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Originally posted by Zealot:
They were almost unshakenable in saying that the Ardennes forest was totally impassable to tanks. If someone, a french farmer, anyone bothered to look at the forest and say, 'I can fit a tank through there,' then the invasion could of gone alot differently
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This is such a common misconception, it makes myblood boil when I see it stated. (no offense intended by the way) The French did not think the Ardennes was impassable, neither did the Germans. In spring of 1938, the Fremch military conducted an excersis which simulated a German attack through the Ardennes forest. They predicted that the Germans could cross the Ardennes in 60 hours, which is not that much longer than it actually took them in 1940.
Howeverm Gamelin summed up the French position in 1936 when he stated that the Ardennes "would not support large operations, and would be a secondary front of any assault into France". The road structure, narrow, winding and few, convinced everyone in France that if an offensive were launched through the Ardennes, there would be plenty of time to react, and stop them at the Meuse, kep in mind that the Meuse is at its most difficult to cross in fron of the Ardennes sector. People concentrate too much on the Ardennes ofensive, yes it was an impressive logistical demonstration, but the real achievement was not the offensive, but the nearly inhuman effort the Germans put up in crossing the meusa first at Houx, then at Sedan. That was the impossible feat.
Quote:
Originally posted by Zealot:
The French did advance, but no further then there fortress wall guns can fire. Plus, the French had lost alot of spirit since World War I and many thought that if they stayed quiet and stood still maybe the German war machine won't come rolling in and capture there country. They thought wrong.
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Again, common misconceptions propagated mostly by Post-war French Historians trying to distance themselves from the 'architects of disaster' of 1940. The Maginot line was not meant to serve as the sum-total of the French defence, it was meant to free up troops and arms for offensive operations. France was acutely aware of their manpower shortage compared to Germany, most of the Interwar press talks about it, petain even blamed the fall of France on it. the Maginot line was an attempt to make up that dirth of manpower with massive fortifications.
France was the first nation in the world to have an actual mechanised division, and their DLMs (Divisions Legeres Mechanisees) equipped with the SOMUA were excellent, and caused som serious damage to the Germans. However they were all deployed into belgium,a nd so irrelevant for the first weeks of the war. The 3 DCR (Divisions Cuirasees Reserves) or heavy tank divisions were badly used, badly led, and poorly equipped, the BIBis tank was powerful and difficult to destroy, but used an enormous amount of fuel, were slow and unwieldly, and were dispersed rather than being concentrated.
The French forces were willing to fight, and in places where they culd, they fought hard. But they were outmaneuvered, and their war blan of the 'methodical war' which was taught in war colleges, was no match for the new German tactic of initiative and mission-style orders among all ranks of the German military.