America vs England. Part of 15. Woe to the vanquished
French citizens, at the entrance of the Nazis to Paris during the Second World War. Source: http://www.adme.ru
Speaking about the reasons for the catastrophic defeat of Nazi Germany by bourgeois France in the spring of 1940, external and internal reasons are usually mentioned. First of all, they call the Wehrmacht with its blitzkrieg - a deep offensive operation with the close interaction of the infantry, tanks, artillery and aviation, as well as the French defeatists with their slogan "slavery is better than war." For my part, I want to draw attention also to such a reason for the defeat of France as its betrayal by the political leadership of Poland and England.
According to Churchill after the fall of Warsaw, “Modlin, a fortress twenty miles downstream of the Vistula ... fought until September 28. So in one month everything was over ”(W. Churchill. World War II // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/english/churchill/1_24.html). “Attempts by the Germans in several visits (3, 8, 14 of September) to push the Soviet side to go beyond the line of delimitation of Soviet-German interests, drawn in a secret protocol, Moscow diverted under various pretexts” (Falin BM On the background of non-aggression pact between the USSR and Germany / / Second World War score. Who started the war and when? - M .: Veche, 2009. - S. 99. It was only after Tokyo’s official notification of September 16 about the cessation of hostilities in Mongolia and the threat of Germans to create “in the territory of Western Ukraine and Western Belarus, unless Soviet troops enter, the state of Ukrainian nationalists under the control of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)” (Shirokorad A. What did the Moscow agreement 1939 of the year give Russia? // http://vpk-news.ru/articles/17649) units of the Red Army 17 of September 1939 entered Poland.
At the same time, "taking into account the attitudes of the ruling circles of England and France regarding the Curzon Line" (Meltyukhov MI Stalin's missed chance. The Soviet Union and the struggle for Europe: 1939 – 1941 // http://militera.lib.ru/research/meltyukhov /03.html) Stalin decided to reconsider his August agreements with the Germans regarding Poland, the troops introduced "to help Ukrainians and Belarusians threatened by the Germans" and therefore "did not fully use the possibilities of advancing the Red Army from August 23 in August. The Vistula. Already on September 20, Molotov suggested that Schulenburg discuss the “fate of the Polish state,” “September 23 Ribbentrop informed Moscow of his readiness to come to the negotiations and requested a convenient time for this. The Soviet government proposed 27 – 28 of September, and ... in the evening of September 25, Stalin and Molotov handed Schulenburg a proposal to discuss in future negotiations the transfer of Lithuania to the Soviet sphere of interests, and in return they were ready to abandon part of the Warsaw and Lublin provinces to the Bug. Stalin said that if the Germans agree to this, then "the USSR will immediately take up the solution of the problem of the Baltic states, in accordance with the protocol of August 23, and expects the full support of the German government in this matter" (Meltyukhov M.I. 17 September 1939 Soviet-Polish Conflicts 1918-1939. - M: Veche, 2009. - C. 433 – 434).
During the 27 — 29 negotiations in September, Stalin told Ribbentrop that he saw in the partition of Poland along the Vistula the cause of possible friction between the USSR and Germany, because if Germany had created a protectorate and the USSR would have to form an autonomous Polish socialist Soviet republic, then this is Stalin could give the Poles a reason for raising the question of "reunification." The Germans met the Soviet side and on September 28 a new agreement was adopted on the delimitation of areas of interest on the Bug. A small so-called redeemed later was left behind Germany. "Mariampolskiy ledge". Since now the “Curzon Line”, taken in December 1919 by the Supreme Council of the Entente as the eastern border of Poland, was taken “as the standard” (Falin. BM Decree. Op. - S. 99), the USSR could show England and France that “not claims to the Polish national territory, and his actions are of a potentially anti-German nature ”(Meltyukhov MI Soviet-Polish conflicts 1918 – 1939. Decree. Op. - C. 441).
The border of mutual state interests of the USSR and Germany in the territory of the former Polish state. September 1939 of the year. Source: http://www.runivers.ru
Indeed, “although the Anglo-French press allowed itself rather sharp statements, the official position of England and France was reduced to the tacit recognition of the Soviet action in Poland” (Meltyukhov MI Soviet-Polish Conflicts 1918 – 1939. Decree. S. - S. 439). America also refused "the Soviet transfer of the eastern border of Poland, established by the Riga Peace Treaty of 1921, ... qualify as an act of war. For reasons of long-term order, the embargo requirements stipulated by the law on neutrality in terms of sales were not extended to the USSR weapons and military materials "(Falin. BM Decree. Op. - S. 99). As for Churchill, he was still convinced of the deep and, in his "opinion, insurmountable antagonism between Russia and Germany and clung to the hope that the Soviets would be pulled to our side by the force of events" (Churchill U.).
