Well, I can't pad this one out any further, so I'll have to update at the bottom of the page. Serves me right.
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THE BATTLE OF FRANCE
The breakthrough at Sedan was bad news for the Allies, but utterly dire for the trapped BEF, as the Heer now had the opportunity to completely cut off the Allied reserve from the forces in northern Belgium. An intense debate erupted in Parliament over the next course of action. One camp, led by Horace Wilson, believed that the cause was lost and that the only way to save the BEF was to call for a ceasefire with Germany and thus pull out of France entirely, while the other, led by now War Minister Winston Churchill, claimed that it was still possible to extract the BEF from Dunkirk before the Wehrmacht caught up with them. The proposed Operation Dynamo was a singularly daring one, requiring mobilisation of even civilian merchant vessels while other Allied forces held the Germans back. Halifax considered both proposals; although he, like Wilson, was inclined to the opinion that the BEF was almost impossible to retrieve without a ceasefire, negotiating a separate peace with Germany would be tantamount to betraying the French, even though the BEF had lost all capability for land operations. Furthermore, with the Italian entry into the war, there were no neutral parties left to arbitrate a ceasefire. The second point meant that seeking a ceasefire from Germany now would be further interpreted as unilateral capitulation [1].
Based on these points, Halifax approved plans for evacuation proposed by Churchill. For Churchill to publicly advocate such a risky operation was a massive gamble, as the disaster at Gallipoli in the Great War had led to his downfall then. Nonetheless, he pressed on, and a veritable fleet of varied vessels was assembled to extract the trapped soldiers. Unfortunately, the delays caused by the confused strategic situation meant that the German supply wagon had caught up with their armoured divisions, and the Panzers could press straight on to the coast – which they did, commanded by General Georg von Küchler. Küchler was ordered to encircle the British before they could evacuate and thus knock the British out of the Battle of France for good. Göring informed Weber that it was a surety that the BEF would be captured or destroyed, as the Luftwaffe could render the harbours useless and dominate the beaches [2].
The battle that ensued on the shores of Dunkirk to evacuate the BEF, as well as accompanied Allied troops, has been described as “The Longest Day” – and it was certainly a titanic effort on the part of the British, who assembled a massive armada of varied naval ships, sloops, trawlers, tugboats and even river vessels – these irregular vessels being termed “The Little Ships of Dunkirk” – and scrambled them to the shores of France, even as the Royal Air Force struggled with the Luftwaffe in the skies above the main city, further from the beaches. The Wehrmacht assault was relentless, tearing through the defensive lines the Allies had set up at Lille between the German pocket and Dunkirk, although not before the British had time to evacuate between the night of the 20th and the full day of the 21st. However, by the 22nd of May, time had run out for the British, and Panzer divisions thundered through the city of Dunkirk, heading straight for the beaches. Through the tireless efforts of the Royal Navy (along with the “Little Ships”) and the RAF, a grand total of about 70,000 British soldiers were evacuated (40,000 on the last day, before the German breakthrough), along with about 20,000 Allied troops. The Royal Navy, beyond transporting evacuees, was tasked with defending the transport vessels from relentless assaults by the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine [3].
Figure 22: The Evacuation of Dunkirk by Charles Ernest Cundall, painted 1940 [4].
Of the entire BEF deployed in the defence of France, 340,000 troops, along with an incredible amount of materiel, had fallen into German hands. The reaction of the British press to the evacuation was ambivalent, with some terming it the “Miracle of Dunkirk” – a miracle that even this number had been rescued – while others equally interpreted it as the “Disaster at Dunkirk”, given that the vast majority of the BEF was stranded in France. Halifax thus gave a grave and factual speech on the evening of the 22nd to a rapt audience all over Britain – and indeed, the free world, as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt of the United States of America was also deeply concerned by the European situation.
Halifax announced from the BBC Broadcasting House that, “Upon the recommendation of War Minister Churchill, I approved ‘Operation Dynamo’ – the evacuation of our troops from France, such that we may rearm and regroup against the advancing German forces. As of two days ago the port of Dunkirk had not yet fallen into German hands, and it was there where we chose to execute this rescue. It was estimated that about forty thousand of our troops might be rescued."
"I can now announce that locked in titanic struggle with the enemy in the seas near Dunkirk and the skies over France, the Royal Air Force, so maligned by the army, along with the Royal Navy, aided by the valiant contribution of the numerous merchant vessels used for the operation, have permitted the rescue of seventy thousand of our servicemen, exceeding our estimates by nearly one-fold. However, this is no valiant victory, nor epic triumph. For, of the four hundred thousand we had deployed, only these seventy thousand have returned – to speak nothing of the situation in France itself,” Halifax continued, explaining the three major breakthroughs along the Escaut, through the Ardennes and at Nice.
“We have entered a desperate new phase of the war. If the German horde is dissatisfied with their gains in continental Europe, won through trickery and brute force, it will soon be my solemn duty to call for the defence of our own shores against the forces that threaten to overwhelm our island. However, in that task we must remember that this nation has repelled foreign invasion for nigh a thousand years – whether be it in the form of the Spanish Armada, so driven from our shores, or in the fleet Napoleon assembled, so defeated at Trafalgar, both equally foiled by the brilliance and distinction of the defenders of our great nation. We must hope that it shall be many thousands years more before we ever capitulate. Victory against these invaders can only be won through the sacrifice of our blood, our sweat, and if necessary, our own lives. And should we expend all these, and should it still prove insufficient, then let the defence of our island against these forces of tyranny and oppression be known as the finest moments in the history of this nation, and of the British Empire, forevermore.” [5]
The mention of Churchill in the explanation of Dynamo had been agreed upon following discussion between Halifax and Churchill, where Churchill would accept full responsibility for Dunkirk, and quietly be reassigned to another post in the War Office should Parliament turn against him as it had following Gallipoli, to preserve continuity in leadership at this turning point [6]. The Punch cartoon of the 23rd depicts a submerged Churchill, reaching for air, chained by his ankles to two massive anchors, labelled GALLIPOLI 1915 and DUNKIRK 1940 [7]. Nonetheless, Churchill was able to survive a vote of confidence, eventually rising to Prime Minister following Halifax’s premiership.
