159
Dunkirk, nearly 40,000 men had to be

1875
01:42:26,159 --> 01:42:28,400
left

1876
01:42:30,280 --> 01:42:32,639
behind. This caused immense bitterness

1877
01:42:32,639 --> 01:42:35,119
amongst the French, many of whom accused

1878
01:42:35,119 --> 01:42:37,239
their chief ally of abandoning

1879
01:42:37,239 --> 01:42:40,800
them. Nonetheless, Operation Dynamo had

1880
01:42:40,800 --> 01:42:43,840
been an astounding success.

1881
01:42:43,840 --> 01:42:45,639
A total of

1882
01:42:45,639 --> 01:42:49,119
338,000 Allied troops had been brought

1883
01:42:49,119 --> 01:42:51,639
safely to

1884
01:42:51,639 --> 01:42:53,760
England. Even though Britain had

1885
01:42:53,760 --> 01:42:57,040
suffered a catastrophic defeat, Dunkirk

1886
01:42:57,040 --> 01:42:59,119
took on an immediate mythic resonance

1887
01:42:59,119 --> 01:43:00,360
for the British

1888
01:43:00,360 --> 01:43:03,040
people. It symbolized their brave and

1889
01:43:03,040 --> 01:43:06,400
resourceful resistance to German might.

1890
01:43:06,400 --> 01:43:09,520
To that extent, Dunkirk had a profound

1891
01:43:09,520 --> 01:43:11,840
inspirational effect which helped

1892
01:43:11,840 --> 01:43:14,480
Britain to continue fighting even when,

1893
01:43:14,480 --> 01:43:17,960
as now, her position seemed

1894
01:43:17,960 --> 01:43:20,000
hopeless. For while Britain had

1895
01:43:20,000 --> 01:43:22,080
succeeded in rescuing her army from the

1896
01:43:22,080 --> 01:43:24,880
brink of destruction, that army was

1897
01:43:24,880 --> 01:43:26,880
currently in no condition to fight

1898
01:43:26,880 --> 01:43:27,960
another

1899
01:43:27,960 --> 01:43:30,639
campaign. Nearly all its heavy weaponry,

1900
01:43:30,639 --> 01:43:32,280
transport, and material had been

1901
01:43:32,280 --> 01:43:36,520
abandoned, including 2,500 guns.

1902
01:43:36,520 --> 01:43:40,000
64,000 vehicles and well over half a

1903
01:43:40,000 --> 01:43:43,600
million tons of stores and

1904
01:43:52,119 --> 01:43:54,639
equipment. With the cream of the Allied

1905
01:43:54,639 --> 01:43:57,280
armies routed in Belgium, it could only

1906
01:43:57,280 --> 01:43:59,280
be a matter of time before Germany

1907
01:43:59,280 --> 01:44:02,239
finished off Veagan's remaining forces.

1908
01:44:02,239 --> 01:44:04,320
In less than four weeks of fighting, the

1909
01:44:04,320 --> 01:44:06,880
French had already lost 30 divisions and

1910
01:44:06,880 --> 01:44:08,199
most of their

1911
01:44:08,199 --> 01:44:12,960
armor. Their allies had also been

1912
01:44:13,320 --> 01:44:16,400
defeated. As for the Germans, most of

1913
01:44:16,400 --> 01:44:18,480
their infantry had scarcely been engaged

1914
01:44:18,480 --> 01:44:20,639
yet, and the Panza divisions were now

1915
01:44:20,639 --> 01:44:22,199
rested and

1916
01:44:22,199 --> 01:44:24,560
refitted. They had already established

1917
01:44:24,560 --> 01:44:26,400
large and solid bridge heads of both

1918
01:44:26,400 --> 01:44:30,239
Amians and Peron. All that faced them

1919
01:44:30,239 --> 01:44:34,639
was another hastily constructed French

1920
01:44:41,000 --> 01:44:44,400
line. Vegan's forces were deployed along

1921
01:44:44,400 --> 01:44:46,920
the line of the Som and Aim

1922
01:44:46,920 --> 01:44:50,320
rivers. 49 French divisions manned this

1923
01:44:50,320 --> 01:44:54,320
front's 225 mi with 17 more left in the

1924
01:44:54,320 --> 01:44:57,880
Majino line.

1925
01:44:58,000 --> 01:45:00,960
There were also four British divisions.

1926
01:45:00,960 --> 01:45:02,560
Two of these had been isolated from

1927
01:45:02,560 --> 01:45:04,480
Gort's main force and thus missed the

1928
01:45:04,480 --> 01:45:07,119
Dunkirk

1929
01:45:07,960 --> 01:45:10,320
evacuation, while the other two were

1930
01:45:10,320 --> 01:45:13,159
newly arrived from

1931
01:45:13,159 --> 01:45:16,080
England. The French forces included six

1932
01:45:16,080 --> 01:45:18,000
much depleted mechanized and armored

1933
01:45:18,000 --> 01:45:20,639
divisions, and the British also had one

1934
01:45:20,639 --> 01:45:24,679
weakened armored division.