Already on September 12, 1939, Hitler declared "his intention, after the victory in Poland, to immediately launch an offensive in the West with the aim of defeating France." The command of the ground forces on September 17 issued a preliminary order in this spirit. On September 20, Hitler announced his decision to start an offensive war against Western countries in 1939. On September 27, Hitler gathered in the Reich Chancellery the commanders of the three branches of the armed forces and already officially announced his intention "(Blitzkrieg in Europe: War in the West. - M .: ACT; Transitbook; St. Petersburg: Terra Fantastica, 2004. - P. 75 76) "as soon as possible go on the offensive in the West with the inclusion of the territories of Holland and Belgium in the combat zone" (Muller-Gillebrand B. German Army. 1933-1945. - M.: Isographus, 2002. - P. 174 ) Hitler also pointed to the goal of the upcoming military operations - to defeat France and bring England to its knees. “September 29 ... the commander-in-chief of the ground forces instructed Halder to prepare preliminary thoughts on the strategic concentration and deployment of the German army and conduct operations“ after overcoming the Dutch and Belgian fortifications ”(V. I. Dashichev Bankruptcy of the strategy of German fascism. Historical essays. Documents and materials. In 2 vols. Volume I. Preparation and deployment of Nazi aggression in Europe. 1933-1941. - M .: Nauka, 1973. - S. 431).
October 6 1939, the year Hitler proposed to convene a general peace conference, which threatened to turn into a new Munich. And only after the refusal of 7 of October, Daladier of 9 of October, Hitler ordered the preparation of a plan for the defeat of France "Gelb". Completion of preparation for the conduct of an offensive operation in the West, Germany planned to finish by November 11 1939. Such a short period of preparation for the offensive was explained by the fact that Hitler thought that “a long war with France and Britain would exhaust Germany’s resources and put it at risk of a mortal blow from Russia. He believed that France must be forced to peace by offensive actions against her; as soon as France leaves the game, England will accept it. ”The conditions that have remained unchanged since Mein Kampf are the surrender of their leading positions to America and the joint defeat of the USSR (Liddel Garth B.G. World War II. - Moscow: AST, St. Petersburg: Terra Fantastica, 1999 // http://militera.lib.ru/h/liddel-hart/04.html).
October 10 Hitler repeated his attempt, having received a refusal the next day already from Chamberlain. Moreover, if Chamberlain strictly followed the American plan to defeat France because he was forced to think not about a new quadrilateral agreement, but about expelling Churchill who led the war party from the government, Daladier really believed that Germany was on the verge of defeat. October 10, in France, the development of plans to tighten the economic blockade of Germany began. In particular, it was supposed to paralyze the mechanized Soviet army, industry, agriculture and, by causing industrial and food hunger, to get the Soviet Union to stop economic aid by bombarding the Soviet oil production and refining centers in the Caucasus, supplying the country up to 80 – 90% of fuel and oils Germany. “In Paris, it was meant that these plans should be carried out in close cooperation with the British” (Stepanov A. The Caucasus crisis. Part of 1 // http://www.airforce.ru/history/caucasus/caucasus1.htm). 19 October 1939 England and France signed a mutual assistance agreement with Turkey, which allowed, if necessary, significantly expand the network of airfields to strike at the USSR.
Meanwhile, the USSR began to expand its sphere of influence. “On October 1, the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU (B.) Adopted a program of Sovietization of Western Ukraine and Western Belorussia, which has been strictly implemented. Elected October 22 The people's assemblies of Western Belarus and Western Ukraine 27 – October 29 proclaimed Soviet power and asked for their inclusion in the USSR. 1 – November 2 The 1939 of the USSR Supreme Soviet granted their request. The solution of the Polish question ended with these events ”(Meltyukhov MI, ibid.). 28 September 1939 of the year the Soviet Union signed an agreement on mutual assistance with Estonia, 5 of October - with Lithuania, 10 of October - Agreement of mutual assistance and transfer to the Republic of Lithuania of Vilna and the Vilna region. October 5 1939 V. Molotov invited Finnish Foreign Minister E. Erkko to negotiate in Moscow “to discuss topical issues of Soviet-Finnish relations.” The negotiations by the Finns were thwarted and ultimately ended with the incident in Mainil and the beginning of 30 on November 1939 of the year of hostilities.
