Blood, Toil, Tears and Sweat (April - June 1940) - World War II

Allies on the south coast of England. The next phase of operations will consist of distributing forces throughout the territory as quickly as possible. The stations were filled with soldiers waiting to return home and see their families before receiving new assignments. Thousands of volunteers worked day and night to ensure the comfort of their soldiers. They were welcomed home as heroes. The entire nation showed their gratitude for being able to survive to fight again one day. All of Britain rejoiced at the return of its soldiers. Churchill hailed the resulting Dunkirk evacuation as a miracle of redemption. But he also said: "We must be careful not to think that salvation is a victory.

Wars are not won by evacuation. Many weapons, vehicles and small arms were abandoned on the beaches and roads of France. This resulted in greater dependence of the United States supply throughout the war. In addition, many soldiers could not be evacuated and were captured. In France, the situation was desperate. After the Dunkirk evacuation, General Botanico found himself in a difficult situation. better armed, as well as their best armored units and their heavy weapons, they had to defend a front from the English Channel to Sedan without their allies being able to help Dunkirk. Then the second phase of the Battle of France began, intentionally and of. memory the next day leaving for another ship from Dunkirk, on June 5,

1940

, the German attack resumed in the direction of Paris.

The French air force was now alone. ceding air superiority to Germany and while the government fled, Paris was declared an open city. On June 14, the Wehrmacht entered the magnificent capital. The fall of their city caused great sorrow. It was an important moment for the victorious Germans. A new jewel has been added to Adolf Hitler's crown. It was one of the wonderful moments they were waiting for. When Paul Renaud, Prime Minister, resigned from office, he was succeeded by Marshal Philippe Pétain and immediately requested an armistice with Germany. Remembering how Germany was treated after the First World War, Hitler took the carriage out of the museum where the 1918 armistice was signed and drove it to the Compiègne Forest, at the exact spot where Marshal Foch received Germany's surrender.

Hitler sat in the chair that Foch had used two decades earlier, but stayed only to listen to the reading of the preamble. Disdainfully leaving his chief of staff behind, General Keitel took care of the rest. France was divided into two parts, an occupied territory to the north and west and an initially independent territory to the south. The government, headed by Pétain of Vichy, accepted defeat and tried to flatter the Germans with its passivity. Hitler seized French territory, but a new actor joined the theater of operations. Benito Mussolini, leader of Fascist Italy, declared war on France and England on June 10 and put pressure on English forces based in North Africa.

The situation: England was serious. The Germans invaded eastern and southern Europe and Stalin and Mussolini were allies. The island was alone. However, the successful evacuation of Dunkirk instilled hope in the hearts of the British. After Winston Churchill's miraculous salvation, they believed that anything was still possible. It became clear that England would be the next target. The British began to believe that Adolf Hitler and his axis of evil could be defeated if everyone stood together. Winston Churchill responded immediately as a great leader. Before knowing whether the Germans had won the major offensive, Churchill announced: "The battle for France is over.

The battle for Britain will begin soon."