Why France Collapsed

Chapman, Guy

ISBN 10: 0304932175 / ISBN 13: 9780304932177

Published by Orion Publishing Group, Limited, 1968

Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 381553-6

Synopsis:

The history of the conquest of Gaul, it has been said, would be far more obscure if twenty of Caesar's generals had written commentaries. In June 1940 the armies of France, Great Britain and Belgium succumbed to the onslaught of the German armies in less than six weeks. How this could have come about has hardly been illuminated by the accusations and counter-accusations of prominent French politicians and senior officers. The crossfire of charges is as blinding as a hailstorm.

This book is a bold attempt to clarify responsibilities and to answer the question of how an army-not greatly inferior to the enemy's and only ten years before believed to be the strongest in Europe- met such an ignominious defeat. First it tells the story of the reconstitution of the army after 1919 and of the French defence preparations. It shows the chiefs' of staff lack of imagination: how dull were their analyses of the recent war, how blind they were to the outside world, how negligent of such matters

About the Author: Guy Chapman (1889-1972) was born in London and educated at Oxford where he trained to be a lawyer. When war was declared he joined the Royal Fusiliers and served on the Western Front, surviving a mustard gas attack. Chapman also served in World War II. Following the First World War, he worked as an editor for several publishing houses where he met his wife, writer Storm Jameson before becoming Professor of Modern History, University of Leeds, 1945-53, and later a visiting Professor, University of Pittsburgh, 1948-9. Having trained as a lawyer, Chapman's chief literary works from the 1930s onwards analyzed French political system and modern French history, and his time in war.

Bibliographic Details

Title: Why France Collapsed
Publisher: Orion Publishing Group, Limited
Publication Date: 1968
Binding: Hardcover
Condition: Good
Edition: 0th Edition.