The Soviet-Finnish war attracted the attention of the warring countries to the northern regions of Europe. “For the Germans, a significant role was played by the question of whether to prevent the invasion of the Western allies in Norway in order to exclude a threat to the northern flank of Germany, while ensuring unhindered import of ore and seizing bases for their fleet outside the limited German Bay [actually the German coast of the North Sea - SL]. On December 14, 1939, Hitler ordered the OKW to study the question of the possibility of a military occupation of Denmark and Norway. In January 1940, he decided to begin the practical preparation of such an operation. On January 16, 1940, the state of constant combat readiness for an immediate start of the offensive ... in the West ... was canceled. On January 27, 1940, a working headquarters was created under OKW, which began the development of this operation, code-named "Weserubung" (Müller-Gillebrand B. Decree. Op. Cit., Pp. 175, 179–180).
The delay of the Soviet-Finnish war gave Britain and France a chance to accelerate the victory over Germany by providing volunteers, military equipment, weapons and ammunition, as well as an open declaration of war by the USSR, with Finland’s tacit help. In this case, according to E. Daladier, “the economic war of the allies against Germany will become more effective, because they will be able to strike oil developments in the Caucasus, from where Germany draws fuel, and go to Finland through Norway and Sweden - thus cutting off Germany from its main source of iron ore. Since, according to the intelligence of the Allies, the German economy is working overvoltage, these Allied actions will force Berlin to admit that the war has been lost; the German military, officials, representatives of industry and finance who are already frustrated with the policy, unite and dislodge Hitler and the world - without a single shot and without a single bomb dropped on the Western Front ”(Mei ER Strange Victory / Transl. from English - M. : AST; AST MOSCOW, 2009. - C. 359 – 365).
Meanwhile, "11 February 1940, Moscow, the signing of an economic agreement between the USSR and Germany. It stipulated that the Soviet Union would supply Germany with goods in the amount of 420 – 430 million German marks for 12 months, that is, before February 11 1941 of the year. Germany was obliged to supply the USSR with military materials and industrial equipment for the same amount for 15 months, that is, before 11 in May 1941. On 11 in August 1940 (six months after signing the agreement), as well as on 11 in February 1941 (in a year), German deliveries should have lagged behind the Soviet ones by no more than 20%. Otherwise, the USSR had the right to “temporarily suspend its deliveries” (German-Soviet trade agreement (1939) // https://ru.wikipedia.org).
19 January 1940 French Prime Minister Daladier ordered the commander-in-chief, General Gamelin, the commander of the aircraft, Vuilman, General Coelz, and Admiral Darlan, “to develop a memorandum on a possible invasion to destroy Russian oil deposits” (Blitzkrieg in Europe: War in the West. Dec. C. 24 – 25). Three most probable directions of intervention in the Soviet Union from the south were planned - 1) interception of Soviet oil tankers; 2) direct invasion of the Caucasus; 3 is a Muslim separatist riot organization. “And it was written on the day when the German side was actively preparing for the defeat of France. Halder wrote in his diary on the same day: “Assignment of the term of the offensive, preferably as soon as possible,” and Hitler, identifying new corps commanders for the invading army in France, said that he was convening a regular meeting in the Reich Chancellery about the plan of war in the West ”(Blitzkrieg Europe: War in the West (op. Cit. - S. 25).
E. Daladier persuaded N. Chamberlain to hurry and with the invasion of Finland, However, he who was interested in the defeat of France, in every way delayed and downplayed British aid. At the beginning of February 1940, at a meeting of the Supreme Military Council in Paris, the Allies discussed the plan of the operation being developed. “It seemed that the UK was ready to provide most of the troops and transport. However, when 10 February announced Daladier at a closed session of the Chamber of Deputies that the Allies were going to send enough people and airplanes to continue the fight against the USSR ... the British government ... made it clear that it was not preparing any Scandinavian operation - let alone an operation of such magnitude and the character that Daladier described her in his speech. Chamberlain agreed only with the general plan of the operation - but not with the need to carry it out. In case of the landing of the expeditionary forces, the heads of the British headquarters could provide about 12 000, and not 50 000 people, and no more than 50 aircraft. Moreover, in spite of any requests from Paris or Helsinki, the English contingent will not be ready to leave before mid-March. Daladier was furious ”(May E.R. Decree. Op. - S. 367).
