The Battle Of France, 1940 (Cassell Military Paperbacks)

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Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Edition: New Ed
Publisher: Phoenix
Published: 10 May 2001
ISBN 10: 0304356441
ISBN 13: 9780304356447
Book Overview: Even 60 years after it happened, the battle for France in May and June 1940 is still viewed as an inevitable triumph of German arms. In many respects it was, but military history is rarely so straightforward. The British prefer to remember the victory snatched from the jaws of defeat that was the evacuation at Dunkirk, but that is only part of this epic story. Why was the French reaction to the German advance so lethargic and ill-coordinated? What role did the British Expeditionary Force play? What were the failures of Anglo-French intelligence? How did the German tanks succeed in crossing the Meuse River and why were they halted for a vital few days before taking Dunkirk? What really happened in the fierce fighting after the evacuation? And why has the courage displayed, especially by the French, in these three weeks been so overlooked? Which commanders distinguished themselves and which did not? What lessons were learnt by both the British and the Germans? And how were Anglo-French relations affected by the campaign? The Battle of France, 1940 is a story of courage against the odds. It is also a clear, concise and bold narrative that sheds much new light on its subject.