German plan to defeat France. Why Hitler so easily occupied mighty France

The aggravation of contradictions between the powers in the 1930s led to the formation of two warring blocs: the Anglo-French-American and the German-Italian-Japanese. The German-Italian-Japanese bloc took shape in the form of an "anti-Comintern pact" and pursued the goal of not only redistributing the world, but also establishing fascist regimes throughout the world, which posed a great danger to humanity. England, USA and France set themselves the task of weakening the dangerous imperialist rivals by directing their aggression against the Soviet Union.

Having attacked Poland, Nazi Germany sent 53 divisions, 2500 tanks and 2000 aircraft to the front. The Polish army, despite the heroic resistance of individual military units (in the battle of Bzura, in the defense of Warsaw), was unable to withstand the onslaught of the German troops, who were rapidly moving inland. Poland was defeated.

England and France, which were allies of Poland, declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939. But, having entered the war, they still hoped to send fascist troops against the USSR and did not conduct active operations, although only 23 German divisions opposed 110 French and 5 British divisions on the Western Front. On September 12, 1939, at a meeting of the Anglo-French Supreme Military Council, it was decided to pursue passive defense tactics in the war with Germany.

Thus began the "strange war", which lasted during September 1939 - May 1940. Neither side launched active hostilities. This allowed Germany to quickly defeat Poland and prepare for new military campaigns, naval battles were somewhat more active. German submarines sank the British battleship RoyalOk, the aircraft carrier Koreydzhes, and a large number of English and French merchant ships.

At the beginning of the war, the United States declared its neutrality. The US ruling circles hoped to use the situation in the interests of their enrichment and strengthening their power. At the same time, they encouraged the advance of Germany to the east. However, the growing contradictions with the fascist bloc forced the United States to focus on rapprochement with Britain and France.

Germany, building up its armed forces, developed plans to capture the countries of Western Europe.

On April 9, 1940, she launched an invasion of Denmark and Norway. Denmark immediately capitulated. The population and army of Norway resisted the German armed forces. England and France attempted to help Norway with their troops, but they failed, and Norway was occupied.

France was next. Nazi Germany developed a plan to capture it through neutral states: Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg. The German military command, resorting to provocation, organized a raid on the German city of Freiburg, blaming the Dutch and Belgian aviation for this. On May 10, 1940, the German government ordered the invasion of German troops into Belgium, Holland, and Luxembourg. At the same time, the German offensive against France began. The period of the "strange war" is over.

The short-sighted policy of the ruling circles of England and France led to grave consequences. On May 14, the Netherlands capitulated. Large formations of French, Belgian and British troops were pressed to the sea near Dunkirk. Only a part of them managed to evacuate to the British Isles. Belgium surrendered with its troops on 28 May.

Occupation of France by Nazi Germany

March 21, 1940 became head of government Paul Reynaud. During the German offensive against France that began on May 10, 1940, the government showed complete inability to organize a rebuff to the aggressor: on June 14, without any resistance, Paris was surrendered to the enemy. Reynaud resigned two days later. The new government was headed by Marshal petin On June 22, France accepted the terms of surrender dictated to her by Germany. As a result of the defeat in the war, two-thirds of the territory of France, and since November 1942, the entire country was occupied by Nazi troops.

Under the terms of the surrender, the government Petain supplied fascist Germany with raw materials, food, industrial goods, labor, paying her 400 million francs daily.

The Petain government, whose residence was in the city of Vichy, ceased the activity of representative institutions, dissolved all former political parties and public associations, and allowed the creation of fascist organizations. Germany was provided with military bases, ports, airfields in the territories of the Middle East and North Africa that belonged to France.

The struggle of the French people

The French people did not accept the fate that the new rulers of the country prepared for them. As the well-known historian A. 3. Manfred, "the national forces turned out to be superior to their leaders."

The country has resistance movement united the patriotic forces of France.

Along with the resistance movement inside the country outside of France, the patriotic anti-fascist movement "Free France" arose. It was headed by emigrated to England General de Gaulle, which was part of the last government of the Third Republic. On June 18, 1940, in a speech on London radio, de Gaulle called for resistance and the unification of all the French who, for various reasons, found themselves outside their country. On August 7, 1940, de Gaulle received Churchill's consent to the formation of volunteer French armed forces in England. In France, de Gaulle's supporters also began to create their own organizations.

After the German attack on the USSR in France in early July 1941, a National Front, which included communists, socialists, Christian Democrats, radical socialists and representatives of other parties. The National Front set itself the task of expelling the fascist invaders from French territory, punishing war criminals and their accomplices, restoring sovereignty and ensuring democratic government elections. The creation of a new organization gave mass character to the resistance movement.

At the same time, an armed struggle was unfolding in the country between the franchisors (“free shooters”) and partisans, led by the communists. By the summer of 1944, the number of detachments of freelancers and partisans amounted to 250 thousand people. Tens of thousands of them were arrested, imprisoned in concentration camps, many were executed, including eight members of the PCF Central Committee. In total, 75 thousand French communists fell for the freedom and independence of their homeland, for which it was called the “party of the executed”.

In November 1942, an agreement on joint action was concluded between the PCF and de Gaulle's supporters. In May 1943, the National Council of the Resistance was created, which was a significant step in uniting all the anti-Hitler forces in France. On June 3, 1943, the French Committee of the National Liberation (headed by de Gaulle and Giraud) was formed in Algiers, which essentially became the Provisional Government of France.