Figure 23: Winston Churchill, Minister of War (left) and the Viscount Halifax (right), Prime Minister of Great Britain, following the “Dunkirk Address”.
Halifax’s statements regarding the French strategic situation were essentially accurate – the stalemate at the Ardennes had ended, and the Wehrmacht was now steadily advancing on Paris, consolidating around Creil and Meaux. Gamelin’s replacement, General Maxime Weygand, failed to make effective counterattacks into the German pocket, eventually withdrawing to defensive lines around Paris. Every day the conflict ground on was an advantage to the Germans as their supply train caught up with them. By the 28th of May, the relentless bombardment of Paris and its greater metropolitan area by the Luftwaffe was supplemented by long-range artillery.
The Luftwaffe would occasionally fly sorties dropping propaganda leaflets, warning of future bombardments and stating that “This destructive conflict need not continue. The sooner this war ends the better for all.” It is said that the majority of these leaflets were converted to pulp, scrap and toilet paper by the Parisians remaining in the city [8]. Nonetheless, the majority of citizens in Northern France began a massive westwards and southwards flight away from German forces, causing congestions all over French traffic networks. Worse yet, the Italian pocket, now well-supplied by the Regia Marina, was steadily (albeit very slowly) expanding, and the Regia Aeronautica was commencing operations against Malta in preparation for a strike against French North Africa [9].
When it became clear that an offensive against Paris was soon to occur, which would result in a bloody and protracted struggle where any outcome would come at an incredibly high price consisting of French blood and land, Prime Minister Paul Reynaud ordered an evacuation of the French government, and preparations for an extensive siege and even guerrilla campaign, should the Wehrmacht overwhelm continental France. The German Foreign Minister, Konstantin von Neurath, began to send telegraph messages to the French government, indicating the German government “did not wish to achieve the destruction of France”, instead being agreeable to “the end of this conflict which the great powers of Europe have been drawn into through no wish of their own”, and above all, “avoidance of the trenches once again”.
Even as the missive was received, plans were being drawn up for Operation Ariel, the evacuation of Allied forces through the west coast, and when prompted for his opinion, Weygand stated that “asking for a strategy now is akin to attempting to fix a lock upon a broken door”. When the new War Minister, Marshal Philippe Pétain, concurred, Reynaud resigned in favour of Pétain, saying that “May God give you the grace to save our nation on paper; I have already tried to do so on the battlefield, to absolutely no avail.”
Figure 24: Marshal Philippe Pétain, Prime Minister of the Third French Republic following Paul Reynaud’s resignation and signatory of the Treaty of Gutenberg.
Weygand was quickly driven to Compiegne under armed guard, where he agreed to a ceasefire with German forces, preceding full negotiations elsewhere. Olry and the Army of the Alps were similarly ordered to cease operations. Pétain contacted Halifax, informing him of the decision to begin negotiations, and Halifax responded by asking Chamberlain, who had been reassigned as Foreign Secretary, to request a similar ceasefire. These were agreed to by Neurath and Count Galeazzo Ciano, the Italian Foreign Minister, and it was announced that negotiations were to begin immediately in Gutenberg Castle, situated in neutral Liechtenstein [10]. When Chamberlain informed Halifax of the impending negotiations, Halifax then said to him, “I have now become the modern Atlas, bearing the fate of Europe upon my shoulders. I share some of the feeling you too bore; let us hope that we may bring about a stronger peace than that which was made at Munich.”
[1] It's commonly held that if Halifax was PM, he would advocate a ceasefire, like he did in OTL as Foreign Minister. Here, the situation is slightly different, furthermore, as Foreign Minister, he could advocate such a stand, but representing the British in the struggle, it's somewhat plausible that Halifax is more concerned about possibly projecting an image of abandoning the French.
[2] Unlike OTL, there is no Halt Order controversy, as the supply lines have caught up and Weber wants as many hostages...I mean POWs...as he can get, so he can use them as a bargaining chip.
[3] About that many were rescued on the first three days of OTL Dunkirk, although to be frank I just switched the numbers around.
[4] Apparently I'm supposed to attribute the source of this painting if I use it, so here you go.
[5] It's not quite "We shall fight on the beaches...", but then again, Halifax is not quite Churchill either.
[6] Churchill here is doing the Batman in The Dark Knight thing - as Minister of War, he can take it, but Britain going through 3 PMs in a week would be a major disruption to the leadership just when it really isn't needed. I'm aware Churchill and Halifax were hardly friends, but this is a pragmatically calculated political move by both, not an act of particular friendship or anything. (Oh god, now I'm imagining Halifax and Churchill as two halves of a tsundere thing. Don't judge me!!)
[7] I do like my political cartoons, don't I?
[8] I'm pretty sure I lifted this off some other similar anecdote somewhere else, but for the life of me I can't remember where.
[9] As in OTL, although earlier.
[10] Liechtenstein can into relevance??
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