The Super Summary of World History (63 page)

7)    
The
Fall
of
France
in 1940 was a key moment in the war. The reasons for France’s defeat are complex; however,
when
France
fell
everything
changed
. The French had enough men and high-quality tanks, but they did not have Germany’s new methods of war. If attacking through Belgium (like WWI) as originally planned, the Germans would run head-on into the best troops of France and England, and even the excellent German warfare methods might not have broken the Allies easily. In computer war games with the best French and British divisions in head-on conflict with the best German divisions, a steady, but not disastrous, Allied retreat results. Germany wins the war game after much destructive fighting. Germany’s real world victory resulted from a brilliant and well-executed plan developed by General Von Manstein and forced on the German generals by Hitler (this was
a
great
decision
by Hitler).
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The quick fall of France negated the need for large formations of German troops in Western Europe.
Japan’s
thinking
about their plans changed with the fall of France. England was battered and Japan correctly thought this weakened Britain’s Far East forces. Hitler’s later attack on the Soviet Union took a major antagonist off Japan’s northern frontier and opened the way for the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Hitler invaded the USSR because only a weakened England remained in the west. All of this happened because France crumbled before the German onslaught.

8)    
Good
luck
is often the key to victory in war, and the Allies enjoyed exceptional luck. At Pearl Harbor the Japanese managed a surprise attack of the first order; however, the main targets, the US aircraft carriers, were all at sea. By pure luck the US Navy retained its foremost assets intact. At Midway the Americans miraculously surprised and sunk four Japanese carriers. The United States possessed only one modern carrier airplane at the time, the Dauntless dive-bomber. This solitary up-to-date weapon arrived over the Japanese carriers at the moment they were devoid of air cover and had numerous bombs and torpedoes improperly stowed around their decks. The American bombs hit the Japanese carriers at their most vulnerable minute with devastating results. In 1939 brilliant
Polish
code
breakers
were deciphering the German codes and had obtained a German
Enigma
machine. The Polish code breakers luckily escaped after the Nazi invasion and gave everything to England. The war could have changed dramatically if the Polish code breakers had fallen into Nazi hands.

World
War
II
Begins

1939

After appeasing Hitler for months, and having him break his word and his treaties, England and France faced down the Nazis over Poland in September of 1939. It had been a sinuous road to this point. March of 1936 saw Hitler abolish the Treaty of Versailles by his reoccupation of the Rhineland. France wanted to move, but England did not, and France would not challenge Hitler alone. Hitler’s seizure of Austria (Anschluss—reunification) took place in 1938, followed by the 1938 Munich conference where England and France gave Germany a large part of Czechoslovakia rather than risk war. The worst part of the Munich capitulation only surfaced since the 1970s. Newly released British Cabinet notes reveal Chamberlin made a deal to dismember Czechoslovakia with the Nazi dictator
long
before
the conference. The USSR had promised support to France and England if they stood up to the Nazis at Munich. As Stalin watched the Allies cave he decided Hitler was a more reliable partner than the cowardly West. Hitler promised peace and stability (again), and then he completely subjugated the rump state of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. This move stunned Neville Chamberlin who overnight saw the light and turned on the Axis like an angry mongoose. Hitler quickly followed up his Czechoslovakian conquest with territorial demands on Poland, but this time the Western Allies guaranteed Poland’s territorial integrity.

Some say this was an abrupt about-face by England and France, confusing Hitler and not allowing him time to readjust to the new Allied policy. After all, he watched them run yellow so many times before, how could he reasonably expect firmness this time? However, after the Fuehrer “annexed” Czechoslovakia, trashing his promises to England’s Neville Chamberlin that his territorial ambitions were over, Hitler received confirmation that England and France would stand no more. Chamberlin made several speeches in the House of Commons saying conclusively that appeasement was at an end, and promising Britain and France would block Hitler’s next move. By scuttling the Munich agreement Hitler convinced the Western Allies his word was worthless and force alone would deter the deceiver. Any rational man would have known that invading Poland assured war with Britain and France.

Poland, probably unwisely, rejected Hitler’s threats. The Fuehrer was poised to invade, but word reached the dictator that both England and France promised a declaration of war if Germany invaded Poland. For a moment Hitler hesitated; however, he had seen England and France back down many times, so he hypothesized there would be no war over Poland of all places. After all, the Allies could do nothing to help Poland directly. Moreover, there was Stalin to consider. The entire world knew the USSR and Germany signed an alliance guaranteeing the Nazis safety in the East. Poland could not win, and the Allies could not help. Hitler threw the dice once more gambling England and France would fold. Dreadfully miscalculating, Hitler invaded Poland on
September
1,
1939
. England and France declared war; nevertheless, the Poles were isolated and, unknown to them, trapped in a massive vice.