The rallying of anti-fascist forces into a united front made it possible to start preparing an armed uprising against the invaders. At the beginning of 1944, all the fighting organizations of French patriots - participants in the Resistance, merged into a single army of "French internal forces" with a total number of 500 thousand people.

In the summer of 1944, armed uprisings began in France, covering 40 departments of the country. Almost half of the occupied territory was liberated by the forces of the rebellious patriots. The fighters of the Resistance detachments helped the detachments of the Anglo-American troops to land and gain a foothold in and liberated the cities of Clermont-Ferrand and others on their own.

On August 19, 1944, French patriots raised an anti-fascist armed uprising in Paris, and on August 25, the leaders of the uprising accepted the surrender of the German commandant. Soon the Provisional Government led by de Gaulle arrived in Paris.

The 20th century in world history was marked by important discoveries in the field of technology and art, but at the same time it was the time of two World Wars that claimed the lives of several tens of millions of people in most countries of the world. The decisive role in the Victory was played by such states as the USA, the USSR, Great Britain and France. During World War II, they defeated world fascism. France was forced to capitulate, but then revived and continued to fight against Germany and its allies.

France in the prewar years

In the last pre-war years, France experienced serious economic difficulties. At that time, the People's Front was at the helm of the state. However, after Blum's resignation, the new government was headed by Shotan. His policy began to deviate from the program of the Popular Front. Taxes were raised, the 40-hour work week was abolished, and industrialists had the opportunity to increase the duration of the latter. A strike movement immediately swept across the country, however, to pacify the dissatisfied, the government sent police detachments. France before the Second World War pursued an anti-social policy and every day had less and less support among the people.

By this time, the military-political bloc "Berlin-Rome Axis" had been formed. In 1938, Germany invaded Austria. Two days later, her Anschluss took place. This event dramatically changed the state of affairs in Europe. A threat loomed over the Old World, and first of all it concerned Great Britain and France. The population of France demanded that the government take decisive action against Germany, especially since the USSR also expressed such ideas, offering to join forces and stifle the growing fascism in the bud. However, the government still continued to follow the so-called. "appeasement", believing that if Germany was given everything she asked for, war could be avoided.

The authority of the Popular Front was fading before our eyes. Unable to cope with economic problems, Shotan resigned. After that, the second Blum government was installed, which lasted less than a month until its next resignation.

Daladier government

France during the Second World War could have appeared in a different, more attractive light, if not for some actions of the new chairman of the Council of Ministers, Edouard Daladier.

The new government was formed exclusively from the composition of democratic and right-wing forces, without communists and socialists, however, Daladier needed the support of the latter two in the elections. Therefore, he designated his activities as a sequence of actions of the Popular Front, as a result he received the support of both the communists and the socialists. However, immediately after coming to power, everything changed dramatically.

The first steps were aimed at "improving the economy." Taxes were raised and another devaluation was carried out, which eventually gave its negative results. But this is not the most important thing in the activities of Daladier of that period. Foreign policy in Europe was at that time at the limit - one spark, and the war would have begun. France in World War II did not want to take the side of the defeatists. Inside the country there were several opinions: some wanted a close alliance with Britain and the United States; others did not rule out the possibility of an alliance with the USSR; still others strongly opposed the Popular Front, proclaiming the slogan "Better Hitler than the Popular Front." Separate from those listed were the pro-German circles of the bourgeoisie, who believed that even if they managed to defeat Germany, the revolution that would come with the USSR to Western Europe would not spare anyone. They offered to pacify Germany in every possible way, giving her freedom of action in an easterly direction.

A black spot in the history of French diplomacy

After the easy accession of Austria, Germany is increasing its appetites. Now she swung at the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Hitler made the mostly German-populated area fight for autonomy and virtual separation from Czechoslovakia. When the country's government gave a categorical rebuff to the fascist tricks, Hitler began to act as a savior of the "infringed" Germans. He threatened the government of Beneš that he could bring in his troops and take the region by force. In turn, France and Great Britain supported Czechoslovakia in words, while the USSR offered real military assistance if Beneš applied to the League of Nations and officially appealed to the USSR for help. Beneš, however, could not take a step without the instructions of the French and British, who did not want to quarrel with Hitler. The international diplomatic events that followed after that could greatly reduce France's losses in World War II, which was already inevitable, but history and politicians decreed differently, strengthening the main fascist many times over with military factories in Czechoslovakia.

On September 28, a conference of France, England, Italy and Germany was held in Munich. Here the fate of Czechoslovakia was decided, and neither Czechoslovakia nor the Soviet Union, which expressed a desire to help, were invited. As a result, the next day, Mussolini, Hitler, Chamberlain and Daladier signed the protocols of the Munich Agreements, according to which the Sudetenland was now the territory of Germany, and the areas dominated by Hungarians and Poles were also to be separated from Czechoslovakia and become the lands of the titular countries.

Daladier and Chamberlain guaranteed the inviolability of the new frontiers and peace in Europe for "an entire generation" of returning national heroes.

In principle, this was, so to speak, the first capitulation of France in World War II to the main aggressor in the history of mankind.

The beginning of World War II and the entry of France into it

According to the strategy of the attack on Poland, Germany crossed the border in the early morning of the year. World War II has begun! with the support of its aviation and having a numerical superiority, it immediately took the initiative into its own hands and quickly captured Polish territory.

