Battle of France

The German invasion of France and the Low Countries in May and June 1940, ending in Allied defeat, France’s armistice with Germany, and German occupation.

Fall Gelb: The German plan for invading the Low Countries and northern France in 1940. Its Ardennes thrust drew Allied armies north before German forces crossed the Meuse.
German invasion of Poland: Germany’s invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, which began the Second World War in Europe. The western campaign followed the eight-month period of relative quiet known as the Phoney War.
Erich von Manstein: A German field marshal who developed the operational concept for the 1940 western campaign. His proposed Ardennes thrust became central to the plan that divided Allied forces.
Armistice of 22 June 1940: The agreement that ended hostilities between France and Germany on 22 June 1940. Its terms imposed occupation and divided France into German-controlled and nominally unoccupied zones.
Maginot Line: A system of French fortifications built along part of the border with Germany before the Second World War. German forces bypassed its strongest sectors by advancing through Belgium and the Ardennes.
Ardennes: A forested, hilly region spanning parts of Belgium, Luxembourg, and France. German armor crossed this terrain, which the Allies had treated as difficult to attack through.
Phoney War: The period of limited fighting on the Western Front between Germany’s invasion of Poland and its attack in May 1940. It gave both sides time to prepare, while the Allies expected the next decisive fighting farther north.
Heinz Guderian: A German general and leading advocate of concentrated armored warfare. His panzer corps drove rapidly from Sedan toward the Channel.
Vichy France: The French state that governed the unoccupied zone and collaborated with Germany from 1940 to 1944. It emerged from the political settlement following military defeat and the armistice.
Siegfried Line: The German defensive fortification system opposite France’s Maginot Line. The largely inactive frontier defenses contrast with the rapid mobile campaign of May 1940.

Linked from 35 pages