If you have absolutely no time for creativity, there is no time to invent drawings...
This year, France celebrated a tragic anniversary - the 75th anniversary of the shameful surrender to Nazi Germany.
As a result of the offensive that began on May 10, 1940, the Germans defeated the French army in just a month. On June 14, German troops entered Paris without a fight, which had been declared an open city by the French government to avoid its destruction. On June 22, 1940, France capitulated on humiliating terms: 60% of its territory was occupied, part of the land was annexed by Germany and Italy, the rest of the territory was controlled by a puppet government. The French had to maintain the occupying German troops, the army and navy were disarmed, the French prisoners were supposed to be in camps (out of one and a half million French prisoners of war, about a million remained in camps until 1945).
I dedicate this photo collection to this tragic event for France.
1. Residents of Paris look at the German army entering the city. 06/14/1940
2. German soldiers on the armor of an abandoned French light tank Hotchkiss H35.
3. Captured wounded French officer from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.
4. Captured wounded French soldiers from a hospital captured by German troops in Juvisy-sur-Orge.
5. A column of French prisoners of war on a march along a country road.
6. A group of French prisoners of war follows a city street to a meeting place. In the photo: on the left are French sailors, on the right are Senegalese riflemen of the French colonial troops.
7. Captured French soldiers, among them several blacks from French colonial units.
8. German soldiers next to a French light tank Renault R35 abandoned on the road near Lahn.
9. German soldiers and an officer pose with a downed British Spitfire fighter (Supermarine Spitfire Mk.I) on the beach near Dunkirk.
10. Two French Renault R35 light tanks abandoned on the street of a populated area.
11. A column of French prisoners of war passes through the village.
12. Captured French soldiers walk along the line of German soldiers. The picture shows soldiers from various units defending the Maginot Line.
13. Captured soldiers of various units of the French colonial troops.
14. Captured French soldiers at the assembly point in Saint-Florentin.
15. Captured French soldiers guarded by a German sentry.
16. A column of French North African prisoners of war heading to the gathering place.
17. French artillery equipment abandoned on the side of the road near Brunhamel.
18. Helmets and equipment abandoned by French soldiers during the surrender on a city street.
19. A column of French prisoners of war on the road in the Moy-de-Aisne area.
20. A group of captured French soldiers in Amiens.
21. French soldiers with their hands raised surrender to German troops.
22. German mountain rangers near the captured 155-mm French cannon Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877 de Bange, with a barrel made in 1916 (sometimes called Canon de 155 mm L Mle 1877/1916), captured near the Marne.
23. French prisoners of war on vacation in the Dieppe area. Judging by the characteristic elements of the uniform in the picture, the servicemen are from a cavalry unit.
24. German soldiers on the Place de la Concorde in Paris.
25. A group of captured Moroccan soldiers of French colonial troops in Amiens.
26. Line up of captured Senegalese riflemen of French colonial troops in Amiens.
27. French prisoners of war at the assembly point. Among the prisoners are members of the French North African colonial forces, presumably Senegalese.
28. Wounded French soldiers at the infirmary in the city of Rocroi.
29. French prisoners of war drink water during a halt.
30. Vehicles abandoned by the Allies on the beach near Dunkirk.
31. The commander of the 7th Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, Major General Erwin Rommel, and his staff officers are crossing the river by boat.
32. A column of French prisoners of war is walking along the side of the road, escorted by German soldiers. Presumably the area around Rocroi.
33. A group of French prisoners of war on the march along the road. In the background is a flying German transport plane Ju-52.
34. German artillerymen transport a 37-mm PaK 35/36 anti-tank gun by boat across the Meuse.
35. A German military band marches along the streets of occupied Paris.
36. French prisoners of war follow the road to the gathering place. In the center of the photo are three prisoners of war from the Zouave regiment.
37. French prisoner of war in the field.
38. French Navy Loire-Nieuport LN-411 dive bomber made an emergency landing.
39. A German soldier near the crashed French fighter Bloch MB.152.
40. A group of French prisoners of war in formation.
41. German soldiers pose next to a broken French 25 mm Hotchkiss anti-tank gun (Canon de 25 mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).