France in World War II, as well as England, declared war on Germany only after two days of active hostilities - September 3, still dreaming of appeasing or "pacifying" Hitler. In principle, historians have reason to believe that if there had not been an agreement, according to which the main patron of Poland after the First World War was France, which, in the event of open aggression against the Poles, was obliged to send its troops and provide military support, most likely, there would be no declaration of war did not follow either two days later or later.

A strange war, or how France fought without fighting

France's involvement in World War II can be divided into several phases. The first is called "The Strange War". It lasted about 9 months - from September 1939 to May 1940. It is named so because in the conditions of the war by France and England against Germany, no military operations were carried out. That is, the war was declared, but no one fought. The agreement under which France was obliged to organize an offensive against Germany within 15 days was not fulfilled. The German war machine calmly "dealt" with Poland, not looking back at its western borders, where only 23 divisions were concentrated against 110 French and English, which could dramatically change the course of events at the beginning of the war and put Germany in a difficult situation, if not lead to it at all. defeat. Meanwhile, in the east, beyond Poland, Germany had no rival, it had an ally - the USSR. Stalin, without waiting for an alliance with England and France, concluded it with Germany, securing his lands for some time from the onset of the Nazis, which is quite logical. But England and France in the Second World War, and specifically at its beginning, behaved rather strangely.

The Soviet Union at that time occupied the eastern part of Poland and the Baltic states, presented an ultimatum to Finland on the exchange of territories of the Karelian Peninsula. The Finns opposed this, after which the USSR unleashed a war. France and England reacted sharply to this, and preparing for war with him.

A completely strange situation has developed: in the center of Europe, at the very border of France, there is a world aggressor that threatens all of Europe and, first of all, France itself, and she declares war on the USSR, which simply wants to secure its borders, and offers an exchange of territories, and not perfidious capture. This state of affairs continued until the Benelux countries and France suffered from Germany. The period of the Second World War, marked by oddities, ended there, and the real war began.

At this time in the country ...

Immediately after the outbreak of war in France, a state of siege was introduced. All strikes and demonstrations were banned, and the media were subject to strict wartime censorship. With regard to labor relations, wages were frozen at pre-war levels, strikes were banned, vacations were not granted, and the law on the 40-hour work week was repealed.

During the Second World War, France pursued a rather tough policy within the country, especially with regard to the PCF (French Communist Party). The communists were declared practically outlaws. Their mass arrests began. The deputies were deprived of immunity and were put on trial. But the apogee of the "fight against aggressors" was the document dated November 18, 1939 - "Decree on Suspicious". According to this document, the government could imprison almost any person in a concentration camp, considering him suspicious and dangerous to the state and society. In less than two months of this decree, more than 15,000 communists found themselves in concentration camps. And in April of the following year, another decree was adopted, which equated communist activity with treason, and citizens convicted of this were punished by death.

German invasion of France

After the defeat of Poland and Scandinavia, Germany began the transfer of the main forces to the Western Front. By May 1940, there was no longer the advantage that countries such as England and France had. World War II was destined to move to the lands of "peacekeepers" who wanted to appease Hitler by giving him everything he asked for.

On May 10, 1940, Germany launched an invasion of the West. In less than a month, the Wehrmacht managed to break Belgium, Holland, defeat the British Expeditionary Force, as well as the most combat-ready French forces. All Northern France and Flanders were occupied. The morale of the French soldiers was low, while the Germans believed even more in their invincibility. The matter remained small. In ruling circles, as well as in the army, fermentation began. On June 14, Paris was surrendered to the Nazis, and the government fled to the city of Bordeaux.

Mussolini also did not want to miss the division of trophies. And on June 10, believing that France no longer poses a threat, he invaded the territory of the state. However, the Italian troops, almost twice as numerous, were not successful in the fight against the French. France in World War II managed to show what she is capable of. And even on June 21, on the eve of the signing of the surrender, 32 Italian divisions were stopped by the French. It was a complete failure of the Italians.

French surrender in World War II

After England, fearing that the French fleet would fall into the hands of the Germans, scuttled most of it, France severed all diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom. On June 17, 1940, her government rejected the British offer of an inviolable alliance and the need to continue the struggle to the last.

On June 22, in the forest of Compiègne, in the carriage of Marshal Foch, an armistice was signed between France and Germany. France, it promised serious consequences, primarily economic. Two-thirds of the country became German territory, while the southern part was declared independent, but obliged to pay 400 million francs a day! Most of the raw materials and finished products went to support the German economy, and primarily the army. More than 1 million French citizens were sent as labor force to Germany. The country's economy and economy suffered huge losses, which would subsequently have an impact on the industrial and agricultural development of France after the Second World War.

Vichy mode

After the capture of northern France in the resort town of Vichy, it was decided to transfer the authoritarian supreme power in southern "independent" France to Philippe Pétain. This marked the end of the Third Republic and the establishment of the Vichy government (from location). France in the Second World War showed itself not from the best side, especially during the years of the Vichy regime.

At first, the regime found support among the population. However, it was a fascist government. Communist ideas were banned, Jews, just like in all the territories occupied by the Nazis, were driven to death camps. For one killed German soldier, death overtook 50-100 ordinary citizens. The Vichy government itself did not have a regular army. There were few armed forces necessary to maintain order and obedience, while the soldiers did not have any serious military weapons.

