Summary
Overview
This episode chronicles the fall of France in 1940, from the evacuation at Dunkirk through Hitler's triumphant visit to conquered Paris. It examines Hitler's crucial halt order that allowed the British escape, the French government's collapse and decision to seek armistice, and the dramatic week when Paris fell to the Nazis. The episode explores why France surrendered while Britain fought on, and Hitler's moment of supreme vindication as he reversed Germany's 1918 defeat.
Hitler's Paris Visit and the Road to French Defeat
The episode opens with Albert Speer describing Hitler's three-hour tour of conquered Paris in June 1940, a moment Hitler called 'the dream of my life.' This comes after Germany's stunning victory where their sickle-cut strategy trapped 400,000 Allied troops at Dunkirk. The British Expeditionary Force faces annihilation, but what follows becomes one of the most debated decisions of the war—the halt order that gives Britain a chance at escape.
- Hitler tours conquered Paris with Albert Speer, visiting the Madeleine, Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon's tomb, and Sacré-Cœur
- This represents Hitler's revenge for Germany's 1918 defeat and fulfills his dream since fighting France in WWI
- 400,000 British and French troops are trapped at Dunkirk with German panzers just 15 kilometers away
- Churchill declares Britain must get the army back or lose the war
" It was the dream of my life to be permitted to see Paris. I cannot say how happy I am to have that dream fulfilled today. "
" We cannot leave our army to be slaughtered or to surrender if we lose the men then we lose the war our men must battle through to Dunkirk and when they get there our navy will get them out "
The Halt Order: Hitler's Crucial Mistake
On May 24th, Hitler makes one of the most debated decisions of WWII, approving von Rundstedt's halt order that stops German tanks just 15 kilometers from Dunkirk. Hitler believes Göring's Luftwaffe can finish the job while giving exhausted troops rest before turning south to Paris. But Göring has grossly overestimated his air force capabilities, and this three-day pause allows Britain to finalize evacuation plans and ultimately rescue 338,000 men.
- Von Rundstedt proposes halting tanks to rest troops before the Paris campaign, concerned about exhaustion and difficult canal terrain
- Göring assures Hitler the Luftwaffe can destroy British forces without risking tanks
- Hitler approves the halt order on May 24th despite vehement objections from tank commanders like Guderian
- The RAF fights 3,000 sorties to protect Dunkirk, losing 180 planes but Germans lose 250
- Operation Dynamo rescues 338,000 men including 100,000 French, Belgian, and colonial troops—far more than Churchill hoped
" I couldn't believe it. I thought it was the biggest blunder of the war. "
" Wars are not won by evacuations. Our thankfulness at the escape of our army must not blind us to the fact that what has happened in France and Belgium is a colossal military disaster. "
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