In the meantime, “a month after Daladier’s request from 19 in January, General Gamelin submitted a memorandum on February 11 to the USSR with a plan for an attack on the USSR by the Caucasus. ... Gamelin pointed out that “the operation against the oil industry of the Caucasus will deal a heavy, if not decisive blow to the military and economic organization of the Soviet Union. In the course of several months, the USSR may face such difficulties that it will create a threat of complete disaster. If such an outcome is achieved, then around Germany, which will lose all supplies from Russia, the blockade ring in the East will close. ” ... Stressing that Baku gives 22% of all Soviet oil, Gamelin noted that the bases for raids should be in Turkey, Iran, Syria or Iraq ”(Stepanov A. The Caucasus crisis. Part 75. Ibid.). "And two days later, February 1, in Berlin, Hitler signed the final version of the Gelb directive, which called for the defeat of France" (Blitzkrieg in Europe: The War in the West. Decree. Op. S. 24).
Meanwhile, after 4 in March, the Norwegian and Swedish governments explicitly refused to support any operation to help Finland or to allow the landing of Allied troops ... the British government quickly informed Paris that this put an end to all French plans. If nothing can be done about Finland, then you should move right across the Baltic - but not before mid-April. Daladier vainly opposed this proposal. He called the Finnish ambassador and told him that France would provide assistance even with the objection of Sweden and Norway, and even if the United Kingdom is not yet ready to act.
This happened on 11 of March. The Finnish delegation for negotiations at that moment was already in Moscow. On 12 of March, Daladier learned that the Finns had signed an agreement to end the war and finally ceded all disputed territories to the USSR. ... In government, parliament, and the press, Daladier supporters condemned Britain. On 18 of March, Daladier announced that there would be no offensive in the north, "and on 21 of March he was replaced by P. Reynaud as Prime Minister (May E.R. Decree. Op. - C. 367 – 368). The main role in the new cabinet "was played by the supporters of an" honorable peace "with Germany - Marshal F. Peten, General M. Weygan, Admiral J. Darlan, P. Laval, K. Shotan. This did not stop the German attacks of 10 on May 1940, but predetermined the rapid military collapse of the Third Republic regime. Having the power to defend itself, but guided by weak-willed politicians, France became a new victim of Nazism ”(Recent history of the countries of Europe and America. XX century. In the 2 part. 1: 1900 – 1945 / Edited by A.M. Rodriguez and M.V. Ponomareva. - M.: Vlados, 2001. - S. 253).
March 23 A Lockheed-1940А reconnaissance aircraft flew out of London with colored markings and, making two intermediate landings in Malta and in Cairo, arrived in Habbania. The crew for this assignment was selected by the British secret service, namely the head of the SIS air unit, Colonel FU. Winterbotemom. ... 12 March Reino sent a letter to the British government, where he insistently called for action to "paralyze the economy of the USSR", insisting that the allies should take "responsibility for breaking with the USSR" (Stepanov A. The Caucasian Crisis. Part 25 // http: //www.airforce.ru/history/caucasus/caucasus2.htm). "Along with the ideas of intervention in Sweden and the mining of Norwegian territorial waters, Reynaud proposed" decisive operations on the Black and Caspian Seas "not only ... to reduce Germany’s oil supply, but first of all to paralyze the entire economy of the USSR before the Reich could use it in their own interests ”(Kurtukov I. Dolbanem across Baku! // http://journal.kurtukov.name/?p=2).
“March 26, the British chiefs of staff came to the conclusion that it was necessary to negotiate with Turkey; in their opinion, this would allow "if we have to attack Russia, act effectively." 27 March The members of the English military office examined in detail Raynaud’s letter of 25 March. It was decided "to declare the need to" prepare such plans, but not ... to undertake any obligations in relation to this operation. " On the same day a meeting of the Allied chiefs of staffs was held. The chief of staff of the British Air Force, Newall, said that the British had completed a plan, the implementation of which was scheduled to begin in a month ”(Stepanov A. The Caucasian Crisis. Part 2. Ibid.).
“March 28 ... Raynaud made an ambitious proposal to the British government. ... The first proposal was an immediate attempt to stop the supply of Swedish iron ore to Germany. ... The second was decisive action in the Black Sea and in the Caucasus ”(May E.R. Decree. Op. - S. 370). 30 March 1940 reconnaissance Lockheed-12А from the British airbase in Iraq made a reconnaissance of the Baku oil refineries, and April 5 made Batumi. “Pictures from the air were immediately transferred to the headquarters of the British and French Air Forces in the Middle East” Step 2, “immediately went into work, and on April 2 a plan appeared in the rough, bearing the name WA106, then MA6, and then found its final name - operation “Pike” (Pike) ”(Kurtukov I. Ibid.).