The regime existed for quite a long time - from July 1940 to the end of April 1945.

Liberation of France

On June 6, 1944, one of the largest military-strategic operations started - the opening of the Second Front, which began with the landing of the Anglo-American allied forces in Normandy. Fierce battles began on the territory of France for its liberation, together with the allies, the French themselves carried out actions to liberate the country as part of the Resistance movement.

France in World War II dishonored itself in two ways: firstly, by being defeated, and secondly, by collaborating with the Nazis for almost 4 years. Although General de Gaulle tried with all his might to create a myth that the entire French people as a whole fought for the country's independence, not helping Germany in anything, but only weakening it with various sorties and sabotage. "Paris has been liberated by French hands," de Gaulle asserted confidently and solemnly.

The surrender of the occupying troops took place in Paris on August 25, 1944. The Vichy government then existed in exile until the end of April 1945.

After that, something unimaginable began in the country. Face to face met those who were declared bandits under the Nazis, that is, partisans, and those who lived happily under the Nazis. Often there was a public lynching of the henchmen of Hitler and Pétain. The Anglo-American allies, who saw this with their own eyes, did not understand what was happening, and urged the French partisans to come to their senses, but they were simply furious, believing that their time had come. A large number of French women, declared fascist whores, were publicly disgraced. They were dragged out of their houses, dragged to the square, where they were shaved and led along the main streets so that everyone could see, often while all their clothes were torn off. The first years of France after the Second World War, in short, experienced remnants of that recent, but such a sad past, when social tension and at the same time the revival of the national spirit intertwined, creating an uncertain situation.

End of the war. Outcomes for France

The role of France in World War II was not decisive for its entire course, but there was still a certain contribution, at the same time there were negative consequences for it.

The French economy was practically destroyed. Industry, for example, produced only 38% of the output of the pre-war level. About 100 thousand French did not return from the battlefields, about two million were held captive until the end of the war. Military equipment was mostly destroyed, the fleet was sunk.

The policy of France after the Second World War is associated with the name of the military and political figure Charles de Gaulle. The first post-war years were aimed at restoring the economy and social welfare of French citizens. The losses of France in World War II could have been much lower, or perhaps they would not have happened at all if, on the eve of the war, the governments of England and France had not tried to “appease” Hitler, but would have immediately dealt with the not yet strong German army with one hard blow. a fascist monster that almost swallowed the whole world.

On Defender of the Fatherland Day, it is worth recalling who the Russian soldier fought with and where the defenders of other fatherlands were at that time

This year we will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union in World War II. Therefore, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, it is worth recalling once again who the Russian soldier fought with and where the defenders of other fatherlands were at that time.

So it turns out that it would be more logical for many European countries to celebrate May 9 not as Victory Day in World War II, but to remember their shameful capitulation. After all, almost all of continental Europe by 1941 somehow entered the Third Reich. Of the more than two dozen European countries that existed by June 1941, nine - Spain, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia and Croatia - Together with Germany and Austria entered the war against the USSR.

The rest also resisted the enemy for a short time:
Monaco - 1 day, Luxembourg - 1 day, Netherlands - 6 days, Belgium - 8 days, Yugoslavia - 12 days, Greece - 24 days, Poland - 36 days, France - 43 days, and then actually joined the aggressor and worked for his industry.
Even supposedly neutral countries - Switzerland and Sweden did not stand aside. They granted fascist Germany the right to free transit of military cargo through their territory, and also received huge incomes from trade. The trade turnover of "neutral" Portugal with the Nazis was so successful that in May 1945 she declared three days of mourning in connection with the death of Hitler.
But that's not all.
- The national identity of all those who died in battles on the Russian front is difficult or even impossible to establish. But the composition of the military personnel taken prisoner by our army during the war is known. Germans and Austrians - 2,546,242 people; 766,901 people belonged to other nations that declared war on us: Hungarians, Romanians, Italians, Finns and others, but another 464,147 prisoners of war are French, Belgians, Czechs and representatives of other European states that did not seem to be at war with us, - gives terrible numbers of betrayal historian Vadim Kozhinov. - And while this multinational army won victories on the Russian front, Europe was, by and large, on the side of the Third Reich.

That is why, according to the recollections of the participants, during the signing of the act of surrender of Germany on May 8, 1945, the head of the German delegation, Field Marshal Keitel, seeing among those present at the ceremony persons in French military uniforms, could not contain his surprise: "How?! And they also defeated us, or what ?!
It is interesting what the field marshal would say today to the Europeans calling for celebrating Victory Day without Russia's participation. I would probably remind you that the Wehrmacht conquered their countries faster than a couple of houses in Stalingrad.

Generalissimo. Book 1. Karpov Vladimir Vasilyevich

War in Europe (The Defeat of France: May-June 1940 War with England)

After Poland was occupied by Germany, the question arose before Hitler - to carry out an attack on the USSR or to defeat France and England first? If Hitler went east and took possession of the living space he openly spoke of as necessary, it would strengthen Germany to such an extent that France and England would be unable to resist it. They, of course, would not have waited for this, and, probably, a real, and not a “strange” war would have begun in the West, that is, a war would have begun on two fronts, which was so feared and against which all German strategists warned the Fuhrer. Therefore, elementary logic prompted Hitler: it is necessary to liquidate the Western opponents first. But France was not like those European countries that Hitler had so easily captured before 1939. In the past, Germany waged long-term wars with France, and the battles were on an equal footing, sometimes the French armed forces prevailed, sometimes the German ones. It was a serious adversary, and having such a powerful ally as England.

