We know that France in World War I relied on its strong military power to play a huge role in the four major battles against Germany. France's military power has long been a country with absolute dominance on the European continent. It reached its peak during the Napoleon period. Several anti-French alliances were incomparably inferior to the troops commanded by Napoleon. They were like a mob and collapsed at the first touch. .
Germany and France can be said to be old enemies on the European continent, and the war between the two sides can be regarded as mutually beneficial. But in World War II , why was France vulnerable to the German attack? It can be said that France had no sense of presence in the anti-fascist struggle in World War II, and was forced to surrender in just ten days. I think the reasons are as follows:
First of all, although France defeated Germany in World War I and became the victor, its domestic economy was devastated by the war and was in a very embarrassed state, no different from the defeated Germany. After World War I, the French people were very war-weary, which is why when Germany bypassed the Maginot defense line and invaded France, the French people surrendered with little resistance.
It can be said that after the baptism of World War I, except for the German people, who were incited by Hitler's speeches, almost the entire European people were disgusted with war and longed for peace.
Secondly, after the economic crisis broke out, the economies of Britain, France and other countries were weak and unable to be strong externally. Anti-war, including the ruling class's attitude towards war, is also the same. They are unwilling to get involved in war. In the face of the German fascists' trampling and wanton conduct of the Treaty of Versailles, it can be said that they turned a blind eye. Since then, they have not hesitated to sacrifice the interests of weak countries to satisfy the greed of German fascism, such as the Munich Conspiracy, a concentrated expression of the appeasement policy of Britain and France.
Furthermore, the French senior leaders underestimated the enemy and believed too much in the military role of the Maginot Line. The defense line is made of reinforced concrete and is very strong. Due to its high cost, it can only defend the French-German border. However, no matter how good the defense line is, it will have fatal weaknesses. During World War II, Germany used Britain and France to support and the Netherlands to attack the Forrest Highlands on the French-Belgian border, thus successfully bypassing the Maginot Line.
This reminds me of China's military project the Great Wall . Although the Great Wall has played an important military role in a certain period of time, it can be said that it has guarded the pass for nearly a thousand years. However, during the process, China's rulers were not superstitious about the absolute military blocking effect of the Great Wall. They knew that once the enemy made a major attack, the defenders would be under great pressure, especially because the northern cavalry charge could quickly reach the city walls of Beijing.
After the fall of France, French General Charles de Gaulle went into exile in other countries and organized an army to continue fighting for free France . With the establishment of the anti-fascist alliance, General de Gaulle led French soldiers to fight against German fascism in Europe and North Africa . At the end of World War II, the French army grew to about one million people and participated in some major battles. It can be seen that in terms of overall military strength, it is not as vulnerable as imagined.
