Overview

How does a state that survived Verdun and the Somme fall in a matter of weeks? Why did Europe place such faith in France as a continental shield, only to watch German armour reach the Channel in a single campaign? This book follows those six weeks in 1940 from calm expectation to stunned collapse. Readers are taken through plans, personalities, and battlefield realities to understand the true shape of the fall of france 1940. The narrative explains how the Manstein plan strategy emerged, why Allied leaders misjudged the Ardennes Offensive, and what actually happened along the Maginot Line, reality - far from the lazy caricature of a nation hiding behind concrete. It places the Battle of France within the wider story of World War II in Europe, from the BEF's narrow escape to the first stirrings of Vichy and Free France. Rather than celebrating or condemning, the book offers a clear-eyed examination of the French army's collapse and recovery. It is written for readers who enjoy a serious military history book that still moves, and for anyone who wants to know whether defeat was truly inevitable. By the end, the campaign no longer looks like a simple morality tale about courage and cowardice, but a warning about how institutions, ideas, and leaders can fail under pressure.

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9789347436611

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Clara Duval writes about the diplomacy, politics, and military crises that reshaped Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. Her work focuses on the long shadow of the Versailles settlement, the fragility of interwar democracies, and the moments when leaders misjudged both enemies and allies. She has spent years studying French and British archives, tracing how memoranda, staff papers, and cabinet minutes translated into decisions on the ground. Drawing on a deep interest in Franco-British relations, she explores how different national memories of 1940 evolved and often clashed. Across her books and essays, Duval aims to connect operational detail with the lived experience of soldiers, civilians, and officials, showing how grand strategy felt in real time. She writes for readers who want careful, unsentimental history that still takes individuals seriously.

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