Battle of France Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Battle of France

British and French soldiers taken prisoner in Northern France.

Date	10 May – 25 June 1940
Location	France, Low Countries
Result	Decisive German victory

Belligerents

Axis:
Germany

Italy (from June 10)

Allies:
France
United Kingdom
Belgium
Netherlands

Canada

Poland

Czechoslovakia

Luxembourg

Commanders and leaders

Gerd von Rundstedt
(Army Group A)

Fedor von Bock
(Army Group B)

Wilhelm von Leeb
(Army Group C)

H.R.H. Umberto di Savoia
(Army Group West)

Maurice Gamelin

Maxime Weygand

Charles de Gaulle

Lord Gort
(British Expeditionary Force)

Leopold III

Henri Winkelman

Władysław Sikorski

Strength

Germany:
141 divisions
7,378 guns
2,445 tanks
5,638 aircraft
3,350,000 troops
Alps on 20 June
300,000 Italians

144 divisions
13,974 guns
3,383 tanks
2,935 aircraft
3,300,000 troops
Alps on 20 June
~150,000 French

Casualties and losses

Germany:
28,225 dead (possibly as high as 49,000)
113,152 wounded
13, 307 missing

1,290 aircraft lost (10 May to 24 June 1940)
1,097 aircrew killed, 1395 injured, 1930 missing
795 tanks
Italy:
1,247 dead or missing,
2,631 wounded,
2,151 hospitalised due to frostbite¹

360,000 dead or wounded,
1,900,000 captured
1029 RAF aircraft, 1274 french aircraft

¹ Italian forces were involved in fighting in the French Alps, where severe sub-zero temperatures are common, even during the summer.

In World War II, the Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was when Germany invaded France and the Low Countries (like Belgium and the Netherlands). This major battle happened from May 10 to June 25, 1940. It marked the end of a quiet period in the war called the "Phoney War." Germany won this battle very quickly and decisively.

The Battle of France: A Quick Victory
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The Battle of France: A Quick Victory

The Battle of France was a key part of World War II. It showed how fast and powerful Germany's army had become. The invasion surprised many, as Germany used new tactics to defeat the Allied forces quickly.

What Was the Battle of France?

The Battle of France was the German invasion of France and nearby countries. These countries included Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The battle lasted about six weeks in the spring of 1940. It was a huge victory for the Axis powers, especially Germany.

The main countries involved were:

Axis Powers: Germany and, later, Italy.
Allies: France, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Canada, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Luxembourg.

Germany used a new military strategy called Blitzkrieg, which means "lightning war." This strategy involved fast-moving tanks and air support. It allowed them to break through enemy lines quickly.

Two Main Parts of the Battle

The Battle of France had two main phases:

Phase 1: Case Yellow (Fall Gelb)

The first part was called Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). It started on May 10, 1940. German tank units pushed through the Ardennes forest. This was a hilly, wooded area that the Allies thought was too difficult for tanks. This surprise attack aimed to surround Allied units that had moved into Belgium.

Many British and French soldiers found themselves trapped. They were pushed back to the coast at Dunkirk. A huge rescue mission, called Operation Dynamo, took place. Over 330,000 soldiers were evacuated by sea to England. This saved many lives, but a lot of equipment was left behind.

Phase 2: Case Red (Fall Rot)

The second part, called Fall Rot (Case Red), began on June 5. German forces then moved to attack the rest of France. They went around the strong French defenses known as the Maginot Line. This line was a series of forts and bunkers built along France's border with Germany.

On June 10, Italy also invaded southeastern France. The French government left Paris and moved to Bordeaux. German troops marched into Paris on June 14. France's Second Army Group surrendered on June 22. Finally, France officially gave up on June 25, 1940.

After the Battle

After France surrendered, it was divided into different parts:

A large part of northern and western France was occupied by Germany.
A small area in the southeast was occupied by Italy.
The southern part of France became a satellite state called Vichy France. This government worked with Germany.

In November 1942, Germany took full control of southern France. France remained under German control until the Allied return in 1944. The Low Countries were set free in 1944 and 1945.

Images for kids

French soldiers in underground bunkers on the Maginot Line during the Phoney War
French soldier in the German village of Lauterbach in Saarland
The evolution of German plans for Fall Gelb, the invasion of the Low Countries
The classic characteristic of what is commonly known as "blitzkrieg" is a highly mobile form of infantry and armour, working in combined arms. (German armed forces, June 1942)
British troops of the 2nd BEF move up to the front, June 1940
Men of the 1st Royal Welch Fusiliers fire Boys anti-tank rifles near Etaples, February 1940
Curtiss H-75A1 of the 3rd flight of Groupe de Chasse II/5 Armée de l'Air, June 1940
Belgian anti-aircraft gun, circa 1940
Rotterdam city centre after the bombing
An abandoned Belgian T-13 tank destroyer is inspected by German soldiers.
Two SOMUA S35 tanks photographed near Dunkirk, May 1940
The German advance until noon, 16 May 1940
Rommel in 1940. Both Rommel and Guderian ignored the OKW directives to halt after breaking out of the Meuse bridgeheads. The decision proved crucial to the German success.
The German advance up to 21 May 1940
Winston Churchill visited France several times during the battle in an attempt to help bolster French morale
Situation from 21 May – 4 June 1940
Calais in ruins
Matilda II photographed in Britain (H9218)
British and French troops evacuated from Dunkirk arrive at Dover.
The German offensive to the Seine River between 4 and 12 June
War refugees on a French road
French prisoners are marched into internment.
German troops in Paris
British troops on their way to Brest, June 1940
On 21 June 1940, near Compiègne in France, Hitler (hand on hip) staring at Marshal Foch's statue before starting the negotiations for the armistice, to be signed the next day by Keitel, Hitler being absent. The Glade of the Armistice was soon destroyed together with all commemorative monuments (except Foch's statue) by the Germans.
Hitler tours Paris with architect Albert Speer (left) and sculptor Arno Breker (right), 23 June 1940
A German military medic providing first aid to a wounded soldier