42. Black prisoners of French colonial units in formation.
43. Two German soldiers change position during a battle in a destroyed French town.
44. A German soldier examines a captured saber captured in France.
45. Captured French pilots talk with German soldiers near the tent.
46. German soldiers next to a captured French 25-mm anti-tank gun of the 1934 model of the Hotchkiss system (Canon de 25-mm antichar Modele 1934 Hotchkiss).
47. A captured French infantryman (possibly an officer) shows something on the map to German officers. To the right and left in helmets are captured French tank crews.
48. Column of French prisoners at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.
49. Abandoned French light tanks AMR-35.
50. An unknown prisoner of war soldier of one of the French North African (Moroccan) Spagi regiments on the march as part of a column of prisoners.
51. A column of French prisoners of war in Rocroi is moving towards the gathering place. There is a sign on the road showing the direction to Fume.
52. Line up of prisoners of war from the French North African spagi regiments in the joint camp in Etampes during assignment to work.
53. An unknown prisoner of war soldier from the French 9th Algerian Regiment of the 2nd Spagi Brigade. The remnants of the regiment surrendered on June 18, 1940 near the city of Besançon.
54. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.
55. German soldiers and French prisoners from colonial units in the camp at the Proto barracks in Cherbourg.
56. A German soldier distributes cigarettes to prisoners of French colonial units.
57. Column of the 6th German Panzer Division in a field in France. In the foreground is a Czech-made light tank LT vz.35 (German designation Pz.Kpfw. 35(t)), in the background are German Pz.Kpfw tanks. IV early modifications.
58. Black French prisoners of colonial units wash clothes in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.
59. Black French prisoners in the Frontstalag 155 camp in the village of Lonvic, 5 km from the city of Dijon.
60. Two German soldiers walk along the street of the French village of Saint-Simon past dead cows.
61. Five French prisoners (four are black) stand by the railway.
62. Killed French soldier on the edge of a field in Normandy.
63. A group of French prisoners of war is walking along the road.
64. Representatives of France are sent to the “carriage of Marshal Foch” to negotiate an armistice with representatives of Germany. In this very place, in this very carriage, on November 11, 1918, the Compiegne Truce, humiliating for Germany, was signed, which recorded the shameful defeat of Germany in the First World War. The signing of the new Compiegne Truce in the same place, according to Hitler, was supposed to symbolize the historical revenge of Germany. In order to roll the carriage out into the clearing, the Germans destroyed the wall of the museum where it was stored and laid rails to the historical site.
65. A group of Wehrmacht soldiers take cover from fire in the French town of Sedan.
66. German soldiers smoke next to horses. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
67. German soldiers settled down to rest next to their bicycles. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
68. Artillery pieces captured by German troops during the French campaign. In the foreground are French 155-mm cannons of the 1917 model from Schneider. These guns in the Wehrmacht received the designation 15.5 cm gun K.416(f). In the background are French heavy 220-mm Schneider model 1917 cannons, barrels and carriages, which were transported separately. These guns were designated by the Wehrmacht as the 22 cm gun K.232(f).
69. A German soldier demonstrates trophies - captured weapons and ammunition of French troops. Photo from the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
70. A team of donkeys as part of a German convoy. From the photo album of a private driver of a Wehrmacht infantry division.
71. German sappers are restoring a destroyed bridge. Photo from the personal album of a Wehrmacht engineer battalion soldier.
72. Two German officers and a non-commissioned officer look at the map.
73. German soldiers at the entrance to the military cemetery in honor of those killed in the First World War near Verdun in the French town of Duamont.
74. Wehrmacht soldiers “wash” awards received for the campaign in France. Photo from the personal album of a Wehrmacht Oberfeldwebel.
75. A French officer talks to a German officer during the surrender of the Nantes garrison.
76. German nurses at the monument to Marshal of France Ferdinand Foch in the Compiegne Forest. Very close to this place, the surrender of France in the war with Germany was signed (and in 1918, the surrender of Germany in the First World War).
