The Battle (or fall) of France, in World War II, was conducted from June 5 through June 22. In reality, however the story of the Fall of France begins a few weeks earlier. On May 10, 1940 the Germans invaded neutral Belgium. As the Belgium people were unaware they were at war, they were ill prepared to stop Germany’s invasion. British and French forces attempted to aid Belgium. However, by the time the British and French arrived at the cities of Antwerp and Liege both had been taken by German paratroopers. Additionally, the German’s advanced through the Ardennes Forest. This was unexpected and effectively trapped the Allied Forces between the two German Armies. On May 28, 1940 Belgium surrendered to Germany. Little could be done to stop the German advance on France, despite armies of seemingly equal numbers.
June 5, 1940 the Germans attacked France along a 100 mile front that stretched from Sedan to Abbeville along the Somme and Aisne rivers. The French fought valiantly for four days. However the Germans broke through the line by June 9. Much of the success of the attack was due to the massive air strikes of the Luftwaffe.
On June 10, 1940 Italy ended its neutrality and declared war on France. War was now being waged against France in the north by Germany and in the South by Italy. By June 14 the German army advanced into Paris forcing the French government to flee the city. Fighting continued and on June 15 the Fortress of Verdun, a stronghold that never fell in the War to end all Wars, fell to the hands of the Germans.
On June 16, 1940, the French requested a release from the Anglo-French agreement to allow France to negotiate surrender terms with Germany. The following day, France requested an armistice with Germany. The Franco-German Armistice was signed on June 22, 1940. Under the agreement, Germany now occupied the French coast from the Belgium to the Spanish borders, as well as all of northern France; giving Germany control of three-fifths of France. The French army was disarmed. A smaller French Government, under Marshall Henri-Philippe Petain, established its capitol in Vichy.
On June 24, 1940 a Franco-Italian Armistice was signed ending the fighting in southern France. In the meantime, on June 23, General Charles De Gaulle established the Free French Government in London and vowed to continue to oppose the Germans.