the éphéméride | all on June and 1940.

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June 1940 is the result of the “Drôle of war” and saw the rout of the French Army vis-a-vis the Germans.

Before the Second world war, the French Army was regarded as one of most powerful world. Nevertheless, in spite of the decisions of rearmament made starting from the government of the Popular front to the capacity until in 1938 and amplified by the government Daladier then, it could not contain the found power of the Nazi Germany. When this one attacked in 1940, French defense collapsed with more than 100.000 dead, victim at the same time of the " concept" German of Blitzkrieg and especially of the defensive strategic thought inspired by Pétain with the staff in the Years 1930, instead of gathering the tanks in great mobile formations. Finally the propaganda of the Régime of Vichy will make great case later few attempts at sabotages, real but limited, in the arms factories, inspired by the French Communist party, this one obeying the policy of Moscow, since the Pacte germano-Soviet which had been signed fifteen days only before the beginning of the conflict.

In five weeks, the German projection in France involved the disintegration of the army and a gigantic panic in the population. Ten million people fled on the roads with thin luggage, during an episode which one called the “Exode”. The government, directed by Philippe Pétain since the resignation of Paul Reynaud, made ask for the armistice, signed the June 22nd 1940. One could think whereas his prestige acquired at the time of the defense of Verdun in 1916 would allow easier negotiations with Hitler, it of it was not nothing and the conditions were very hard: occupation of more than half of the countries and enormous fresh taken to maintain the German army.

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• June 3rd:

• Fine of the Operation Dynamo: 224.686 British and 121.445 soldiers French and Belgian were evacuated towards the the United Kingdom. RAF ensures a minimum of aerial cover for this operation and cuts down on this occasion 140 apparatuses of the Luftwaffe. The British lose in same time only 80 planes.
• Operation Paula of the Luftwaffe which bombards the surroundings of Paris, aerodromes in particular. 254 died and 652 wounded in Paris.

• June 5th:

• Cabinet reshuffle: the general Charles de Gaulle is Secretary of State to national defense and the war. He consequently multiplies the shuttles between London and Paris to try to decide the British to support their effort in France.
• Attack of the Germans on the Somme. On this occasion, French hunting cuts down 40 German apparatuses for 15 lost planes.

• June 6th:

• Collapse of the French line of defense resting on the Somme and the Aisne. The French defeat is now inescapable.

• June 7th:

• the British agree to replace the losses of the three escadrilles of hunting remained in France.

• June 8th:

• the French face is completely dislocated. Beginning of the debate in France: for or against the continuation of the war? The exodus of the French civilians of North towards the South intensifies. Paris “is emptied” in five days.
• desperate Call of the Vuillemin general to obtain an air support of the British; without success.
• Transfer of a British flotilla to Mans, then arrived to France in the afternoon of two escadrilles additional. The British authorities remind their French allies that 12 escadrilles of hunting and 8 of bombers operate in France and on the English Channel from the United Kingdom.

• June 9th:

• the town of Rouen is occupied.

• June 10th:

• the French government leaves Paris for Bordeaux.
• the Italy declares the war with the France and the United Kingdom.
• Capitulation of the Norway.
• the Polish of the second Division of hunters to foot are placed at the disposal of the French Army.

• June 13rd:

• Paris, emptied its inhabitants, is declared city open. Any combat is prohibited there. This interdict relates to only intramural Paris, and the harassing of the German troops continues in suburbs, in spite of the protests of the German authorities.
• the rumor court with Bordeaux, where the government settles, that Paris is with the hands of… the comumnists. Georges Mandel, Minister of Interior Department, splits even phone call on this subject with the Prefect of police of Paris, Langeron, remained posts some in the capital. This last demented person obviously the rumor.

• June 14th:

• the Germans enter Paris; The line of German progression goes from Provins to Rambouillet while passing by Corbeil, clearly in the south of Paris.
• has 7:30 of the morning, signature of a cease-fire around Paris, under threat of Bombardement of the capital.
• Confiscation of all the French flags to the pediment of the buildings, immediately replaced by flags with swastika. Even the historical flags of the Invalids are seized.
• After a protest of the city council men of Paris, the giant flag with swastika which floated since the morning under the Triumphal arch is withdrawn in the evening.
• No publication of newspapers in Paris. To inform few Parisian the still present ones downtown, of the cars diffuse messages by loudspeaker. The message starts as follows: “The German troops occupy Paris”.
• Any circulation is from now on prohibited in Paris between 21 hours and 5 hours of the morning.
• Paris puts per hour Berlin.
• First procession of German troops on the Which occurred of the Fields-Élysées. It is a ritual which will be from now on daily in order to remind well Parisian that they are occupied.
• a monument with the memory of Edith Cavell is destroyed in the Garden of Tileries.
• Suicide of the Parisian neurochirgien Thierry de Martel which prefers death with the occupation. The case is not isolated in Paris.
• the French government settles with Bordeaux.
• the Polish government leaves Angers.