77. A French bomber Amiot 143 captured by German troops on a field in the commune of Sombernon in Burgundy. The aircraft is from the 2nd Air Group of the 38th Bombardment Squadron. The 38th Bombardment Squadron was stationed near the city of Auxerre in Burgundy. The plane returning from a mission made an emergency landing on a field due to unfavorable weather conditions and was captured by German troops. Next to the plane are motorcycles of one of the units of the German troops.
78. Two French prisoners stand against the wall of the house.
79. Column of French prisoners on a village street.
80. Five non-commissioned officers of the 173rd Wehrmacht artillery regiment on vacation during the French campaign.
81. The French battleship Bretagne (commissioned in 1915) was sunk at Mers-El-Kebir during Operation Catapult by the British fleet. Operation Catapult was intended to capture and destroy French ships in English and colonial ports to prevent the ships from falling under German control after the surrender of France. The battleship "Brittany" was hit by the third salvo, hitting the base of the tripod mast, after which a strong fire began. The commander tried to run the ship aground, but the battleship was hit by another salvo from the English battleship Hood. Two minutes later, the old battleship began to capsize and suddenly exploded, taking the lives of 977 crew members. The photo was probably taken from the French seaplane Commandant Test, which miraculously avoided being hit during the entire battle, and subsequently took on board the surviving crew members of the dead battleship.
82. A column of French captured colonial units on the march on the railway bridge.
83. A soldier of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Division poses with a French prisoner.
84. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.
85. Soldiers of the 73rd Wehrmacht Infantry Regiment interrogate a French prisoner of war.
86. The body of a British artilleryman near a 40 mm 2 pounder QF 2 pounder anti-tank gun.
87. French prisoners are standing near a tree.
88. Soldiers of the Royal Highlanders "Black Watch" buy dishes from a French woman. 10/16/1939
89. A column of French prisoners passes by a German convoy in the Avranches area.
90. German soldiers with horses on Stanislaus Square in the French city of Nancy at the monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.
91. German cars on Place Stanislas in the French city of Nancy. In the center of the square is a monument to the Polish king Stanislaw Leszczynski.
93. German 150-mm self-propelled howitzer "Bison" (15 cm sIG 33 Sfl. auf Pz.KpfW.I Ausf B ohne Aufbau; Sturmpanzer I) against the background of the explosion of its shell on the second floor of a corner building during fighting in France.
94. British soldiers captured by the Germans in Dunkirk, in the city square.
95. Oil storage tank fire in Dunkirk. The plane on the right is a Lockheed Hudson, owned by the British Royal Air Force.
96. A German soldier killed in battle during the French campaign of the Wehrmacht. On the parapet of the trench there is a German cap and parts of a belt.
97. Column of captured French soldiers. Among them are many Africans from French colonial units.
98. A French woman greets Canadian soldiers who landed in France 4 days before the surrender of French troops.
99. French soldiers take pictures on the street of the town during the “Phantom War”. 12/18/1939
100. German women, children and soldiers of the cordon in the Nazi salute at a mass event in Germany dedicated to the victory of German troops in France.
101. The sinking of the British troop transport RMS Lancastria on June 17, 1940. In the water and on the sides of the tilted ship, many people are visible trying to escape. On June 17, 1940, the English troop transport Lancastria (before the war, a passenger liner that cruised the Mediterranean Sea) with a displacement of 16,243 tons was sunk by German Ju-88 bombers off the coast of France. The transport evacuated English military units from France to Great Britain. There were also a large number of civilians on board, including women and children. The ship was sunk in a twenty-minute attack shortly after leaving the French port of Saint-Nazaire. As a result, about four thousand passengers died - drowned, died from bomb explosions, shelling, and suffocated in oil-contaminated water. 2,477 people were saved.
102. Bombing by British aircraft of a French airfield in the city of Abbeville, captured by the Germans. The picture shows falling British 500-pound (227 kg) aerial bombs.
103. The crew of the French tank Char B1 No. 350 “Fleurie” in front of their vehicle.
104. German dive bombers Junkers Ju 87 B-2 from the Immelmann squadron (StG2 Immelmann) in the skies of France.
105. Killed black French soldier.
106. During Operation Dynamo (the evacuation of Anglo-French troops from Dunkirk to England), the destroyer Bourrasque hit a mine on May 29, 1940 in the area of Ostend (Belgium) and sank the next day.
107. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” in battle in France.
108. Motorcyclist of the SS division “Totenkopf” in France.
109. Soldiers of the SS division “Totenkopf” regulate traffic on the streets of a French city, accelerating the advance of lagging troops.
On the day of change of government in Great Britain May 10, 1940 The German offensive began on the Western Front. Bypassing the French defensive Maginot Line, German divisions invaded the territory of Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg and launched an offensive against France. With approximately equal forces, the success of the Germans was ensured by a tactically competent distribution of divisions, the massive use of tank formations in the direction of the main attack, and a breakthrough of the front that was unexpected for the enemy.
Unlike the 1914 campaign, the German offensive turned not towards Paris, but towards the sea. On May 20, German troops reached the coast of Pas-de-Calais and turned to the rear of the Anglo-French forces, encircling 28 Allied divisions. Only an unexpected stop to the German offensive made it possible to evacuate Allied troops from the port city of Dunkirk to the British Isles (“the miracle of Dunkirk”). 338 thousand people were saved, but the losses of weapons were enormous.
Soon the Nazis sent their forces to Paris. From the south, French troops had to repel the attacks of the Italian army (On June 10, 1940, Italy declared war on France), and in the north and northeast they had to resist Wehrmacht units.
On June 14, German troops entered Paris without a fight, the government fled to Bordeaux, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud was replaced by a hero of the First World War Marshal Petain, who immediately began negotiations for a truce. June 22, 1940 In the famous headquarters carriage in Compiègne, an armistice was signed between Germany and France.
The new French government agreed to the German occupation of most of the country, the demobilization of almost the entire army and the transfer of the French navy and military aircraft to Germany and Italy. The seat of Petain’s government was the small southern French town of Vichy, so his regime, which took a course towards cooperation with the occupiers (collaborationism), was called the “Vichy regime.”
French General Charles de Gaulle, who found himself in England, condemned the actions of the Petain government and called on the French to continue resistance to Nazi Germany.
By the time of the capture of France, the Versailles decisions hated by Hitler had been annulled, and the Fuhrer found himself at the zenith of his own glory. Material from the site
German success in France was based not on superior numbers of troops and weapons, but on the skillful distribution of German divisions when they appeared in a numerical majority at a weak point on the Allied front. The massive and well-coordinated use of German tank formations ensured a breakthrough of the front, and this success was then consistently developed. The failure of the Allies, first of all, turned out to be strategic - the French troops were in complete confusion, their generals lost control over communications and the movements of entire armies. No soldier in such a situation can fight successfully.
On the eve of World War II, the French army was considered one of the most powerful in the world. But in a direct clash with Germany in May 1940, the French only had enough resistance for a few weeks.
Useless superiority
By the beginning of World War II, France had the 3rd largest army in the world in terms of the number of tanks and aircraft, second only to the USSR and Germany, as well as the 4th largest navy after Britain, the USA and Japan. The total number of French troops numbered more than 2 million people.
The superiority of the French army in manpower and equipment over the Wehrmacht forces on the Western Front was undeniable. For example, the French Air Force included about 3,300 aircraft, half of which were the latest combat vehicles. The Luftwaffe could only count on 1,186 aircraft.
With the arrival of reinforcements from the British Isles - an expeditionary force of 9 divisions, as well as air units, including 1,500 combat vehicles - the advantage over the German troops became more than obvious. However, in a matter of months, not a trace remained of the former superiority of the allied forces - the well-trained and tactically superior Wehrmacht army ultimately forced France to capitulate.
The line that didn't protect
The French command assumed that the German army would act as during the First World War - that is, it would launch an attack on France from the northeast from Belgium. The entire load in this case was supposed to fall on the defensive redoubts of the Maginot Line, which France began building in 1929 and improved until 1940.
The French spent a fabulous sum on the construction of the Maginot Line, which stretches 400 km - about 3 billion francs (or 1 billion dollars). Massive fortifications included multi-level underground forts with living quarters, ventilation units and elevators, electrical and telephone exchanges, hospitals and narrow-gauge railways. The gun casemates were supposed to be protected from aerial bombs by a 4-meter thick concrete wall.
