June 12, the crossed Marne, the Germans go on Paris which the government has just left. June 14, the Germans enter Paris, proclaimed open city. On photography 1, one sees the units SS, motoriséees passer by places Bastille. On photography 2, officers discuss place of the Harmony. On photography 3, Werhmacht reaches the Triumphal arch.

 

The negotiations undertaken via Spain lead to the signature of conventions of armistice with Germany, June 22 and Italy on June 24. Among the clauses appeared in particular: occupation of a broad portion of the French territory, the disarmament and the demobilization of the French Army, delivery of stocks, the disarmament of the fleet. The expenses of occupation were to be supported by France.

ETE 1940 - Extent and Reality of the defeat

ETE 1941 - France mainly raised of its ruins

 

May 8, 1940, the German army invades France.

As of June 16, it reached already Normandy and occupies Dijon, Colmar and Blois. Vis-a-vis a catastrophic situation and to avoid the worst, Marshal PETAIN is constrained to ask for the armistice which is signed on June 24 with RETHONDES.

On this date the German troops exceeded already Bordeaux and are in Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand and Saint Etienne. Without the armistice which stopped the dash of German those could have reached the ports of Sète, Marseilles, Toulon and Nice in less than five days returning of this impossible fact any fold on North Africa.

With the signature of the Armistice France is divided in two zones; two thirds of the country are occupied.

July 10, the French National Assembly at this meeting in Vichy votes the full powerss with Marshal PETAIN and entrusts to him by 569 votes against 80 the responsibility of remake France.

The assessment of the tragedy is very heavy and the task to be achieved immense!

The countryside of France cost more than 100.000 died and of 400.000 wounded.

1. 500.000 soldiers, mainly of the young men, are prisoners.

3.500.000 men must be demobilized.

5.000.000 of refugees are in the south of the Loire, without resources and must be supplied.

France has food only for one month.

It is necessary in all priority to nourish the populations of the two zones, to allow to the return on their premises refugees in spite of the lack of trains and the gasoline shortage, to come to assistance of the prisoners and to rebuild what was destroyed.

In fact all is urgent and asks many measurements of improvisation that only can take a responsible government.

It is urgently necessary to protect harvests, to return the hays and to make the harvests.

However the destruction is considerable:

Railroads: 540 bridges and destroyed structure.

P.T.T.: 3576 exchanges and 300 buildings are destroyed like 250 km of telephone arteries.

Roads: 2531 bridges and structures are destroyed.

Inland waterways: 114 works and 5200 km of ways are unusable.

Destroyed buildings: 9.500.000 m 3 are to be cleared.

France also counts 1.000.000 unemployed.

Lastly, by the Convention of Armistice, France is held with the payment of 400 million francs per day for the subsistence of the occupying army.

Without government recognized France overcome, disorganized, occupied to two thirds and cut into two could only fall into anarchy, the disorder and the shortage.

But thanks to his presence with the head of a legal government and the Marshal legitimates will allow to stop the disorganization of the country, to undertake his rectification and to make live 40 million French.

In addition it saves of an inevitable occupation North Africa which so useful for will be combined as from November 1942 and protects the Empire.

Such is reality at this beginning of summer 1940!

The launched calls of London by the Brigadier general Charles of Gaulle, without mandate no, after having left France still in a state of war, hold any account of truths problems which are posed in France.

When one examines seriously the catastrophic situation in which was our country at that time one can only judge with most extreme severity the company of moral disorganization carried out against the essential interests of the nation by this rebellious General who calls with the revolt against the authority of the Marshal recognized then by almost the whole of French and the foreign governments.

How of GAULLE could it dare to declare in July 40 "there is not any more French government. The organization located in Vichy and which claims to bear this name unconstitutional and is submitted to the invader "whereas the French National Assembly by a majority of 86% had just entrusted the full powerss to Marshal PETAIN considered as the saver of the Fatherland?

Can one still today, in good faith to believe, with the legend of one of GAULLE visionary and saver of the fatherland whereas it is absolutely obvious that it is the Marshal who in the tragedy of 1940 legitimately incarnait the hope of France while remaining on his ground to protect it and rendered the most eminent services to him.

Without the presence of the Marshal who had one goal: "to preserve French of the rigours of the occupation and the war", which would have been the fate of these 40 Million French, given up with themselves, alone vis-a-vis very powerful German, if they had had like single protection only the calls to the revolt launched from London by GAULLE.

To refuse the reality of the defeat was an attitude as absurd as that of somebody who would refuse to recognize the reality of an accident of car.

As Admiral AUPHAN "a thing wrote was to want individually to continue the war against German, another to take a fundamental position of revolt with respect to the legal government of its country which one broke the unit".

The measurements taken by the Government of the Marshal quickly had beneficial consequences for the French population. One year after the defeat France already largely concerned itself its ruins. That one judges some:

- 74 % of the bridges of way iron are repaired;

- 94 % of the exchanges of the postal and telecommunications authorities are restored;

- 92 % of the inland works of waterways are given in state;

- 96 % of the inland waterways become again usable;

- 68% of the destroyed buildings are cleared;

- 88 % of the unemployed found work

- 15 % of the structures of the roads are restored.

Moreover 175.000 prisoners of war could be released with various titles.

Thus, under the authority of the Marshal, in an extremely complex and dangerous situation, France bandaged its wounds and undertook its material and moral raising. But one will never underline rather how much dissidence gaullist, by his generally untrue propaganda, contributed to weaken France by dividing French.

Sources : Bureau de Documentation du Cabinet Civil du Maréchal (1941).