By October 9, 1939, the “Memorandum and guidelines for the conduct of the war in the West” was developed at Hitler’s headquarters. At first, Hitler entrusted this most secret document to only four, namely, the three commanders-in-chief of the branches of the armed forces and the chief of staff of the supreme high command. This "Memorandum" analyzed the possible actions of all European states in the event of a German attack on France, and outlined the options for military action against France. The main idea was to bypass the long-term lines of defense of France, created by her on her borders with Germany, through the territories of Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland, and thereby avoid heavy losses and protracted battles. And then, with a swift blow of tank and mechanized troops, break into the territory of France, crush, first of all, the enemy’s will to resist, encircle and destroy the main forces of the French army and the expeditionary units of England.

Based on Hitler's instructions, the general staff and commanders began to develop a plan for the conduct of the war, as a result of which the final plan for the invasion of France was adopted, which received the conditional name "Gelb".

On May 10, 1940, the Nazi troops launched an offensive bypassing the French Maginot Line through the territory of Holland and Belgium. With the help of airborne assaults, they captured important areas, airfields, bridges. On May 14, the Dutch army capitulated. Belgian troops retreated to the line of the Meuse River. Parts of the Anglo-French troops advanced to the same line. But the German army broke through the weak Allied defenses and reached the coast by May 20. A special role was played by the Kleist tank group, which pressed the Allied troops to the sea. The tragic Dunkirk operation took place here, during which the Anglo-French troops, having suffered huge losses, were evacuated.

Having quickly regrouped forces, the Nazi army on June 5 launched the second offensive operation - “Rot”, in which 140 divisions participated! This operation set the task of defeating the French armed forces and finally withdrawing France from the war.

The French government and command were demoralized. On June 14, by order of Weygand, Paris was surrendered without a fight. Hitler's troops moved freely into the interior of the country. On June 17, Marshal Pétain replaced the completely helpless government and immediately turned to the Wehrmacht command with a request for a truce.

Hitler reveled in his victory, he wished that the signing of the surrender of France was issued in the same carriage in which the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 18, 1919. The car was found, put in order, driven to the Compiègne forest to the very place where it stood in the nineteenth year, and here on June 22, 1940, the surrender was signed.

Thus, within 44 days, from May 10 to June 22, the French army and the army of its allies - England, Holland and Belgium - were defeated.

The Allied command was unable to organize resistance, although it had sufficient forces for active defense. On the part of the Germans, 140 divisions, 2580 tanks, 3824 aircraft, 7378 guns participated in the implementation of Operation Gelb. And the allies had 147 divisions, including 23 tank and mechanized, 3100 tanks, 3800 combat aircraft and more than 14,500 artillery pieces. It is easy to see from these figures that the Allied forces outnumbered the forces of Nazi Germany.

About the reasons for the rapid defeat of the French army, it is most correct, in my opinion, to learn from the French themselves. Here is what General de Gaulle wrote about this: “... the commanding cadres, deprived of systematic and planned leadership from the government, found themselves in the grip of routine. The army was dominated by concepts that had been adhered to even before the end of the First World War. This was largely facilitated by the fact that the military leaders were decrepit in their posts, remaining adherents of outdated views ... The idea of a positional war was the basis of the strategy that was going to be guided in a future war. It also determined the organization of the troops, their training, weapons and the entire military doctrine as a whole.

Thus, the rapid defeat of the French army and the armies of the allies was predetermined not only by the strength of the German army and the skill of its military leaders, but also by the helplessness of the command and the allied troops themselves. As for the plan of the German offensive against France, it did not represent any new discovery in the field of military art, except for the powerful attacks of tank groups that distinguished it from the actions of the German army in other wars against France. Here, for example, is what Manstein writes about this plan:

“Operational plans in general terms resembled the famous Schlieffen plan of 1914. It seemed rather depressing to me that our generation could not think of anything else but to repeat the old recipe, even if it came from a man like Schlieffen. What could come of it if a military plan was taken out of the safe, which the enemy had already once studied with us and for the repetition of which he had to be prepared.

Colonel-General von Bock, commander of Army Group B, also expressed great concern about the very many risky provisions laid down in the Gelb plan. He even wrote an official report on this subject in April 1940 addressed to the commander of the ground forces, Colonel-General von Brauchitsch. This report included the following:

“I am haunted by your operational plan. You know what I am for bold operations, but the boundaries of the reasonable have been crossed here, there is no other way to call it. Advance with a strike wing past the Maginot Line, 15 kilometers from it, and think that the French will look at it indifferently! You have concentrated the main mass of tanks on several roads in the Ardennes mountainous terrain, as if aviation does not exist! .. And you hope to immediately carry out an operation to the coast with an open southern flank stretching for 300 kilometers, on which there are large forces of the French army! What will you do if the French deliberately let us cross the Meuse piece by piece and then launch a main offensive against our southern flank... You're playing for broke!”

Yes, if the allies, led by the French command, had carried out at least what von Bock foresaw, the German offensive against France would have bogged down. But, as we have already said, the French and British commands were unable to organize resistance with the large forces at their disposal.