The personnel of the French troops on the Maginot Line reached 300 thousand people.
According to military historians, the Maginot Line, in principle, coped with its task. There were no breakthroughs by German troops in its most fortified areas. But the German Army Group B, having bypassed the line of fortifications from the north, threw its main forces into its new sections, which were built in swampy areas, and where the construction of underground structures was difficult. There, the French were unable to hold back the onslaught of German troops.
Surrender in 10 minutes
On June 17, 1940, the first meeting of the collaborationist government of France, headed by Marshal Henri Petain, took place. It lasted only 10 minutes. During this time, the ministers unanimously voted for the decision to appeal to the German command and ask them to end the war on French territory.
For these purposes, the services of an intermediary were used. The new Minister of Foreign Affairs, P. Baudouin, through the Spanish Ambassador Lequeric, conveyed a note in which the French government asked Spain to appeal to the German leadership with a request to end hostilities in France, and also to find out the terms of the truce. At the same time, a proposal for a truce was sent to Italy through the papal nuncio. On the same day, Pétain addressed the people and the army on the radio, calling on them to “stop the fight.”
Last stronghold
When signing the armistice agreement (act of surrender) between Germany and France, Hitler looked warily at the latter's vast colonies, many of which were ready to continue resistance. This explains some of the relaxations in the treaty, in particular, the preservation of part of the French navy to maintain “order” in its colonies.
England was also vitally interested in the fate of the French colonies, since the threat of their capture by German forces was highly assessed. Churchill hatched plans to create an émigré government of France, which would give actual control over the French overseas possessions to Britain.
General Charles de Gaulle, who created a government in opposition to the Vichy regime, directed all his efforts towards taking possession of the colonies.
However, the North African administration rejected the offer to join the Free French. A completely different mood reigned in the colonies of Equatorial Africa - already in August 1940, Chad, Gabon and Cameroon joined de Gaulle, which created the conditions for the general to form a state apparatus.
Mussolini's Fury
Realizing that France's defeat by Germany was inevitable, Mussolini declared war on her on June 10, 1940. The Italian Army Group "West" of Prince Umberto of Savoy, with a force of over 300 thousand people, supported by 3 thousand guns, began an offensive in the Alps region. However, the opposing army of General Oldry successfully repelled these attacks.
By June 20, the offensive of the Italian divisions became more fierce, but they only managed to advance slightly in the Menton area. Mussolini was furious - his plans to seize a large piece of its territory by the time France surrendered failed. The Italian dictator had already begun preparing an airborne assault, but did not receive approval for this operation from the German command.
On June 22, an armistice was signed between France and Germany, and two days later France and Italy entered into the same agreement. Thus, with a “victorious embarrassment,” Italy entered the Second World War.
Victims
During the active phase of the war, which lasted from May 10 to June 21, 1940, the French army lost about 300 thousand people killed and wounded. One and a half million were captured. The French tank corps and air force were partially destroyed, the other part went to the German armed forces. At the same time, Britain liquidates the French fleet to avoid it falling into the hands of the Wehrmacht.
Despite the fact that the capture of France occurred in a short time, its armed forces gave a worthy rebuff to German and Italian troops. During the month and a half of the war, the Wehrmacht lost more than 45 thousand people killed and missing, and about 11 thousand were wounded.
The French victims of German aggression could not have been in vain if the French government had accepted a number of concessions put forward by Britain in exchange for the entry of the royal armed forces into the war. But France chose to capitulate.
Paris – a place of convergence 
According to the armistice agreement, Germany occupied only the western coast of France and the northern regions of the country, where Paris was located. The capital was a kind of place for “French-German” rapprochement. German soldiers and Parisians lived peacefully here: they went to the movies together, visited museums, or just sat in a cafe. After the occupation, theaters also revived - their box office revenue tripled compared to the pre-war years.
Paris very quickly became the cultural center of occupied Europe. France lived as before, as if there had been no months of desperate resistance and unfulfilled hopes. German propaganda managed to convince many French that capitulation was not a shame for the country, but the road to a “bright future” for a renewed Europe.