• June 15th:

• the French second lieutenant Pierre Gloan cuts down five Italian apparatuses during a mission.
• On this date, 83.000 soldiers of the Polish armed forces are present under the weapons in France.
• Entered of the Red Army at Lithuania and the beginning of annexation of the country with the Soviet Union.

• June 16th:

• On order of Paul Reynaud, Charles de Gaulle retoure with London to once again ask the support of RAF the French Army in rout. He sees himself proposing one to treat fusion of the French and British States not to drop the France. Churchill is indeed to let convince by Jean Monnet. De Gaulle returns the evening even to Bordeaux (21h30) to make sign the treaty by the President of the Council but Paul Reynaud with resigned there is a few minutes…
• In France, Philippe Pétain becomes President of the council after the resignation of Paul Reynaud.
• Evacuation towards the North Africa of all the French planes having the operating range nécassaire to this voyage. 800 military apparatuses join North Africa. It is the end of the Bataille of France for the aviators. 1.250 German planes were cut down and 425 put out of state to fly. Opposite, the RAF records the loss of 944 planes including 67 spitfire; France loses 410 planes in aerial combat and 432 by strafing.

• June 17th:

• (Paris 12h30, time). The marshal Philippe Pétain lance a call “to cease the combat”. This call is obviously largely relayed by the Germans. “It is the tight heart which I say to you today that the combat should be ceased”.
• the American journalist William Shirer, present in Paris from June 17th to 26th, delivers a description of the city on its arrival: “the streets are deserted”.
• De Gaulle leaves for London. It is received by Winston Churchill.
• the Polish president Władysław Raczkiewicz and the commander-in-chief Władysław Sikorski make the decision to transfer to the United Kingdom what can be saved Polish army in France.
• Towards 10:00, 3 German planes bombard the marshalling yard of Rennes, reach a train of ammunition and trains of troops and refugees. Assessment: a thousand of killed.

• June 18th:

• retorts some with the call of Pétain which calls at the end of the engagements, the General De Gaulle lance her Appel of June 18th . It is the founding document of the free France.
• the Estonia, the Latvia and the Lithuania are occupied by the the USSR.

• June 19th:

• Whereas the France prepares to capitulate, the general Władysław Sikorski gives the order to the Poles not to go and flee towards the Suisse, the the United Kingdom or the Africa.
• the de Gaulle General requires of the French Empire to continue the combat at the sides of the United Kingdom.

• June 20th:

• Beginning of the offensive Italy with the French border easily pushed back by a French Army however in numerical inferiority.
• Coming into effect of the German ordinance governing the duties of the occupied French.
• German Bombardment on Bordeaux.

• June 21st:

• the Franco-German negotiations of armistice start with Compiegne.
• Installation with Paris of the Wehrmachtverkehrsdirektion (WVD, direction of the Transport S of the German army, the Wehrmacht), charged to control the exploitation of the railroads.

• June 22nd:

• the Franco-German armistice is signed in the coach of Rethondes

• June 23rd:

• Hitler visits Paris. It arrives at 5 o'clock in the morning at the Aéroport of Le Bourget; three hours and half later, it had already set out again. No the jubilation Viennese here, just a deserted city.

• June 24th:

• Signature of the Franco-Italian armistice.
• the armistice with Germany comes into force to 7 p.m., that with Italy at midnight.
• the Polish government in exile settles with London.

• June 28th:

• the de Gaulle general is recognized by the British like the chief of the free France. However, Winston Churchill maintains its contacts with the Vichy government until May 1941.
• the Goering marshal dines with the Maxim' S with Paris.

• June 29th:

• the French government joined the “free zone” and settles temporarily with Clermont-Ferrand.

• June 30th:

• the Germany invades the Channel Islands.
• the general Władysław Sikorski dissolves the command of the Union of the armed struggle ZWZ which was in France and gives the order to create a command for the ZWZ in Poland; the colonel Stefan Grot-Rowecki is named with the head of the ZWZ.