Battle for France
Image taken from wikipedia.org
With the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, Britain and France declared war on Germany. It was only a matter of time until Hitler launched a full invasion of France. The French troops had prepared a long line of defense along the border with Germany. It was known as the Maginot Line. This area contained tons of artillery, machine guns, and miles of underground tunnels. French and British troops dug into this area and were hoping to repel any attempt of an invasion by Germany. Hitler had known that thousands of Allied troops would be waiting to meet the German tanks as arrived in France. He devised a plan to go around the well-fortified Maginot Line, push into Belgium and outflank the Allies.
The plan went like clock-work. German tanks invaded and took the Allies completely by surprise. Soon, a full retreat towards the French coast took place. The Germans were unstoppable, taking Paris in only a matter of days. It was now seen that the Allies did not have enough power to hold back the German onslaught. So, instead the Allies retreated to the northern coast of France at Dunkirk. There they awaited transportation across the English channel back to Britain. Hitler could have easily launched his tanks to wipe out the men on the beach, however he decided against it. Thousands of refugees and soldiers took any floating device across the channel to England. They would not see the liberation of France for three more years.