The scheme of the overflight of Soviet cities by an English spy plane. Source: A. Yakushevsky. Aggressive plans and actions of the Western powers against the USSR in 1939-1941. // Military History Magazine, 1981, No. XXUMX. - S. 8
In turn, N. Chamberlain presented his range of proposals - to mine the Norwegian coast, bombard the Ruhr and mine the German rivers. P. Reynaud’s attempt to carry out N. Chamberlain’s project ended in nothing - E. Daladier, remaining Minister of National Defense, vetoed the river mining project and the Ruhr bombing, “fearing that Germany might take revenge” (May E.R. Decree. Op. - C. 372). N. Chamberlain, who only after coming to power in France of the supporters of the “honorable world” with Germany, suddenly “became convinced of the value of stopping the import of ore from Germany” (Mei ER Decree. Op. - C. 373). unexpectedly supported W. Churchill’s proposal to mine Norwegian waters, seize Narvik to clear the port and advance to the Swedish border, as well as Stavanger, Bergen and Trondheim, to prevent the enemy from seizing these bases, despite the cancellation of the operation of bombarding the Ruhr and mining German rivers .
Confident in the failure of Churchill's next adventure, Chamberlain reasonably believed that, as in the case of the unsuccessful Dardanelles operation, one of whose initiators was Churchill, he would again take responsibility for the new failure, resign and leave for the Western front as a battalion commander. Removing Churchill from power and creating a new cabinet of supporters of the "honorable world" with Germany, led by Lord Halifax, the aged prime minister apparently intended to recognize Hitler’s campaign against the Soviet Union after France and England recognized Germany’s victory.
On April 4, a French strike plan against the secular oil fields of the Russie industrie pétrolière (RIP) was sent to the Chairman of the Council of Ministers Raynaud. “Allied operations against the Russian oil region in the Caucasus,” the plan said, “may have the goal ... to take away from Russia the raw materials that it needs for its economic needs, and thus undermine the power of Soviet Russia.” The headquarters of the commander in chief studied the objects of attack. “Military operations against Caucasian oil fields,” wrote Gamelin, “should aim to hit the vulnerable points of the oil industry located there. ... The main thrust of aviation, Gamelin offered to direct to Baku. ...
This plan envisaged the unleashing of a war against the Soviet Union by launching surprise air strikes on its most important economic centers, undermining the country's military-economic potential, and then invading ground forces. Soon [17 of April - SL] the deadline for the attack on the USSR was also set: end of June - beginning of July 1941. In addition to air attacks against the Caucasus, which, according to the Anglo-French leadership, could undermine the basis of the economy of the Soviet Union, from the sea. Further successful development of the offensive was to draw Turkey and other southern neighbors of the USSR into the war on the side of the Allies. The English General Wavell came into contact with the Turkish military leadership for this purpose ”(Blitzkrieg in Europe: War in the West. Decree. Op. C. 25 – 27).
6 On April 1940, the British Military Cabinet agreed to officially notify Norway of the start of the mine installation in three days, and also resumed preparations for sending troops to Scandinavia. “The operation was carried out ineptly. The British expedition was easily repulsed by German troops, who, anticipating such a move, entered Norway earlier. A puppet government headed by Vidkun Quisling was formed in the country, and the British had to leave Norway.
That is, not only the supply of iron ore to Germany was not stopped, but because of the military defeat, Norway fell into the hands of the Nazis, moreover, even the Swedish sovereignty in favor of Hitler was threatened ”(Lynn P., Prince K., Pryor S. Unknown Hess. Double standards of the Third Reich / Translated from English by Y. Soklov. - M .: OLMA PRESS, 2006. - C. 109) and only USSR intervention prevented the violation of Swedish sovereignty. Among other things, “the landing of the German troops in Norway ... pushed the operation against the Caucasian oil fields to the backyard planning. ... Elaboration of plans for some time rolled by inertia, but the preparation for their implementation was finally frozen. Raynaud is still trying to raise this topic at the meeting of the All-Union Supreme Military Council 22 – 23 of April, stating that it would have been possible to strike a blow in about 2 – 3 of the month, but Chamberlain puts an end to this matter. ... At the last meeting of the 27 Supreme Military Council on April 1940, the topic of the Caucasus is no longer discussed ”(Kurtukov I.).
Contrary to N. Chamberlain's expectations, W. Churchill turned his complete failure into a brilliant victory and “despite his guilt, ... he managed to emerge victorious. ... Serious failure had serious consequences, recalling another Churchill-planned military disaster - the Dardanelles operation 1915 of the year, which led to his resignation this year from the post of First Lord of the Admiralty. The memory of the Dardanelles disaster caused many in 1940 to doubt Churchill's ability as a state leader. However, ironically, this new fiasco led to renewed criticism of the government of Chamberlain, clearing the way for Churchill's ascent ”(Lynn P., Prince K., Pryor S. Decree. Op. - C. 109).
