Book contents
- Defeat and Division
- Armies of the Second World War
- Defeat and Division
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 France in the Age of Total War
- 2 From Phoney Peace to Phoney War, 1938–1940
- 3 Case Yellow
- 4 “Stand and Fight …”
- 5 “The War Is Over for Us”
- 6 “The Wisdom of a Great Leader”
- 7 La France libre
- 8 “Grandi soldati”
- 9 France’s North African Hinterland
- 10 Torch
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - “Stand and Fight …”
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 August 2022
- Defeat and Division
- Armies of the Second World War
- Defeat and Division
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Maps
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 France in the Age of Total War
- 2 From Phoney Peace to Phoney War, 1938–1940
- 3 Case Yellow
- 4 “Stand and Fight …”
- 5 “The War Is Over for Us”
- 6 “The Wisdom of a Great Leader”
- 7 La France libre
- 8 “Grandi soldati”
- 9 France’s North African Hinterland
- 10 Torch
- Epilogue
- Acknowledgments
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
After following the retreat to Dunkirk, and the evacuation by sea of thousands of British and French soldiers, Chapter 4 examines the impact of Weygand’s command. Weygand’s organization of his so-called “hedgehogs” on the Aisne supposedly revived French resolve and resilience. In fact, examination of the archives reveals that these “hedgehogs” were improvized and most collapsed quite quickly. Second, more concerned with an imaginary communist uprising in Paris rather than prolonging French resistance to an inexorable German advance, Weygand’s defeatism and fear of popular insurrection became a major catalyst in France’s decision to request an armistice. The chapter concludes with a summary of the maneuvers and calculations in the French cabinet and High Command that scuppered the opportunity to fight on from the colonies and solidified support for the armistice.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Defeat and DivisionFrance at War, 1939–1942, pp. 180 - 229Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022