1935
01:45:25,679 --> 01:45:29,360
The French were opposed by 130 German

1936
01:45:29,360 --> 01:45:32,080
infantry divisions, including the fresh

1937
01:45:32,080 --> 01:45:33,800
second and 9inth

1938
01:45:33,800 --> 01:45:36,480
armies. The panzas were regrouped into

1939
01:45:36,480 --> 01:45:39,199
five armored core, each containing two

1940
01:45:39,199 --> 01:45:43,600
panza divisions and one of motorized

1941
01:45:43,960 --> 01:45:46,560
infantry. Three of these core were given

1942
01:45:46,560 --> 01:45:49,760
to army group B in the west. one being

1943
01:45:49,760 --> 01:45:53,159
commanded by Raml and the other two by

1944
01:45:53,159 --> 01:45:56,159
Klest. The two remaining panzer corors

1945
01:45:56,159 --> 01:45:59,119
under Gderion went to army group A in

1946
01:45:59,119 --> 01:46:01,280
the

1947
01:46:04,920 --> 01:46:08,719
east to bolster his weak forces. Vegan

1948
01:46:08,719 --> 01:46:09,920
ordered the construction of a

1949
01:46:09,920 --> 01:46:12,480
checkerboard of closed operational bases

1950
01:46:12,480 --> 01:46:14,480
called hedgehogs.

1951
01:46:14,480 --> 01:46:16,080
These were installed in woods and

1952
01:46:16,080 --> 01:46:18,800
villages and packed with artillery used

1953
01:46:18,800 --> 01:46:21,480
in an anti-tank

1954
01:46:21,480 --> 01:46:24,880
role. Even if outflanked, the hedgehogs

1955
01:46:24,880 --> 01:46:28,719
were designed to be able to continue

1956
01:46:29,639 --> 01:46:32,400
resisting. The German offensive opened

1957
01:46:32,400 --> 01:46:35,320
in the west on June the

1958
01:46:35,320 --> 01:46:37,840
5th. The French put up a determined

1959
01:46:37,840 --> 01:46:39,760
resistance and the Germans had

1960
01:46:39,760 --> 01:46:44,040
difficulty in subduing the hedgehogs.

1961
01:46:44,400 --> 01:46:47,920
At last on the 7th, Raml's panzas broke

1962
01:46:47,920 --> 01:46:49,239
through towards

1963
01:46:49,239 --> 01:46:52,000
Ruong. French resistance in this sector

1964
01:46:52,000 --> 01:46:54,480
promptly

1965
01:46:55,639 --> 01:46:57,760
collapsed. Raml had dealt with the

1966
01:46:57,760 --> 01:47:00,560
hedgehogs by bypassing them completely

1967
01:47:00,560 --> 01:47:02,480
and leaving them for the infantry to mop

1968
01:47:02,480 --> 01:47:04,000
up.

1969
01:47:04,000 --> 01:47:06,239
Army Group A's offensive began on June

1970
01:47:06,239 --> 01:47:10,480
the 9th and also ran into stiff

1971
01:47:11,320 --> 01:47:14,159
resistance. But that night, Gderion got

1972
01:47:14,159 --> 01:47:17,280
his tanks across the

1973
01:47:19,320 --> 01:47:22,639
air. The next day, he widened his bridge

1974
01:47:22,639 --> 01:47:24,639
head and with the remaining Panzer

1975
01:47:24,639 --> 01:47:27,040
divisions following through, the French

1976
01:47:27,040 --> 01:47:30,000
defense gave

1977
01:47:31,719 --> 01:47:34,320
way. Veagan's armies began to

1978
01:47:34,320 --> 01:47:37,040
disintegrate on all fronts. And on June

1979
01:47:37,040 --> 01:47:39,360
the 10th, Renault and his government

1980
01:47:39,360 --> 01:47:41,719
left

1981
01:47:41,719 --> 01:47:44,960
Paris. Four days later, the Germans

1982
01:47:44,960 --> 01:47:47,080
entered the

1983
01:47:47,080 --> 01:47:51,360
city. On June the 16th, Renault resigned

1984
01:47:51,360 --> 01:47:54,000
and a new cabinet was formed, headed by

1985
01:47:54,000 --> 01:47:55,960
Marshall Philip

1986
01:47:55,960 --> 01:47:59,360
Petar. 84 years old, Petar had been one

1987
01:47:59,360 --> 01:48:01,199
of the heroes of France's victory in

1988
01:48:01,199 --> 01:48:03,119
World War I.

