As June began, the situation in France was bleak for the Allies. With the evacuation of the BEF, the French Army and remaining British troops were left to defend a long front from the Channel to Sedan with minimal forces and no reserves. This was compounded by the fact that much of their armor and heavy weapons had been lost during the fighting in May. On June 5, the Germans renewed their offensive and quickly broke through the French lines. Nine days later Paris fell, and the French government fled to Bordeaux. With the French in full retreat south, the British evacuated their remaining 215,000 troops from Cherbourg and St. Malo (Operation Ariel). On June 25, the French surrendered, with the Germans requiring them to sign the documents at Compiègne in the same rail car that Germany had been compelled to sign the armistice ending World War I. German forces occupied much of northern and western France, while an independent, pro-German state (Vichy France) was formed in the southeast under the leadership of Marshal Philippe Pétain.* Hundreds of photos, many of them rare and never published before* Photos of men, tanks, weapons, uniforms, terrain, and much more* Excellent complement to the narratives of the Stackpole Military History Series* Ideal reference for World War II history fans, scholars, modellers, and reenactors