Hitler possessed largely mechanized armies and modern air forces, and Poland did not. In the first hours of combat the Polish air force succumbed to heavy damage, and its poorly placed troops quickly found themselves surrounded and crushed by armored double envelopments. The remaining Polish troops fell back toward their capital of Warsaw, all the while radioing France and England to help. The Allies could do little to assist the Poles. One possible move involved launching a significant offensive in the west, forcing the Germans to pull troops away from Poland to protect their western frontier. The French and English failed to launch any major offensives in the West. According to Winston Churchill in his book
The
Gathering
Storm
, France lacked the ability to launch an offensive so soon after the war began. This lack of boldness doomed Poland, but the Poles bravely fought on. Then an unexpected blow fell from the East.
The
USSR
had
made
a
secret
deal
with
Hitler
to split Poland, and after the German attack was underway the USSR invaded, overwhelming the scant Polish resistance. England and France did nothing. (No declaration of war against the Soviets.) Stalin engaged in the same actions as Hitler, but England and France feared expanding the war, and as a result Stalin got away with assassinating Poland. After Poland fell the Russians and Germans exterminated millions of Poles, subjecting them to shocking atrocities that were discovered long after WWII.
[219]

After Poland fell a period of non-action ensued (the “phony war.”) During this time the Germans adjusted their Blitzkrieg tactics by adopting the lessons learned in Poland. During the lull, the German general staff approached Hitler with a bold plan to capture Norway. In April 1940 Hitler launched the plan, and using a combined naval and air assault overran the nation. Hitler approved the plan because he needed the raw materials Norway could supply, and it would protect his vital steel ore supply from Sweden. The invasion’s success thwarted an English plan to violate Norway’s neutrality by mining their coastal waters
[220]
to stop the flow of raw materials to Germany. The German U-boats discovered, to their dismay, that their torpedoes were defective. Germany returned to WWI torpedoes, but at least they discovered the problem. Norway remained in Nazi hands for the remainder of the war.

The Battle of France

May
and
June
1940

France and England now stood against Germany in the West. The capture of Norway, the quick defeat of Poland and the assistance of the USSR in its slaughter, traumatized the Allies. The Germans had unleashed a new kind of warfare. Their mechanized units sped across Poland disrupting the Poles’ attempts to form defensive lines. Their use of aircraft to bomb ahead of advancing German tanks disheartened the Polish troops at the key points of attack, and allowed German breakouts when and where desired. The French and English realized this, but they neglected altering anything at this stage because extensive retraining and reorganization of their armies was required, and they thought they knew where the Germans would strike; thus, negating the German mobility advantage. While it is not wise for comprehensively trained modern armies to improvise on the eve of battle, one must adjust to circumstances. Surely some essential changes could be made while keeping the troops within their training. In this task of adjustment the Allies failed. They also failed in an essential element of defensive planning; hold something back for the unexpected (
the
reserves
).

In spite of Hitler’s demands, bad weather allowed his generals to postpone the attack on France. For months the front remained static in what was termed the
Phony
War
, but events brought on by the delay were not transpiring in the Allies favor. Germany studied its invasion of Poland and determined a lot had gone wrong. During the pause, the Wehrmacht made critical modifications to its armored tactics helping immensely in the coming battles. The Germans originally planned an attack through Belgium, and the English and French guessed as much. The Belgians should have cooperated with the Allies, but they stubbornly stuck with their suicidal policy of neutrality. (Just like WWI). As a result, the Allies had to wait until the Germans entered Belgium before they could advance to defensive positions within that country. The French and English were certain the German attack could not fall further south because of a massive French defensive system of guns and forts named the
Maginot
Line,
after its creator. However, the line did not extend all the way to Belgium. Between the end of the defensive line and Belgium grew a dense forest which French planners thought was too difficult for mechanized forces to cross; thus, the Maginot Line stopped at the forest. Even worse, the defense of the forested area depended on second-class troops comprised of older conscripts with few modern weapons. Of course, this was the fatal disposition because it was through this forest the German mechanized armored forces struck.

Figure 53 The Fall of France 1940

Strangely, the German plan changed only after an aircraft accident where a German officer, ineptly carrying the plans of attack, crashed in Belgium. The plans were recovered from the wreck and confirmed Allied speculation about the German assault in the West. Back in Germany Hitler remained calm because he never liked the plan anyway and wanted his generals to create a better one. One German general,
Eric
Von
Manstein
, did have another plan, but his superiors on the general staff had dismissed it. Von Manstein had worked up an idea to attack with mechanized units through the forested area (the Ardennes) ignored by the Allies. The plan called for a feint (false attack) into Belgium which would draw the Allied units north. This would be followed by the Wehrmacht’s main attack coming from east to west toward the sea from the Ardennes Forest, thereby trapping numerous Allied units in Belgium. Once cut off from supplies and reinforcements destruction of the Allied armies could proceed. Thereafter, the Germans would turn on the remainder of France. Once briefed, Hitler instantly adopted this audacious idea. The plan went forward over the strong objections of his staff officers who had the plan jammed down their throats by the Fuehrer. It was perhaps Hitler’s best military decision (One of the few good military decisions).

When the German blow fell on May 10, 1940, the French and English troops hurried into Belgium anticipating the German main attack. The Germans moved units into Belgium to draw the Allies in, and the Allies took the bait. The Germans began assaults on the Belgian forts around their main cities. These forts fell at once as brilliant German planning overcame the defenders. As the Belgian Army disintegrated, the Allies prepared their positions well inside Belgium for the expected German onslaught. Then disturbing reports filtered in of heavy fighting near the Ardennes forest, soon followed by the bad news of a German breakthrough at Sudan. The Allies began to realize they were in the wrong place.