1989
01:48:03,119 --> 01:48:05,760
In the present crisis, however, Pan

1990
01:48:05,760 --> 01:48:09,560
could see no point in prolonging the

1991
01:48:09,560 --> 01:48:12,159
struggle. A request for an armistice was

1992
01:48:12,159 --> 01:48:14,400
transmitted to Hitler. The following

1993
01:48:14,400 --> 01:48:17,960
day, June the 17th, Pa made a national

1994
01:48:17,960 --> 01:48:23,040
broadcast instructing the French to stop

1995
01:48:25,320 --> 01:48:28,920
fighting. By June the 19th, RML occupied

1996
01:48:28,920 --> 01:48:33,360
Sherborg, which marked the end of his

1997
01:48:33,800 --> 01:48:37,760
campaign. In 6 weeks, his 7th Panza,

1998
01:48:37,760 --> 01:48:40,000
nicknamed the Phantom Division for its

1999
01:48:40,000 --> 01:48:41,719
apparent ability to appear out of

2000
01:48:41,719 --> 01:48:44,480
nowhere, had captured nearly 100,000

2001
01:48:44,480 --> 01:48:46,719
prisoners, as well as hundreds of guns

2002
01:48:46,719 --> 01:48:49,239
and armored

2003
01:48:49,239 --> 01:48:52,119
vehicles.

2004
01:48:52,119 --> 01:48:55,719
His own casualties came to just over

2005
01:48:55,719 --> 01:48:59,320
2,500, of which fewer than 700 were

2006
01:48:59,320 --> 01:49:04,239
killed. Only 42 of his tanks had been

2007
01:49:05,880 --> 01:49:08,880
destroyed. In the east, Gdderian's

2008
01:49:08,880 --> 01:49:11,760
remorseless Panza Drive quickly cut off

2009
01:49:11,760 --> 01:49:14,080
all the French troops in the Majino line

2010
01:49:14,080 --> 01:49:18,679
before pushing on to the Swiss border.

2011
01:49:20,560 --> 01:49:23,679
To his right, Kle's Panza core crossed

2012
01:49:23,679 --> 01:49:28,000
the Lir and penetrated as far as

2013
01:49:29,800 --> 01:49:32,960
Leyon. On June the 20th, Hitler

2014
01:49:32,960 --> 01:49:35,560
delivered his terms to the French

2015
01:49:35,560 --> 01:49:38,159
envoys. Hitler's main objective was to

2016
01:49:38,159 --> 01:49:40,040
cut France off from

2017
01:49:40,040 --> 01:49:42,480
Britain. The northern part of France

2018
01:49:42,480 --> 01:49:45,040
would be occupied by Germany and used as

2019
01:49:45,040 --> 01:49:46,719
a base for continuing the war with

2020
01:49:46,719 --> 01:49:49,280
Britain.

2021
01:49:50,159 --> 01:49:52,159
The remainder would be governed from

2022
01:49:52,159 --> 01:49:56,320
Vichi by a regime headed by

2023
01:49:57,239 --> 01:50:00,320
Patan. The French could keep their fleet

2024
01:50:00,320 --> 01:50:02,040
and their

2025
01:50:02,040 --> 01:50:04,480
colonies. Hitler had a humiliating

2026
01:50:04,480 --> 01:50:07,600
surprise in store for the French. He had

2027
01:50:07,600 --> 01:50:09,360
located the railway carriage in which

2028
01:50:09,360 --> 01:50:11,360
the German commanders surrendered to the

2029
01:50:11,360 --> 01:50:15,960
French at the end of the Great War.

2030
01:50:17,199 --> 01:50:19,520
German engineers were ordered to hack

2031
01:50:19,520 --> 01:50:21,360
down the walls of the museum in which

2032
01:50:21,360 --> 01:50:23,840
the carriage was housed and bring it to

2033
01:50:23,840 --> 01:50:25,920
the exact place it had stood on that

2034
01:50:25,920 --> 01:50:28,320
famous

2035
01:50:29,320 --> 01:50:32,639
occasion. There in the forest of Raton,

2036
01:50:32,639 --> 01:50:35,760
50 mi northeast of Paris, Hitler awaited

2037
01:50:35,760 --> 01:50:39,520
the French delegation on June the

2038
01:50:40,280 --> 01:50:43,119
21st. When the French, led by General

2039
01:50:43,119 --> 01:50:45,840
Huniger, arrived and recognized the

2040
01:50:45,840 --> 01:50:48,719
carriage, they were a gasast. It was

2041
01:50:48,719 --> 01:50:51,480
Hitler's supreme gesture of

2042
01:50:51,480 --> 01:50:54,960
revenge. One German diarist later wrote,

2043
01:50:54,960 --> 01:50:58,239
"The battle of France is over. It has

2044
01:50:58,239 --> 01:51:02,840
lasted 26 years."

