L ast week, 38 days after it started, the most prodigious military performance of modern history came to an end south of Paris with the Armies of the French Republic, once supposed second to none, completely shattered, disintegrated, praying for peace.
Within 24 hours it pierced the strongly fortified Belgian defense line at Eben Emael, north of Liege. On May 14 also, the Dutch, seeing that the Allies could not come further to their aid, surrendered their defenses. By May 21, with the Allies in full retreat across Flanders, German armored columns had circled around to Abbeville, were approaching Boulogne, Calais, cutting the northern Allied Armies off from all support.
It was too late. Weygand tried vainly to cut through to the beleaguered armies of the North. On June 3, the evacuation of Dunkirk by the Allies was completed, leaving the materiel of four armies and scores of thousands of prisoners in German hands. Against all the materiel and manpower Weygand could mass, General Walther von Brauchitsch hurled 40, then 60, then , finally divisions.
By June 10 they were within 35 miles of Paris, with pincers curving down from east and west. Last week on June 14, the pincers met at Paris and it was surrendered see p. The French Armies broke southward, through and around the city.
Now the German drives swerved toward the sea and toward the rear of the Maginot Line. End of an Army. For the French Army, living in a shrieking, thundering, blood shot nightmare, last week was a period of progressive disintegration. Swarm after swarm of planes strafed them.