An interesting historical project by Sergei Larenkov.
Paris, 1940. Hitler with the leadership of the Reich at Trocadero | Paris, 2010.
The history of the creation of this project. In November 2010, Rossiyskaya Gazeta organized an exhibition of works by Sergei Larenkov, dedicated to the siege of Leningrad, in the French city of Honfleur, where a Russian film festival was held. He made a number of works in Paris, dedicated to the occupation of this city in 1940, as well as the Parisian uprising and the liberation of Paris in 1944.
By early June 1940, the main forces of the French army were defeated or cut off to the north. The road to Paris was open for the German troops who had broken through. On July 14, 1940, the German army entered Paris. The years of occupation began.
The military governor, General Henri Fernand Denz, declared Paris an “open city,” and German troops entered the three-quarters empty capital a month after Germany began active military operations against France.
Paris, 1940. German soldiers march at the Arc de Triomphe | Paris, 2010:
The remaining residents of Paris were awakened by a speech over loudspeakers in French with a strong German accent about the establishment of a curfew from eight o'clock in the evening to five in the morning. It said: “Parisians! Over the next two days, the Reich troops will march solemnly through Paris, everyone should stay at home!” The new authorities ordered all clocks to be moved forward an hour. Paris lived according to Nazi laws and Berlin times.
Paris, 1940. German cavalry on the streets of an occupied city | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Montmartre | Paris, 2010:
It just so happens that in the photo is exactly the restaurant that was the first to be called “Bistro” in 1814. As legend has it, this name came from Russian Cossacks who wanted to quickly refresh themselves.
There is a story according to which Hitler was unable to climb the Eiffel Tower because the elevators were disabled by the French who did not want to obey the new authorities. All he could do was take pictures against the backdrop of the tower.
Paris, 1940. Against the backdrop of the Eiffel Tower | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Parade of the occupiers on the Champs Elysees. | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Rue de Rivoli. | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Parade of the occupiers | Paris, 2010:
Paris 1940. Wehrmacht on Place Concorde | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. Parade of the occupiers at the Arc de Triomphe | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1940. German cavalry on Avenue Foch | Paris, 2010:
Summer 1944. The Red Army, having liberated Belarus, is fighting in Poland. The Allies, who landed in Normandy on June 6, move east. The plans of the American command do not include the immediate liberation of Paris; they are rushing to Germany.
Without waiting for the Americans, on August 18, 1944, French Resistance fighters started an uprising in Paris. The residents of Paris, who have extensive experience in uprisings and revolutions, take to the barricades.
Paris, 1944. Parisian uprising. Barricade on the Quai Grand Augustin | Paris, 2010:
To the credit of the Parisian police, from the very beginning of the uprising they actively went over to the side of the people and, together with the Resistance fighters, entered into battle with the Nazis.
Paris, 1944. Paris uprising. Concord Square | Paris, 2010:
The uprising engulfed the entire city, the Nazis, entrenched in strongholds, offered intense resistance, which was finally broken with the approach of General Leclerc's tank corps from the troops of Fighting France, led by De Gaulle. Thus, on August 24, Paris was completely liberated by the French themselves. Crowds of enthusiastic citizens took to the streets of Paris to greet the liberators.
Paris, August 29, 1944. Victory Parade | Paris, 2010:
The main hero of liberated Paris, the future President of France, General Charles De Gaulle, walked at the head of the column at the Victory Parade.
Paris, 1944. De Gaulle at the head of the parade in honor of the liberation of the city | Paris, 2010:
American infantrymen, who had no direct connection to the liberation of Paris, but shed their blood on French soil, also marched solemnly along the Champs Elysees.
Paris, 1944. Parade in Liberated Paris | Paris, 2010:
Paris, 1944. American infantrymen on the Champs Elysees | Paris, 2010:
Paris 1944. Shot down Panther at the Arc de Triomphe | Paris, 2010:
And our compatriots from among the former prisoners of war who participated in the Resistance, who also took part in this parade, helped liberate Paris.