I also want to emphasize the fact that all the above actions took place, as they say, in front of our military leadership, but, unfortunately, it also did not draw the proper conclusions and did not organize the training of the senior command, as well as units and formations of the Red Army to counter precisely such tactics of the Nazi army.

After the crushing defeat of France, Hitler and his strategists expected that England would agree to a truce, but this did not happen - England continued the war. Therefore, Hitler began to search for a solution to the English problem. In the chain of countries - France, England, the Soviet Union - Germany, as we see, has reached the last straight line. France fell, and if England is neutralized, it will be possible to achieve the main goal - the capture of the eastern spaces, in other words, start a war against the USSR.

The Hitlerite leadership was looking for ways to take England out of the game through political intrigue and pressure. However, this did not lead to success. There were a lot of conversations, meetings, proposed options on this subject, in the end, Hitler inclined to the opinion of General Jodl, which he set out in his memorandum of June 30, 1940 "Further conduct of the war against England." The most expedient and promising strategic option he saw as follows:

1. Siege - obstruction by the fleet and aviation of any import and export from England, the struggle against English aviation and the sources of the country's military and economic power.

2. Terrorizing raids on English cities.

3. Landing for the purpose of occupying England. He considered the invasion of England possible only after the German aircraft had gained complete air supremacy and the economic life of the country had been disorganized. The landing in England was seen as the final mortal blow. But even when orders were given for the development of this operation, called the "Sea Lion", Hitler did not lose hope for a compromise peace with England. However, despite all the efforts, political and diplomatic, the actions of the “fifth column” and propaganda tricks, the Nazis still failed to achieve reconciliation with England. On June 4 and 18, Churchill declared in the House of Commons that Britain would continue the war to the end even if she was left alone. Now the Hitlerite command had only to influence England by force. A lot of, let's say, research work was done by the high command of the naval, air and ground forces to estimate all possible options for the invasion of England. Everyone understood that this was not an easy task and it would hardly be possible to achieve lightning success, as it was before in the land theater of operations.

After many meetings and reflections, on July 16, 1940, Hitler signed OKB Directive No. 16 “On the preparation of an operation to land troops in England.” It said:

“Since England, despite her unpromising military situation, still does not show any signs of readiness for mutual understanding, I decided to prepare and, if necessary, carry out a landing operation against England. The purpose of this operation is to eliminate the English metropolis as a base for continuing the war against Germany and, if necessary, completely capture it.

As you can see, even in this general attitude there is no longer that decisiveness and certainty that was in the directives when operating on land theaters: “if it is necessary to carry out a landing operation”, “if necessary ...” and many more such “ifs”.

Preparations for Operation Sea Lion were scheduled to be completed in mid-August. All previous military actions were well thought out by Hitler and the General Staff, but this time, by the time the orders were already given for the preparation of the operation, Hitler did not yet have any firm plan, so he asked his military strategists for their opinion. At first, Hitler supported and even tried to carry out what Jodl outlined in his June 30 note. At the same time, Hitler was still waiting for England to agree to a peace treaty. To achieve this, he himself and many of his advisers hoped to bring England to her knees with a blockade by sea and air. But soon Hitler came to the conclusion that decisive successes from submarine warfare and air blockade could be achieved in a year or two. This in no way corresponded to his concept of the rapid implementation of victory. The loss of time was not in favor of Germany, and Hitler understood this.

In mid-May, Berlin was agitated by reports of an unexpected flight to England by Rudolf Hess, Hitler's first deputy in charge of the Nazi Party. Hess, himself piloting a Messerschmitt-110 aircraft, took off on May 10 from Augsburg (southern Germany), heading for Downhavel Castle, the Scottish estate of Lord Hamilton, with whom he was personally acquainted. However, Hess made a mistake in calculating the fuel and, before reaching the target of 14 kilometers, jumped out with a parachute, was detained by local peasants and handed over to the authorities. For several days the British government kept silent about this event. Berlin did not report anything about this either. It was only after the British government made this flight public that the German government realized that the secret mission entrusted to Hess had not been successful. Then, at Hitler's headquarters in the Berghof, they decided to present Hess's flight to the public as a manifestation of his insanity. The official communiqué about the “Hess affair” said:

"Party member Hess seems to have become obsessed with the idea that through personal action he can still achieve an understanding between Germany and England."

Hitler understood the moral damage caused to him and his regime by the unsuccessful flight of Hess. To cover his tracks, he ordered the arrest of Hess's associates, and removed him from all posts and ordered him to be shot if he returned to Germany. At the same time, Martin Bormann was appointed Hitler's deputy for the Nazi Party. There is no doubt, however, that the Nazis pinned considerable hopes on Hess's flight. Hitler hoped that he would be able to attract the opponents of Germany, and above all England, to the anti-Soviet campaign.

From the documents of the Nuremberg trials and other materials published after the defeat of Nazi Germany, it is known that from the summer of 1940 Hess was in correspondence with prominent English Munich residents. This correspondence was helped by him to establish the Duke of Windsor - the former King of England Edward VIII, who, due to his passion for a divorced American, was forced to abdicate. At that time he lived in Spain. Using his connections, Hess arranged in advance for a visit to England. (It is characteristic that the documents about his stay in this country have not yet been declassified.)

The Hitlerite command really did not want to carry out a direct invasion of the territory of England, but after the unsuccessful flight of Hess, it remained the only way to solve the problem.

