main part of the
Also, I think France, being a war-weary country mainly situated on static, front line defense, would have fallen to the Blitzkrieg whatever time it occured. It was simply to favorable a set up for the Germans.
I'm not sure France was that much more war weary than most other nations at that time, and her defences certainly weren't just based on static front line defence.
The Magiont line was intended to cover the main part of the French border in order to leave the main part of the French Army a manoeuvre room (in Belgium and into Germany).
So far the strategic plan worked OK, but the problems showed up at the operational and tactical plans, as the Germans didn't do as the French plan intended them to (repeating 1914 and go through Belgium) and when meeting the Germans in combat the French CCC (Command, Communication and Control) system simply proved too slow for Blitzkrieg. On top of that the Germans were extremely lucky, even when their commanders disobeyed orders, it turned out to their advantage.
Had the French obliged to the static defence label they are usually seen with, and not advanced into Belgium, they would have been left with plenty of forces to grind down the German spearheads. In OTL the French already by 1st of June had implemented effective anti-blitzkrieg tactics, but had by then wasted most troops. With the troops cut off in Belgium still available the German chance is practically non-existent.
Concerning morale the French troops, when placed in situation in accordance with their plans and orders actually fought very well. But no unit's morale can survive being cut-off, surrounded and with orders from above clearly out of contact with present reality. As one Frenchman expressed it: "our tanks came in 1000 units of three tanks but the Germans came in three units of 1000 tanks!". So seen from the French side each battle would be felt like taking on 1000 enemy tanks with three of your own - while the 999 other units waited for orders.
Had the German however slowed down a bit, and even trivial PoDs could cause that, the French doctrine would have had the time to gain its coherrence. And once that happens the Germans will litterally run into a wall of fire.
Had the German attack been postponed, the basic factors of slow reacting French probably would not have changed much, but the French would have been tremendously better equipped. Plenty of anti-tank guns (ATG), some of them in the selfpropelled Laffly mounting, and an airforce many times the strength of the OTL one from May 1940. The Germans OTOH will with their not yet fully mobilised industry remain practically constant. French ATGs in great numbers will mean German attrition rates making it impossible to reach the Channel and if the Luftwaffe doesn't gain air superiority almost instantly, the large part of the German army risk being trapped at the Meuse crossings.
It appears like the longer term French plan was to make a major attack in mid 1941, not in the Blitzkrieg way, but in a slow and systematic advance breaching the Siegfried Line with 90 ton tanks with 90mm high velocity guns (making the Tiger look like a cub).
Regards
Steffen Redbeard