Maybe if they had followed De Gaulle's advice...
I'll explain myself: De Gaulle had said that the Maginot Line, in which France tended to put all its faith in case of war against Germany, was obsolete and would not work, so he suggested that the Army created a Mechanized Infantry unit to deal with attacks.
They had several armoured divisons in 1940. They just did not use them right/swiftly.
French had a lot of time to find countertactics against German Blitzkrieg. Unfortunately, they ignored Polish informations about German campaign in Poland.
A myth.
1. Poland was a conventional campaign. The Poles were outnumbered and their troops were poorly positioned, that´s why the attackers advanced as fast as they did.
2. "Blitzkrieg" was
edit: NOTplanned, it sort-of just happened given the circumstances of the western capmpaign.
150,000 for the Western campaign? Is 50,000 the KIA, then, or did I just misremember altogether?
Germany: 27,000 KIA, 18,000 MIA, 110,000 WIA
France: 92,000 KIA, 200,000 WIA 1,9 Mio POW
UK: 68,000 casualties WIA probably not included. wikipedia says 30,000 were KIA and 34,000 POW
I'm not so sure that a French attack in 1939 would have been the best option. The French Army was far from ready for war in 1939 and even if they could have defeated the weak German Divisions confronting them initially, they would have been in a weak position once the main force of the German Army returns from Poland.
I´m afraid the german Generals of 1940 would not agree.
1. There wasn´t enough fuel or ammo for another campaign. Not for the next six to nine month.
2. Once the French reach the Rhine Germany is f..ed! The heavy industry in the Saar region is gone, the chemical industry in the Rhine/Main are too and the north-south LOCs in the west have been cut.
3. German Generals were appalled at the poor leadership/level of training the Wehrmacht showed in 1939.
4. The French would have had the best defensive position imaginable. Their front is protected by the Rhine, their northern flank by rough terrain of the Eifel and the Moselle.