However, in developing various options for the invasion, the main naval headquarters came to the conclusion that the operation should be abandoned this year and that even a year later it would be able to carry out the landing of the required number of troops only on the condition that German aviation gained air supremacy.

In addition, Hitler was informed that military-industrial preparations for a war against England would take years and would be beyond Germany's strength, given the need for further development of ground forces for the upcoming campaign to the east.

Hitler realized that he would not be able to carry out Operation Sea Lion, his hesitation was reflected in several postponements of the implementation of this operation.

On June 30, it was decided to make preparations for the great battle of German aviation against England. In Directive No. 17 of August 1, Hitler says: “In order to create the prerequisites for the final defeat of England, I intend to wage air and sea war against England in a more acute form than hitherto. To this end, I order: the German air force, with all the means at their disposal, destroy the British aviation as soon as possible.

In a directive dated August 2, the German Air Force was tasked with gaining air supremacy over southern England in four days. It also shows Hitler's desire to carry out his plans with lightning speed. But the air element made its own adjustments: due to bad meteorological conditions, an all-out air battle began only in the middle of the month. On August 15, the first major massive raid was carried out, in which 801 bombers and 1149 fighters took part.

Simultaneously with the bombing, the Nazi leadership exerted the maximum propaganda influence on the British, wanting to demoralize the population not only with aerial bombardments, but also with the threat of an upcoming invasion of troops on the English island and thereby force the British to sign a peace treaty.

Since September 5, the German Air Force began to pay special attention to the bombing of London, and this was also not only bombing, but also psychological pressure. But the Nazis never managed to achieve air supremacy, just as they failed to break the morale of the British. On September 14, at a meeting of the commanders-in-chief at headquarters, Hitler gloomily stated:

“Despite all the successes, the prerequisites for Operation Sea Lion have not yet been created.”

The Nazis also underestimated the British fighter aircraft: during the air raids, the German aircraft suffered significant losses. Thus, in September 1940, it was already obvious that the conclusion of peace did not take place, that the naval blockade was beyond the power of Germany, and the all-out air attack on England failed.

The so-called peripheral strategy, which was also discussed more than once, remained untested. On August 12, 1940, an order was given to transfer tank forces to North Africa for an attack on the Suez Canal. The Mediterranean positions were, of course, of great importance for England; the metropolis was connected here with India, the Far East, Australia, East and North Africa. The Suez Canal played the role of an important strategic communication through which the supply of the British army was carried out. The supply of oil from the Middle East also followed these paths. The loss of Mediterranean communications therefore hit England very hard.

On February 12, 1941, Rommel's corps landed on the African coast. In April, Germany occupied Greece. Hitler intended to capture Gibraltar as well, sending troops there from Spanish territory, but Franco took a wait-and-see attitude, not wanting to get involved in the fight against the great powers. Hitler invited Mussolini to send one tank corps to help the Italian troops in Libya, to which the Duce also delayed the answer for a long time and agreed with great reluctance.

All these and other actions in the Balkans and in the Mediterranean were aimed not only at weakening England. It was also a disguise for the most important, the most decisive thing that Hitler and the Hitlerite General Staff were preparing for - the preparation of an attack on the Soviet Union. Hitler understood that there was now no state in Europe capable of creating or organizing a coalition to open a second front against Germany, and England in this sense, being across the sea, did not pose a real threat. Now Hitler secured a calm rear (the cherished dream of all German commanders in the past!), He untied his hands. More frightening England, and most importantly - misinforming the whole of Europe, and primarily the Soviet Union, with messages about the intention to conduct Operation Sea Lion, the Nazi General Staff began developing the Barbarossa plan.

On June 30, 1940, on the fifth day after the ceasefire in France, Halder wrote in his diary: “The main focus is on the east ...” The Chief of the General Staff, who kept his diary in a personal safe, was absolutely sure that no one had ever will not look, so his diary can be considered a completely reliable document. This entry was one of the biggest secrets of the time, and it betrays Hitler's true plans, which he, of course, told the Chief of the General Staff. General Keitel, in an OKW order "On the beginning of planning for a landing operation against England" on July 2, also wrote: "All preparations must be made on the basis that the invasion itself is only a plan, the decision on which has not yet been made."

All the activities of the operation "Sea Lion" turned into a screen to cover up the preparation of aggression against the Soviet country. This camouflage was carried out very convincingly, because landing plans were being developed, changed, and all the time there was talk about the English Channel crossing as really forthcoming. Few knew that it was all fiction. For greater persuasiveness, even such actions were carried out on the coast (I quote from the memoirs of V. Kreipe): “French, Belgian and Dutch ports were packed with all kinds of ships. Continuous training was carried out on boarding ships and landing troops. Numerous ships of the German navy and submarines were concentrated for these exercises, as well as artillery and aircraft, which covered all these training sessions.

The plans of aggression against the USSR, which were described above, at one time were a secret for everyone. But the actions of Hitler and the Hitlerite General Staff in carrying out the main intention were so consistent that Stalin did not have to guess anything. The main, one might say, the purpose of his life, Hitler outlined in the book "Mein Kampf", which was published and reprinted in millions of copies in all languages around the world. Here is what it says: “If today we are talking about new lands and territories in Europe, we turn our eyes primarily to Russia, as well as to its neighboring and dependent countries ... This vast expanse in the east is ripe for destruction ... We have been chosen by fate to witness a catastrophe that will be the strongest confirmation of the correctness of the racial theory.”

