Invasion of Denmark & Norway
The Allies were threatening Germany's imports of raw materials coming from Sweden, and going through Norway and Denmark to get to Germany. Needing to protect its resources, Germany initiated Operation Weserübung on April 9, 1940, to invade them. Denmark surrendered 6 hours after the Germans invaded. The Allies landed in Norway to resist the invasion, but it was too late, and they were forced to evacuate.
Maginot Line
The French's Maginot Line was hugely defended fortification along the French-German border that they considered inpenetrable, and made to deter an invasion and force the invaders to go around through the Benelux countries (BE-Belgium, NE-Netherlands, LUX-Luxembourg).
Battle Statistics
Both sides had roughly 3,300,000 troops, but the Allies had weaker gear than the Germans, and were caught by surprise. Furthermore, France's military was outdated, which focused on static, positional warfare based on World War I tactics, rather than the mobile and swift Germarn tactics.
Initial Invasion
On May 10, 1940, Germany initiated a surprise offensive by invading the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg) countries, bypassing the heavily fortified French maginot line, with the goal of rushing straight toward the Atlantic to encircle Allied divisions. On the same day of the German invasion, Winston Churchill becomes the new British Prime Minister, as Neville Chamberlain resigns.
Dunkirk
Germany sent many divisions to the south point in the offensive to break through the British and French armies. Once they successfully broke through, they headed straight for the Atlantic coast to separate the armies and forced the encircled troops to evacuate.
The British launched Operation Dynamo to rescue the surrounded troops and bring them to Britain. 338,000 Allied troops were evacuated from Dunkirk between May 26 and June 4, 1940, with the operation being a success, although large amounts of equipment were left behind. With the best Allied armies evacuated, Germany easily continued the push southward.
Italy Declares War
On July 10, 1940, Italy joins Germany and declares war on Britain and France. It invades France to get some territory, but the offensive barely makes any ground.
Fall of France
With Germany pushing deep into France, they are forced to ask for an armistice. Germany occupies the north and west, while the French government is moved to Vichy, and allowed to continue as a German puppet state named Vichy France. Germany defeated France in just 6 weeks, while it failed to defeat France during all of WWI.
Battle of Scandinavia & France (1940 Map Timelapse)
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