(2/12) Battlefield I: The Battle of France Episode 1 (GDH)

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Videos Running Time 01:54:00 in 12 Parts

Battlefield: Fall of France


This episode of Battlefield chronicles the German triumph over French and British forces in France 1940.

After the fall of Poland, Denmark and Norway; British and French forces, on the Western Front, sat out the Phony War, behind their prepared defenses. One of the marvels of 20th Century technology, the Maginot Line, gave the French a false sense of Security. Unfortunately, for the French and British, they were led by perhaps the worst general and leader of World War II. General Maurice Gamelin led a disastrous campaign that fed right into the Germans plans.

On paper the French and British forces were impressive. French tanks were superior too many of the German models. The Char IB and S-35 were stand outs in the French arsenal. However, the French amour was dispersed among infantry units and handled with a complete emphasis on infantry support. The Germans doctrine, of Blitzkrieg emphasized concentration, breakthrough and exploitation of openings in the front with powerful armored forces. With Germans generals Manstein, Guderian, Rommel, Kleist and Hoth the French forces were completely outwitted.

The Fall of France proved to the world the brilliance of Blitzkrieg, German strategy and the weaknesses in the old military doctrine.

Enjoy this excellent episode of Battlefield.


World War II World War II World War Two France Tanks German Germany Hitler British tank French Panzer tactics 1940 Matilda General

Category:

Education

Tags:

• World
• War
• II
• Two
• France
• Tanks
• German
• Germany
• Hitler
• British
• tank
• French
• Panzer
• tactics
• 1940
• Matilda
• General

[Omega4Productions]

Difference in Tanks.

British: Flimsy, easily fall apart.

Germans: Strong, powerful, heavily armored.

Russians: Fast, maneuverable

Americans: Light up if petrol is lit.

Japanese: Powerful and fast

[HoustonGD]

@Omega4Productions Japanese tanks are, "powerful and fast." okie dokie.

[WiredDragoon]

You seem to be under the misconception that I'm British. I'm not. I am, in fact, German. I'm aware of the fact that the Polish government continued to exist in exile, and that they contributed heavily in some theatres of the war after the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact (like at Monte Cassino or during Operation Market Garden). I simply don't see the point you are trying to argue here?! Poland was simply outclassed in every field in '39, despite fighting valiantly. That's just a plain, basic fact.

[elKarlo]

@Omega4Productions Not the case at all in 1940. German tanks were not good at all, and they were still using outdated tanks. They coordinated them better, and they had their own radios. The Japanese tanks were coffins, or armored cars, with treads, at best.

[psycombine]

@HoustonGD

powerfully exploding and burning fast

[reignofhope]

@WiredDragoon This greatly depends on what you mean by "outclassed", in some ways Germany was "outclassed" by Poland in 1939, really the death-nail for Poland wasn't so much being outclassed by anyone as much as it was fighting a 2 front war and being heavily outnumbered, its strategic planning didn't help much either.

[rrose1978]

@WiredDragoon I am a Polish guy and yet I can say nothing but agree here. Polish military strategy in 1930s was totally outdated and more suited to the battlefields of the Great War or 1919-21 war with the newborn Soviet Union. That paid dearly off in 1939. Period.

[teddythebenny]

@djlagomorph well, the type 95 was obsolete by 1941, perhaps it was unfortunate that most japanese tanks, were allocated last, as ships and aircraft took up the steel, in terms of equipment, armaments and so forth. Never really meant to take on tanks, a support infantry roll. And no, i don't really know of any specific roll when it was largely successful. Merry xmas and a happy new year.

[djlagomorph]

@teddythebenny

Light tanks are of course not bad by themselves, but when the enemy has bazookas and possibly Sherman backup, things don't look so well. It's like in Operation Barbarossa, I'd hate driving a Panzer 2 or 38 (t) and meeting a T-34^^

Btw. do you know of any engagements in China where the Type 95 was used successfully? Should have worked well against lightly armed Chinese forces.

[teddythebenny]

@djlagomorph the type 95 was an ok tank, a flimsy 36mm cannon, with two machine guns, great for anti-infantry.. eh, dull compared to the T-34.

[Omega4Productions]

@djlagomorph Yes. I didn't say that Stalingrad was the turning point of the war, I simply said it ended the Invasion of the Soviet Union, full stop. I think it was the Battle of Kursk that really made Hitler and his elite commanders start shitting themselves. Fighting two wars at once, there was no way he could have one.

[djlagomorph]

@Omega4Productions

Stalingrad is way overestimated, it was merely a symptom, not the cause of Germany's inevitable collaps. Really, take a look at the battle of Moscow, that's more like it.

[Omega4Productions]

@djlagomorph The Battle of Stalingrad decided the fate of Germany from then on out. After that, it was defeat after defeat after defeat for the Germans. Not to mention that the German Sixth Army, the one formed the myth that the Wehrmacht is "invincible" was crushed during this battle.