Comments by "" (@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684) on "Let's Discuss the Fall of France 1940 | TIK Q&A 12" video.

  1. Postwar research showed that in total 558,032 people, (368,491 of them being British troops or 66%) were evacuated from France by operations "Dynamo" & "Aerial". The numbers evacuated from the Dunkirk pocket alonewere. 203,000 British troops, 112,000 French troops 23,000 Belgian troops. The BEF suffered 66,426 casualties, that was 11,014 killed or died of wounds, 14,074 wounded and 41,338 men missing or taken prisoner The BEF lost one seventh of its personnel killed and captured, because the TEN BEF divisions on the Belgian border were left isolated by the unannounced withdrawal of the French first army on their right flank, and collapse of the Belgian forces on their left. The Perimeter of the Dunkirk pocket was manned by British, French and Belgian troops, which fought to allow British French and Belgian troops be evacuated MOSTLY by the RN and British "little ships".
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  2. War exhaustion for sure, but don't forget between the wars France had been torn apart by political instability. Communism was a force growing within many nations in Europe, indeed it is what helped the nazis into power in Germany. Within France the political establishment swung wildly from the communist left towards ardent nationalist parties of the right and back again, ministries fought against other ministries of the French government for finance and power. Her military planning & procurement for 20 years saw NO long term objective as failed French coalition government after failed French coalition government changed its prorities and desires.
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  3. That aged like fine milk..... its bloody 28°c here at the moment.. we're having vitamin D overload !!!
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  4. How can the 10 divisions of the BEF "stand firm" when the entire Belgian army capitulates on its left and the +150 divisions of the French army on its right are falling back in chaos?
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  5. What British forces do you imagine were avialable on the continent in 1939? By december 1939 2 months after the fall of Poland just THREE British divisions of the BEF were in position on the Belgian border, while the French completely botched their own mobilisation. Do you imagine that nations keep fully equipped standing armies ready at a moment's notice ready to leap into action? Awwww Bless.
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