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Battle of France
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Nazi leaders in Paris Map of France during 1940-44, showing the division under the June 1940 armistice. Northern and western France are shaded as the German occupation zone, while the southern portion is marked as Vichy France, designated as a free zone until November 1942. Additional areas highlight German-annexed regions in the northeast, Italian occupation zones along the southeastern border, and a coastal military zone along the Atlantic. Boundaries of Axis, Allied, and neutral countries are also indicated.
How the halt command saved British troops in Dunkirk
Gamelin, Maurice Main entrance to the Schoenenbourg Fort on the Maginot Line, a concrete bunker set into a grassy embankment with trees in the background, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. German soldiers man artillery guns at a fortified position in Denmark during World War II. A Nazi flag flies from a pole, and a Danish flag is visible above a nearby building. Winston Churchill Map showing the German invasion of the Low Countries and France in 1940 during World War II. The map highlights the movement of German forces with red arrows advancing through the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and into northern France. Allied defensive lines and positions are marked in blue, with key cities, army groups, and the Dunkirk evacuation site indicated. The map also distinguishes between Axis, Allied, and neutral territories at the start of the conflict.
Listen to Winston Churchill delivering his first speech as prime inister in 1940
Map illustrating the Schlieffen Plan of 1905, showing the German army's planned invasion routes at the start of World War I. Thick red arrows indicate German advances sweeping through Belgium and Luxembourg into northern France, curving toward Paris, with key cities and rivers labeled across Belgium, France, Germany, and neighboring regions.
At a Glance
Germany invades Poland, September 1, 1939, using 45 German divisions and aerial attack. By September 20, only Warsaw held out, but final surrender came on September 29.
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U.S. marines raising the American flag over Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, in February 1945
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Civil War era cannon overlooks Kennesaw Mountain National Battle. (military, artillery, American history)
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Louis IX of France (St. Louis), stained glass window of Louis IX during the Crusades. (Unknown location.)
World Wars
D-Day. American soldiers fire rifles, throw grenades and wade ashore on Omaha Beach next to a German bunker during D Day landing. 1 of 5 Allied beachheads est. in Normandy, France. The Normandy Invasion of World War II launched June 6, 1944.
A History of War

Battle of France: References & Edit History

Article Contributors

Primary Contributors

  • Basil Liddell Hart
  • The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
    Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.

Other Encyclopedia Britannica Contributors

Article History

Type Description Contributor Date
Invalidated site: BBC - Witness History - The fall of Paris. Aug 25, 2026
Anniversary information added. Jun 18, 2026
Add new Web site: BBC - Witness History - The fall of Paris. Dec 12, 2025
Add new Web site: Marine Corps University - "Trying Not to Lose It": The Allied Disaster in France and the Low Countries, 1940. Oct 02, 2025
Add new Web site: Harvard University Press - When France Fell (PDF). Jun 11, 2025
Add new Web site: World War II Database - Invasion of France and the Low Countries. Mar 27, 2025
Add new Web site: Air and Space Forces Magazine - The Fall of France. Feb 15, 2025
Add new Web site: Royal Air Force - The Battle of France, May 1940: Enduring, combined and joint lessons (PDF). Dec 21, 2024
Add new Web site: English Heritage - The Fall of France in the Second World War. Oct 22, 2024
Add new Web site: Association of the United States Army - The Fall of France and the Summer of 1940. Sep 12, 2024
Add new Web site: National Army Museum - Defeat in the West, 1940. Dec 28, 2023
Add new Web site: HistoryNet - Why did France Fall? Oct 18, 2023
Add new Web site: Imperial War Museums - What You Need to Know About the Battle of France. Aug 10, 2023
Add new Web site: Warfare History Network - The Battle of France: Furor Teutonicus and Gallic Débâcle. Mar 29, 2023
Add new Web site: Weapons and Warfare - Battle of France 1940. Dec 09, 2022
Map added. Sep 26, 2019
Add new Web site: Eye Witness to History.com - France Surrenders, 1940. Aug 13, 2019
Map added. Jul 19, 2019
New article added. May 10, 2019
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