Lesson 1: Blitzkrieg and The Battle For France

Question 1

The preparation for the Battle of France
(Allies)

Answer 1

-a defensive one against the
Germans.

• 3 billion francs in the
  interwar years on the formidable Maginot Line

-British and French tactics had not developed much

since World War
Allied Strength:
* 4000 tanks
* 2900 aircraft
* 3.3 million troops

Question 2

The preparation for the Battle of France
(Germany)

Answer 2

• German developed a plan called ‘Case Yellow’. This plan aimed to entice the main Allied forces into northern France and Belgium where they would be surrounded by a huge ‘pincer’ movement.
• The plan included a diversionary attack against the French ‘Maginot Line’ which was designed to draw Allied troops away from the main thrust of the offensive.
• launched
  through the Ardennes forest
• German Strength:
• 2445 tanks
• 5638 aircraft
• 3.35 million troops

Question 3

Reasons for development of Blitzkrieg

Answer 3

• ‘Lightning War’

-best way to avoid an attritional, trench based war, like World War One

-lead to swift
victories and short wars

-Hitler didn’t want a 2 frontal war like last time in world war one as that is how they were defeated previously so he needed to be much quicker, flexible and as well with his decision making

Question 4

Phases of Blitzkrieg

Answer 4

1st Phase: Air craft used to find the weak spot

2nd Phase: Use the tanks to cause chaos

3rd Phase : Send in infantry to clean up/ finish the job

Question 5

How did Germany defeat the Allied army in France.

Answer 5

11th May: Maginot Line but also send multiple divisions north to counter the
German offensive in Belgium. This weakens the center of the Allied defense.

13th May:
The German Army launches the main focus of their offensive through the Ardennes Forest. The Allies had believed that there was no chance an offensive would be launched in this area.

24th May:
Approx. 400,000 Allied troops are forced back to Dunkirk. They are trapped.

Question 6

How the Royal Navy evacuated British and French from Dunkirk.

Answer 6

-800 ships between the 26th May and the 3rd June. not military vessels but were ‘little ships’, such as fishing vessels and lifeboats.

-non-military personnel volunteered to support the effort

• RAF would send all available planes to cover the evacuation and the French forces surrounding Dunkirk would hold a defensive line to protect the evacuating British soldiers.
• The expectation was that somewhere between 20,000 and 30,000 men could be saved BUT in all 338,000 troops (one-third were French) were rescued from Dunkirk.

Question 7

Consequences of the Dunkirk and Battle of France.

Answer 7

• France was now defended by a significantly weaker force.

-French government
would be forced to surrender on the 22nd June and fighting in France would officially end on the 25th June. The battle had lasted a total of 6 weeks.

-Wars are not won by evacuations.”

-73,000 Allied soldiers were killed in the battle, alongside 1.75 million men captured.
Thousands of tons of military equipment was also lost including artillery pieces, tanks and aircraft

-Britain now stood alone against the Nazi’s who had now successfully invaded Poland,
Luxemburg, Belgium, the Netherlands and France.