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On May 10, 1940, German troops launched an offensive against France, which declared war on Germany on September 3, 1939, in connection with the latter's attack on Poland. As a result of the rapid offensive of the German troops, using the tactics of lightning war - blitzkrieg, the allied forces were utterly defeated, and on June 22, France was forced to sign a truce. By this time, most of its territory was occupied, and there was practically nothing left of the army.

The path of German troops to France ran through the lands of Belgium and the Netherlands, which were the first victims of aggression. German troops captured them in a short time, defeating the French troops and the British Expeditionary Force that had advanced to the rescue.

On May 25, the commander-in-chief of the French armed forces, General Weygand, said at a government meeting that the Germans should be asked to accept surrender.

On June 8, German troops reached the Seine River. On June 10, the French government moved from Paris to the Orleans region. Paris was officially declared an open city. On the morning of June 14, German troops entered Paris. The French government fled to Bordeaux.

On June 17, the French government asked Germany for an armistice. On June 22, 1940, France surrendered to Germany, and the Second Compiègne Armistice was concluded in the Compiegne Forest. The result of the armistice was the division of France into an occupation zone of German troops and a puppet state ruled by the Vichy regime.

A Panther tank drives past the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

German soldiers rest on the Mediterranean coast near Toulon. A destroyed French destroyer is visible in the background.

The head of the collaborationist government of France, Marshal Henri-Philippe Petain, welcomes French soldiers released from captivity in Germany at the train station in the French city of Rouen.

The ruins of the workshop of the Renault factory in Paris, completely destroyed by British aircraft.

Portrait of a Gestapo officer SS-Obersturmführer Nikolaus Barbie. Head of the Gestapo of Lyon, where he received the nickname "Lyon executioner".

German 88 mm PaK 43 anti-tank gun in occupied Normandy.

German officers at the Horch-901 car in occupied France.

German mounted patrol on a street in Paris.

German troops march through captured Paris.

German soldiers at a street stall in occupied Paris.

Belleville quarter of occupied Paris.

Tank Pz.Kpfw. IV of the 7th division of the Wehrmacht on the Toulon embankment near the French battleship Strasbourg.

Place de la Concorde in Paris.

Elderly Jewish woman on the streets of Paris.

On the street of Rose bushes (Rue des Rosiers) in occupied Paris.

Rue Rivoli in occupied Paris.

The Parisians are snapping up food.

On the streets of occupied Paris. German officers near a street cafe.

On the streets of occupied Paris.

French civilian cars running on coal and gas in Paris. In occupied France, all gasoline went to the needs of the German army.

Weighing jockeys at the racecourse Longshan. Occupied Paris, August 1943

In the Luxembourg Gardens in occupied Paris.

The famous milliners Rosa Valois, Madame le Monnier and Madame Agnes during the races at the Longchamp Racecourse, August 1943.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

Les Halles market in occupied Paris.

Bike taxi at the famous Parisian restaurant "Maxim's".

Parisian fashionistas in the Luxembourg Gardens. Occupied Paris, May 1942.

A Parisian on the waterfront puts lipstick on.

Showcase with a portrait of the French collaborator marshal Pétain in occupied Paris.

German soldiers at a checkpoint at a crossroads near Dieppe.

German officers are studying the coast of Normandy.

A German car "BMW-320" after a collision with a Ford BB truck on the street of a French town.

A column of self-propelled guns Panzerjäger I of the 716th Wehrmacht Infantry Division on the march in occupied France.

Two German soldiers on the street of the occupied French town of Granville.

Two German soldiers in a wrecked Sd.Kfz.231 armored car on a road in occupied Normandy.

A column of German troops in Paris.

For a long time it was believed that this photo depicted the execution of a member of the Resistance movement, but the name of the person in the photo was not known, and there was no documentary evidence that executions were carried out in the Belfort fortress (in particular, not a single cartridge case was found on the territory). Many years after the war, Georges Blind's son, Jean, saw this photograph for the first time and recognized his father in it. He said that his father had not been shot at Belfort. He was arrested and held in a fortress, and later transferred to a concentration camp in Blechhamer (Blechhamer, Upper Silesia) where he died. In prison, the Germans subjected Georges Blind to a mock execution, but did not get any information from him, and sent him to the camp.

German convoy and half-track tractors Sd.Kfz. 10 at the houses of the French village of Suyp.

Five sailors of the Kriegsmarine on the wires of the submarine U-198 at the bunker in the French La Pallice on the day the boat left for the last combat patrol.

Adolf Hitler and Francisco Franco at the talks in the French town of Hendaye.

Nazi flag over a street in Paris, 1940.

Adolf Hitler poses with his associates in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, 1940. Left - Albert Speer, Hitler's personal architect, future Reich Minister for Defense Industry and Armaments. On the right is the sculptor Arno Becker.

The Germans eat on the street of a French city.

Luftwaffe soldiers with a young French woman at the hippodrome in occupied Paris.

A German soldier at a book counter on the streets of occupied Paris.

A section of the street near the Parisian cinema in occupied Paris.

German units and a military band are preparing for a parade in occupied Paris.

Citizens of occupied France greet the head of the Vichy collaborationist government, Marshal Henri Philippe Pétain.

German officers in a cafe on the streets of occupied Paris, reading newspapers, and the townspeople. German soldiers passing by greet seated officers.