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The sheer incompetence of the French in 1940, the near-total divorce from reality of their high command, and especially their ridiculously slow command control system compared with the efficient and swift system of the Germans, makes me wonder if the Allies had any chance at all of winning the Battle of France.

Two possibilities come to mind, one that could have happened any time during the month before the battle, and one which could have happened right in the middle of it.

1. WI Gamelin decides to forego the foolish plan to send the 7th Army into southern Holland and instead keeps it as a strategic reserve, which was the original intention and would have been the best course of action. Conceviably, it might have been sent to reinforce the Meuse line and plug the gap the panzers tore in the French line there.

2. On the afternoon of May 14, the French actually had a golden opportunity to mount a devastating counter attack at Sedan, when two of the three panzer divisions formed up in a line facing westward, with only a single infantry regiment protecting their left (southern) flank. At that moment, the French 3rd Armored and 3rd Mechanized Divisions were forming up directly to the south of them in preparation for a counter attack. Had it gone forward, it would have smashed into the exposed German flank and possibly rolled up the German line. But, as happened far too often, the attack was cancelled for reasons that are unclear.

Any other ideas?
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