Abstract
The French military collapse in 1940, was one of the greatest military catastrophes in world history . On the 3rd of September 1939, France and Britain declared war on the Nazi Germany, after its invasion of Poland two days earlier. On 10th May 1940, Hitler hurled the German armed forces against France and its ally, Great Britain. They invaded the country in a few weeks, and the 14th of June the German troops entered Paris. Then started the 'exode', six to eight millions people were in flight from France. On 22nd June, the French capitulated, with the armistice going into effect three days later. How can we explain this catastrophic, stunning and total defeat that France suffered? The reasons of this defeat have always been subjects to polemics. Most often, it is assumed that the French politicians and generals failed to prepare for the war. Marshal Philippe Pétain, head of the Vichy regime, attempted to project the responsibility of the defeat on the leaders of the Popular Front government .