2045
01:51:02,960 --> 01:51:05,679
On June the 22nd, General Vegan

2046
01:51:05,679 --> 01:51:07,560
authorized the acceptance of German

2047
01:51:07,560 --> 01:51:10,400
terms, and the three French armies cut

2048
01:51:10,400 --> 01:51:14,280
off in the east. A total of 400,000 men

2049
01:51:14,280 --> 01:51:18,440
surrendered. At 12:35 a.m. on June the

2050
01:51:18,440 --> 01:51:24,280
25th, the fighting officially ceased.

2051
01:51:36,000 --> 01:51:37,760
Though Germany had not asked for the

2052
01:51:37,760 --> 01:51:39,920
handing over of the French fleet,

2053
01:51:39,920 --> 01:51:42,080
Britain still feared its ships falling

2054
01:51:42,080 --> 01:51:43,480
into German

2055
01:51:43,480 --> 01:51:46,719
hands. On the 3rd of July, the Royal

2056
01:51:46,719 --> 01:51:49,920
Navy attacked the main French squadrons,

2057
01:51:49,920 --> 01:51:53,119
putting many ships out of action.

2058
01:51:53,119 --> 01:51:55,760
This raid caused great bitterness and

2059
01:51:55,760 --> 01:51:59,679
badly soured Anglo French

2060
01:52:00,199 --> 01:52:02,560
relations. The German conquest of the

2061
01:52:02,560 --> 01:52:05,960
West had cost them just over 150,000

2062
01:52:05,960 --> 01:52:10,040
casualties, of whom only 27,000 were

2063
01:52:10,040 --> 01:52:12,880
killed. Total Allied losses in killed

2064
01:52:12,880 --> 01:52:15,800
and wounded came to

2065
01:52:15,800 --> 01:52:19,119
390,000, while 2 million more were taken

2066
01:52:19,119 --> 01:52:22,119
prisoner.

2067
01:52:23,040 --> 01:52:25,080
The Luftvafer lost

2068
01:52:25,080 --> 01:52:29,320
1,284 planes and the RAF

2069
01:52:29,320 --> 01:52:32,000
931, more than half of which were

2070
01:52:32,000 --> 01:52:33,239
precious

2071
01:52:33,239 --> 01:52:36,080
fighters. The French Air Force had some

2072
01:52:36,080 --> 01:52:39,520
560 planes

2073
01:52:41,159 --> 01:52:43,679
destroyed. The Germans also captured

2074
01:52:43,679 --> 01:52:45,760
huge amounts of Allied equipment of all

2075
01:52:45,760 --> 01:52:48,760
kinds.

2076
01:52:50,480 --> 01:52:53,199
Germany's crushing victory confirmed its

2077
01:52:53,199 --> 01:52:56,199
position as the supreme power in Western

2078
01:52:56,199 --> 01:52:58,880
Europe. Their only remaining enemy,

2079
01:52:58,880 --> 01:53:01,880
Britain, was isolated and much

2080
01:53:01,880 --> 01:53:04,560
weakened. Hitler was convinced she would

2081
01:53:04,560 --> 01:53:08,520
soon throw in the towel.

2082
01:53:09,840 --> 01:53:11,679
Even before the armistice came into

2083
01:53:11,679 --> 01:53:13,280
effect, he had ordered the

2084
01:53:13,280 --> 01:53:16,239
demobilization of 35 divisions and the

2085
01:53:16,239 --> 01:53:19,760
Panza groups were to be broken

2086
01:53:24,199 --> 01:53:27,440
up. As far as Hitler was concerned, the

2087
01:53:27,440 --> 01:53:32,599
war in the West was effectively over.

2088
01:53:33,119 --> 01:53:36,159
Boyed by his great triumph, Hitler was

2089
01:53:36,159 --> 01:53:37,760
already starting to contemplate a

2090
01:53:37,760 --> 01:53:41,040
campaign against the Soviet

2091
01:53:41,159 --> 01:53:43,520
Union. Yet by letting the British

2092
01:53:43,520 --> 01:53:45,679
expeditionary force slip through his

2093
01:53:45,679 --> 01:53:46,840
fingers at

2094
01:53:46,840 --> 01:53:50,000
Dunkirk, Hitler ensured that Britain

2095
01:53:50,000 --> 01:53:52,040
could continue

2096
01:53:52,040 --> 01:53:54,560
fighting. He was therefore about to lead

2097
01:53:54,560 --> 01:53:58,480
Germany into a war on two fronts. His

2098
01:53:58,480 --> 01:54:01,599
most spectacular victory thus sewed the

2099
01:54:01,599 --> 01:54:05,360
seeds of his ultimate

2100
01:54:20,040 --> 01:54:24,040
defeat. Heat. Heat.