During parliamentary debates on Norway 7 – 8 in May 1940, N. Chamberlain was widely criticized, the government received a vote of confidence with an unconvincing majority (282 deputy against 200) and failed to create a coalition government with Labor, was forced to leave the post of prime minister the minister “At that time it was accepted that the outgoing conservative prime minister called his successor. At that time there were only two candidates: Lord Halifax and Winston Churchill. Halifax was a favorite of both the conservative party and the establishment. He was a close friend of George VI, his wife was one of the maid of honor of Queen Elizabeth. Undoubtedly, he is a big supporter of peace negotiations than Chamberlain, and insisted on holding them even after the start of the war ”(Lynn P., Prince K., Pryor S. Decree. Op. - C. 109 – 110).
However, E. Halifax in a closed meeting, unexpectedly for all, rejected the proposal to take the post of prime minister, which automatically made W. Churchill the prime minister. “Obviously, something unexpected happened at this meeting, but no one knows what. Perhaps the key to the event should be found in the diary of John Colville, the personal secretary of both politicians (Chamberlain and Churchill), in an entry from 10 in May: “Nothing can prevent him [Churchill] from achieving his goal - because of his blackmailer skill only the king does not take full advantage of his own rights and does not send for another person; unfortunately, if there is only another candidate - an unconcerable Halifax. ” ...
Churchill's triumph was a terrible blow to the king. They say that he "sharply objected" to the appointment of Churchill as prime minister and tried to persuade Chamberlain to change his mind and find a way to refute the objections of Halifax. ... When Chamberlain insisted on his own, George VI was so enraged that he allowed himself an unprecedented insult, refusing to express his usual regret at his resignation. The crushed Chamberlain didn’t last long after that: poor health forced him to leave politics "in September of 1940. He died two months after that (Lynn P., Prince K., Pryor S. Decree. Op. - S. 110).
“It seems that Churchill had an incomprehensible power over Chamberlain and Halifax — let us recall the mention of his“ blackmailer skill ”by Corville, and he used it without hesitation as a threat. Although all the chances were on the side of Halifax, the independent ex-journalist climbed to the very top, where he intended to stay - in the most serious way. Nevertheless, it seems that Churchill’s office accepted Churchill, by the way, without pleasure, only because he was considered a stopper at the prime minister’s place, able to stay at this place only until peace talks with Hitler began (Lynn P., Prince C., Prior S. Decree op. - S. 110).
The arrival of William Churchill to power, and in addition to the Prime Minister, he also became Minister of Defense, which led to a change in the course of British politics - unlike N. Chamberlain and E. Halifax, who agreed that England, along with Germany, would destroy the USSR, W. Churchill sought to England with the USSR destroyed Germany. For the sake of introducing Hitler into confusion at first, W. Churchill “brought Chamberlain’s supporters into the office and appointed them to responsible foreign policy posts” (ZAlessky, KA, Who was Who in World War II: Allies of the USSR. - M .: AST; Astrel; VZOI, 2004. - C. 605). E. Halifax remained at the head of the foreign affairs agency, N. Chamberlain - “a member of the coalition government of Winston Churchill and leader of the Conservative Party, as well as Lord President of the Council” (Zalesky KA. Decree. Op. - C. 129, 602).
“10 May 1940, on the day of N. Chamberlain’s resignation, Germany attacked France, Holland and Belgium” (S. Lebedev. How and when did Adolf Hitler decide to attack the USSR // http://www.regnum.ru/news/ polit / 1538787.html). 15 May fell Holland and Winston Churchill was forced in his very first telegram sent to President F. Roosevelt after he became Prime Minister to ask him to lend England "40 - 50 of old destroyers in order to fill the gap between what we have available at the present time, and new large-scale construction, undertaken by us at the very beginning of the war. By this time in the coming year we will have them in large numbers, but before that, if Italy opposes us, having even 100 submarines, our tension can reach the limit ”(Churchill U. World War II // http: // militera.lib.ru/memo/english/churchill/2_20.html).
"Relying on the conclusion after the defeat of France of peace with England and the organization of a joint campaign against the USSR, 24 May 1940 A. Hitler stopped the tank attack of his troops" against allies defending Dunkirk (S. Lebedev). By giving British troops the opportunity to evacuate from the northern "bag", Hitler retained for the coming campaign against the USSR not only British and German soldiers, but also the armored vehicles essential for the invasion of the USSR. According to D. Proektor, the “miracle under Dunkirk” arose as the first step towards the implementation of Hitler’s now emerging new plan: to make peace with England and with its support to attack the Soviet Union. "Dunkirk", Hitler's attempts to make peace with England, the plan "Seeel" (plan to invade England) and, finally, the plan "Barbarossa" (plan of aggression against the USSR) - a single line of political and military maneuvers and decisions. A single chain, and "Dunkirk" - its first link "(Blitzkrieg in Europe: War in the West. Decree. Op. - S. 244).
