Is there any way to realistically make France never fall to Germany from say 1936 (assuming WWII starts on the same date for the same reasons)? What went wrong in the French defense? I can think of a few. Their over reliance on defensive structures (maginot line), their dated military theory and beliefs, poor leadership and command structure, and poor preparations on the Belgian border. I know that even the Germans were extremely surprised by how quickly France fell, and the German invasion force was very lucky.