I refered only to potential US land lease in the case of a prolonged war. Yes, I agree any American involvement would boost French morale. However I doubt German morale would be shattered by this more than by the actual belief in the field.Radios, planes and oil as lend lease was all that was needed. Just seeing the stuff coming off American ships into Bordeaux and Cherbourg would have boosted French morale and SHATTERED German morale. It would have helped in 1939. By 1940, it would be too late.
I referred only to potential US land lease in the case of a prolonged war. Yes, I agree any American involvement would boost French morale. However I doubt German morale would be shattered by this more than by the actual belief in the field.
The Americans cannot build aeroplanes. They are very good at refrigerators and razor blades.
Hermann Goring
It matters very little to the scared German civilian or soldier on the ground underneath it, if the A-20 Havoc (DB-7) or the LeO 451 is flown by French AdA crews or American "AVG" volunteers.Germans believed the still almost won WW1 despite America producing that many arms and ammo for the entente. Only encountering American en masse as in the latter part of 1918 would have that effect.
This reminds me so much of Pearl Harbor... but the topic here is what could the French do? Realistically what could they do?For Sedan alone, there are three PODs that could have changed the outcome
- the Taittinger parliamentary report - done with André Corap support from March 1940, as he was all too aware the IXth army defense on the Meuse were too poor. But Gamelin... well, you know. The report was ignored.
- the French reconnaissance saw the Panzer colossal traffic jam in the Ardennes right from May 11, and renewed its report over the next day. They were ignored
- the giant panzer traffic jam in the Ardennes lasted two complete days... yet nobody ever bombed it. Many years later, german soldiers acknowledged they literally wet their pants thinking about the damage even a handful of bombers could have done.
Finally, some words about Huntziger... commander of the other army in the Ardennes ( next to Corap Ninth) the 2nd Army. Huntziger was a "Gamelin in the making". Despite the Taittinger report and the 1870 war, he said, TWICE, in APRIL and on MAY, 7th 1940
"Nah, the Germans will never attack near Sedan".
What a brilliant foresight, really. But Huntziger (who ended in Vichy, what a surprise !) was a political darling, just like Gamelin. Note that Huntziger, before dying in a plane crash late 1941, had no qualms about making Corap, not him, the Sedan scapegoat. And it worked well - for him.
Somewhat remarquably, the German breakthrough point was merely 30 km from the extreme northern tip of the Maginot line, on the border with Luxembourg (which, unlike Belgium, did not cared about the Maginot line on its borders)
This very one - La Ferté.
Ouvrage La Ferté - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
So La Ferté is the Maginot Line extreme tip : where Luxembourg stops and Belgium neutrality starts. The thing is, La Ferté guns could shoot up to 15 km north, somewhat virtually extending the Maginot line there.
Well, the Germans simply considered this very fact, added a "safety margin" (20 - 25 km) and went no further to establish the southern flanks of the "panzer corridor" with the 7 armored divisions.
Takes Google maps, put Ouvrage La Ferté, and weep.
Ouvrage de La Ferté · RD52, 08370 La Ferté-sur-Chiers, France
★★★★★ · Historical landmarkwww.google.com
Note how close La Ferté is from Sedan, but also from Stonne and Le Mont Dieu... where the French actually resisted for a month ! IT is a crying shame, with these places so close from each other, that no counter attack could be launched. (Flavigny, you idiot... !)
No Mechelen incident. Germans follow the original plan for FALL GELB, which bogs down in central Belgium (after capturing Brussels) in head-on attacks against quality French troops and the BEF. In September, the Germans launch a second offensive southward through Luxembourg, which turns the flank of the Maginot Line. After two months of heavy fighting, the French fall back from northern Lorraine. However, British and Belgian troops recapture Brussels. Fighting shuts down for the winter. In April 1941, Germans attack west from Luxembourg, breaking through toward the Channel. Simultaneously, Italy and Spain enter the war, attacking France from the SE and SW. France collapses, being completely occupied by June, except for bridgeheads at Cherbourg and Brest.
How much further would it have gone.Have Marshal Petain die no later than Feb 1934
At that time, provisdoal funds had been voted for extension of the Maginot Line; but Petain intervened against it, because many French indusreial areas were too near the Belgian frontier for sn extended ML to protctt hem, so the only option was to advance across the borrder before the Germans got there, His prestige carried the day.
Had the extension gone ahead, the breakthrough at Sedan would probably have been impossible.
No.Please play this one out in terms of what happens in 1941, 1942, and 1943. Meanwhile, what's been happening with Italy, the Soviet Union, the Americas, and Asia-Pacific?
- the French reconnaissance saw the Panzer colossal traffic jam in the Ardennes right from May 11, and renewed its report over the next day. They were ignored
- the giant panzer traffic jam in the Ardennes lasted two complete days... yet nobody ever bombed it. Many years later, german soldiers acknowledged they literally wet their pants thinking about the damage even a handful of bombers could have done.
Flavigny disobeying Huntzingers orders to counter attack on the 14th is definitely a lost opportunity. Most writers focus on the difficulties of the 3rd Div Char in getting ready for the counter attack. Fuel was late, one of the four tank battalions never showed up that day. The other battalions were late getting to position. Conversely the crack 3rd Motor Inf Div. was ready on time & moral of that unit remained excellent. Perhaps news of the failure of the counter attack of the 10th Corps reserve unhinged Flavirgny? Still he had a very well trained infantry division, a half dozen battalions of artillery ready & four tank battalions remaining, including some of the most powerful tanks on the planet, and the German crossing at Sdan was still under attack by crashing French and British bombers. Instead late afternoon he directly disobeyed Huntzingers orders, canceling the attack, & ordered his corps (20th Corps) dispersed into a defense.IT is a crying shame, with these places so close from each other, that no counter attack could be launched. (Flavigny, you idiot... !)
They may have been just delivered to a transitioning unit. Or perhaps enroute from the assembly plant in Algeria. During the winter Martin Aircraft (a US company) had installed a final assembly plant, in Morocco. Disassembled airframes were shipped there from the US for finishing. There was a parts depot, and a ground crew training school there as well. The assembly site had been operating since April. Douglas had just completed a similar facility in Algeria.- Martin 167: one group in... the Alps (don't ask me why !)
...end result: while the fighter squadrons had more or less 400 - 500 modern aircraft by 1939, the bomber squadrons were hopeless.