The “stop order” surprised not only the German generals, to whom A. Hitler “explained the stopping of tank units ... by the desire to save tanks for the war in Russia”. Even the closest associate of A. Hitler R. Hess convinced him that the defeat of British troops in France would speed the world with England. However, Hitler did not succumb to anyone's persuasion and remained adamant - the defeat of the thousandth British group 200, undoubtedly, increased the chances of peace between England and Germany, but at the same time reduced England’s potential in the fight against the Soviet Union, which was completely unacceptable for Hitler.
On 27 in May, the number of evacuees was small — only 7669 people, but then the evacuation rate increased dramatically, and 338 thousand people, including 110 thousand French, were evacuated from Dunkirk. British expeditionary forces threw a large number of military equipment and heavy weapons. Meanwhile, "in 4: May 00 28, the Belgian troops were ordered to lay down their arms, since Belgium agreed to an unconditional surrender."
28 May 1940, after making sure that the British were evacuated from Dunkirk, A. Hitler began to discuss the invasion army in the USSR. 2 June, in the days of the attack on Dunkirk, he expressed "the hope that now England will be ready to go to the" conclusion of a reasonable peace "and declared that then he would have his hands free to carry out his" great and immediate task - the confrontation with Bolshevism " , and 15 June ordered the reduction of the army to 120 divisions with a simultaneous increase in the number of mobile units to 30. The increase in the number of mobile connections, according to B. Muller-Hillebrand, was necessary for A. Hitler for the war in the vast expanses of Russia ”(S. Lebedev, ibid.).
According to W. Churchill, Hitler "cherished the hope that England will seek peace." According to him, “Hitler ... had to end the war in the West. He could offer the most tempting conditions, "even agreeing" not to touch England, her empire and fleet and make peace that would provide him with the freedom of action in the East that Ribbentrop told me in 1937 a year and which was his most intimate desire "( Churchill U. World War II (http://militera.lib.ru/memo/english/churchill/2_11.html). However, despite everything 4 June, Winston Churchill declared that he was ready to continue the war, and intended to fight "if necessary - for years, if necessary - alone."
"11 June of France and England declared war on Italy." Now among the French government there was no longer any talk of resisting the Germans. Continuously there were government meetings. Reynaud offered to surrender the country to the enemy, and flee the government to North Africa or England, handing over the last fleet. The intentions of the Patan-Laval group were simpler: to make a deal with Hitler and, with his support, to become the "leaders" of the fascist type in France. Both the plan and the other did not go beyond the framework of total surrender ”(Blitzkrieg in Europe: War in the West. Decree. Op. C. 256). “16 June 1940 of the year the French government refused to conclude an Anglo-French alliance proposed by W. Churchill, granting dual citizenship to all Englishmen and French, creating a unified government in London and uniting the armed forces” (S. Lebedev).
“Paul Reynaud was completely unable to overcome the unfavorable impression created by the proposal of the Anglo-French alliance. The group of enemies, led by Marshal Petain, refused to even consider the proposal. ... At about 8 hours, Raynaud, extremely exhausted by physical and spiritual stress, which he suffered for so many days, sent a request for resignation to the president, advising him to invite Marshal Petain. Marshal Petain immediately formed a government with the main goal of obtaining an immediate truce from Germany. By the night of June 16, the defeatist group headed by him was already so closely knit that it didn’t take much time for the procedure of forming the government ”(W. Churchill World War II // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/english/churchill/2_10 .html).
22 June 1940, in the presence of Hitler, France concluded an armistice with Germany, and “at Retond station in the Compiegne Forest in the same car in which Marshal Foch signed an armistice with Germany in 1918, which ended World War I. In accordance with the agreement ... two thirds of the departments in the north and in the center of the country, including the Paris region, were occupied by the German army with the introduction of the military administration. Alsace, Lorraine, and the Atlantic coastal zone were declared a “exclusion zone” and were virtually annexed by the Reich. The southern departments remained under the control of the collaborationist government of Pétain (from the French word “collaborator” - cooperation). ... France maintained full control over its colonies in Africa, which were not subject to the demilitarization regime. ... The signing of a truce of France with Italy took place on June 24 (The newest history of the countries of Europe and America. Decree. Cit. - C. 254).
