-
British and French army forces begin defensive preparations
British and French army forces begin defensive preparations in Belgium in an effort to stave off the German advance. A long line of strategic defenses is contructed. -
Period: to
Franse during WWII
France during WWII -
Panzer Corps XV and XIX break through the Allied defenses
Panzer Corps XV and XIX break through the Allied defenses at Sedan, allowing German forces to completely bypass the formidable defenses at the French Maginot Line. -
Hitler orders his forces not to cross the Lens-Bethune-St Omer-Gravelines line
In a stunning move, Hitler orders his forces not to cross the Lens-Bethune-St Omer-Gravelines line, allowing the retreating Allied forces more time to reach the French coast. -
Dunkerk
Some 40,000 French soldiers are taken prisoner by Germany at the fall of Dunkirk. German Luftwaffe bombers cease bombardment of Dunkirk. Operation Dynamo - the evacuation of Allied forces at Dunkirk - officially ends. 338,326 total soldiers are saved including 113,000 French troops. -
Dieppe invasion
At 5:35 AM, Allied armor makes it to the beach. Over half of the tanks are lost in the action. By 2:00 PM, all survivors of the Dieppe invasion have been rescued. Left behind are 3,367 casualties, wounded, prisoners of war or missing. At 5:20 AM, the main invasion force - made up of the 14th Army Tank Regiment, the Essex Scottish Regiment, and the Royal Hamilton Light Infantry - come ashore. -
Operation Jubilee
By 11:00 AM, disaster has completely befallen the invaders. Many are trapped, forced back or dead to a prepared German defense. Operation Jubilee is officially put into action. At 4:30 AM, Canadian soldiers wade ashore and take on the German coastal batteries at Berneval, Puys, Pourville and Varengville. At 3:48 AM, several Allied invasion vessels run into a German convoy, which actively engages the ships, ruinin -
French cease-fire
The US Western and Central task forces tangle with Vichy French opposition. At Oran, French coastal guns destroya US transport with 200 soldiers aboard. Mast surrenders to the British Eastern Task Force. The first French cease-fires begin to ring out across Algeria and Morocco. US forces tangle with a suprisingly stout French defense. -
Prep for D-day
Allied bombers increase their sorties across Northern and Western France in preparations of the D-Day landings. Targets include the vital railways, railyards, bridges and roads dotting the French landscape. These facilities will prove crucial to the German response to the invasion. -
end of D-day
By midnight, D-Day is more or less over. Not all objectives are captured but progress is made nonetheless. By 8:00PM, the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division out of Juno beach connects with the British 50th Division out of Gold beach. This union becomes the largest Allied-held pocket in the north of France to this point. The German 21st Panzer Division is repelled by a combined Allied armor and air assault, saving further actions at Sword. -
End
Hitler orders his 6th SS Panzer Army out of the Ardennes forrest on the West Front towards Budapest, Hungary in the east. Marking the end of the occupation of france.
