The Super Summary of World History - Alan Dale Daniel [183]
As German mechanized units pushed forward against panicked opposition the far away French High Command lost touch with the front, mainly because modern communication equipment was lacking (such as telephones or radios).[221] French lack of mechanization prevented rapid movement, and inadequate French communication prevented rapid reorganization; consequently, they failed to stop the fast moving Germans.
Soon the Germans reached the sea trapping a number of Allied divisions. The British Army retreated to the port of Dunkirk on the orders of Lord Gort, the commander of the British Expeditionary Force. Lord Gort gave the command without London’s authorization but saved the British Army by the decisive decision. For unknown reasons, Hitler stopped the Axis advance on the port. [222] During the delay, the English army managed to escape by sea through the efforts of the British Navy and hundreds of civilian boats sailing into action to save the troops trapped at the seaside. When the Germans resumed their advance the rescue of three hundred and forty thousand troops from Dunkirk was complete (about one hundred thousand were French). After a pause to refit, the Wehrmacht carried out the second phase of their plan storming past Paris into the remainder of France. The French reorganized into hedgehog redoubts, but they lost so many units in previous combat they stood no chance. After Dunkirk the British withdrew all RAF[223] aircraft to defend their island home. France objected, but England could not afford to lose its air force fighting in France. France had no strategic reserve (why is obscure), and the nation’s fighting spirit was gone.
The campaign in France ended on June 25, 1940. The Germans allowed the French to keep a small part of their nation in the south of France,[224] but the Germans governed the rest. Hitler wanted the French Atlantic ports for his submarines. France’s empire still existed, but France elected to surrender without moving the fight to their empire. The French Empire became a German puppet, although the Free French under General Charles de Gaulle continued to fight the Germans from England. The French suffered another indignity, although the British administered this blow when Churchill, Britain’s new Prime Minister, ordered the French fleet sunk to prevent its use by the Nazis. France was furious.
With France defeated Hitler may have assumed England would desire peace. Churchill, Britain’s Prime Minister, emphatically said no. Many speculated about Germany invading England, even though it was autumn and only a few weeks of good weather (if it could be called that) remained. No invasion could be mounted without air superiority. Accordingly, Hitler launched coordinated air attacks on England’s RAF that entailed bombing airfields and aircraft industries. This air action was the Battle of Britain.
Battle of Britain
August to October 1940
Starting in August 1940, the German Luftwaffe began concentrated daylight attacks on English airbases and its aircraft industry. Hitler’s goal was to destroy the RAF and then stage an invasion of England. Well . . . maybe. From the start the Germans were at a disadvantage. As designed, the only use of the Luftwaffe was to support the German Army; thus, close air support was their mission, not bombing an enemy nation into submission. German aircraft were short ranged, the bombers were two-engine affairs with almost nonexistent defensive firepower, and they