“E. Halifax, if he came to power on May 10, 1940, undoubtedly, after France would have made peace with Germany, but the events took a completely different turn ”(S. Lebedev, Ibid.). “23 June 1940, the British government announced its refusal to recognize the Vichy collaborationist government and began active cooperation with General de Gaulle's“ Free France ”. (The newest history of the countries of Europe and America. Decree. Op. - S. 210). 27 June 1940 of the year W. Churchill stated: “If Hitler fails to beat us here, he will probably rush to the East. In essence, he may do this without even trying to carry out an invasion ”(Churchill U. World War II // http://militera.lib.ru/memo/english/churchill/2_11.html). Thus, W. Churchill remained faithful to the chosen course - to recognize the primacy of the United States, with the help of the Soviet Union, to destroy Germany, and then help America deal with the USSR for the sake of gaining its sole world domination.
Fearing the Nazis' use of the French fleet against England, Winston Churchill ordered the destruction of the French fleet. As a result of Operation Catapult from 3 to 8 July 1940, the English fleet sunk, damaged and captured 7 battleships, 4 cruisers, 14 squadrons, submarines and 8 submarines and a number of other ships and ships. 5 July 1940 of the Year “The Pétain government broke off diplomatic relations with England, but did not dare to go to war with its former ally. July 12, Premier W. Churchill gave the order not to impede the navigation of French warships if they are not sent to the ports of the German-occupied zone ”(I. Chelyshev. Operation“ Catapult ”// Sea Collection, 1991, No. 11. - C. 74). According to Churchill, “as a result of the measures taken by us, the Germans in their plans could no longer count on the French fleet. ... Later, they no longer said that England would surrender ”(Churchill U. Ibid.).
Thus, Hitler's Germany in the shortest possible time broke the resistance of pan-Polish. By entering the Red Army in Poland under the pretext of protecting Western Belarus and Western Ukraine from the Germans, having achieved a revision of their August agreements with the Nazis and establishing the border with Germany along the Curzon line, Stalin prevented the West Army Liberation March from qualifying with an act of war. After the refusal of France and England in early October 1939, to go with the Nazis to the world (Daladier relied on the imminent collapse of Germany, Chamberlain couldn’t do anything because of Churchill in the government) Hitler ordered the preparation of the early defeat of France. In turn, the Allies began to prepare plans to tighten the economic blockade of Germany, first by bombing the Soviet oil fields in the Caucasus, then, after the start of the Winter War, by invading the USSR from the territory of Finland. At the same time, Chamberlain once again betrayed France, hacking down both of her plans.
After the end of the Soviet-Finnish war and the coming to power in France, a supporter of peace with the Nazis, Chamberlain finally agreed to an operation against Norway. But that's not to help France, but to remove Churchill from the levers of control of Britain and bring, like the French, the government of the defeatists standing for peace with Hitler. However, Chamberlain, having betrayed the British idea of a four-sided alliance, embarked on the path of cooperation with the Americans and began to embody their plan to destroy France and the subsequent joint campaign of the British with the Nazis against the Soviet Union, with its conditional loyalty did not become for its Americans and at the first convenient the case was immediately replaced by the undoubtedly devoted Churchill, who, despite the failure of the Norwegian operation, was headed by the British government.
Thus, if at the beginning of the war Daladier in France led the war party, and Chamberlain in England, the party of peace, now everything has diametrically changed, and if in France supporters of peace with the Nazis sat down, then in England their irreconcilable opponent was established. What ultimately predetermined the entire further course of military operations in France - Hitler, in the hope of concluding peace with England, was spared by the British expeditionary force, the French, not exhausting their defensive potential, surrendered to the winner, while Churchill announced the continuation of the war with the Nazis.
Speaking about the reasons for the defeat of France in the unthinkable deadlines, it should be noted that Poland, having drawn France into a war with Germany, did not allow her to enlist the help of the Soviet Union, thereby greatly weakening her chances of coping with Germany. In response, France betrayed the Poles and calmly looked at their defeat by the Nazis. Chamberlain, on the eve of economic war, with its criminal inaction provided the Soviet-German rapprochement and economic aid to Germany from the USSR. And after the Nazis' attack on Poland, Daladier did not allow defeating Germany, imposing an economic war on the French. When the French got involved, he did not allow France to strangle Germany with a blockade, blocking economic assistance to the Nazis from Scandinavia and the USSR. By giving Germany time to focus on France, Chamberlain gave Germany the opportunity to defeat France. Than the Nazis did not fail to take advantage immediately.
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