The Invasion of France

THE INVASION OF FRANCE

THE NAZI OCCUPATION

On May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands before pushing into France. The blistering German offensive completely routed the French army. France was then divided into two zones: the occupied zone governed by the Wehrmacht and the free zone governed by the Vichy regime. The Allies, who were preparing for the Normandy landings in France in the summer of 1944, were up against a country entirely occupied by the German forces.

People looking at the damage caused by a bombing raid during the Nazi occupation in 1940 (source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101II-MW-2354-29 / Kraupa; Tuskany; Duskamp / CC-BY-SA 3.0).
A Wehrmacht coastal surveillance post in northern France, June 21, 1942 (source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-292-1283-09 / Koll / CC-BY-SA 3.0).
Frenchmen queue under the watchful eye of German soldiers, August 1940 (source: Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I 057-1691-03 / Bauer / CC-BY-SA 3.0).

FRENCH LIFE UNDER THE OCCUPATION

In the occupied zone, the Wehrmacht unleashed a regime of terror against French civilians, who had to cope with food rationing, forced labour, and exposure to Nazi propaganda. Movement and contact between the different occupation zones were also monitored. Many French sympathizers collaborated with the Wehrmacht. For example, a number of French politicians organized fascist militias to directly help the Nazis repress and carry out genocide against the Jews. In the free zone, the Vichy regime adopted totalitarian and anti-Semitic policies that led to the deportation of numerous Jews to Nazi death camps. In total, over 76,000 Jews were deported from France, many to Auschwitz.

Elie Dawang

Avec autorisation du Musée de l'Holocauste Montréal.

Marguerite Élias Quddus

Avec autorisation du Musée de l'Holocauste Montréal.
Source: gallica.bnf.fr / BnF.

On the other hand, French resistance to the occupying forces was also very strong, and by June 1944, more than 100, 000 people had joined the maquisards, who hid in the woods and mountains and launched sabotage and assassination operations against the occupiers. The consequences for these actions could be very severe, and the Wehrmacht committed many war crimes to eradicate the Resistance.

On August 21, 1941, a member of the Wehrmacht was murdered in Paris by a presumed French Resistance fighter. In response, the occupying army issued this notice announcing retribution against anyone considered a suspect in the murder.
THE
WORLD
AT WAR
THE
INVASION
OF FRANCE
THE
LANDINGS
FROM THE BEACH
TO THE COUNTRYSIDE
BEYOND
LIBERATION
FIGHTING TILL
THE END