synarchy movement of empire book ii - Pierre Beaudry's Galactic ...

Since all of the roads and railroads leaving Paris to the south were
literally covered with millions of refugees, the French army was completely
paralyzed and could not be deployed anywhere properly. "On June 11,
General Alphonse Georges, commanding the collapsing front, estimated he
had left the equivalent of only thirty divisions - out of sixty in line the week
before --from the sea to the beginning of the Maginot line, and they were
exhausted from trying to fight by day and retreat by night. On June 12, the
great Maginot Line of fortifications in the east, which had not been
penetrated by the enemy, was abandoned on the orders of General Weygand.
"Weygand should be fire," said de Gaulle to Reynaud. On June 13, Reynaud
was holding a meeting with Churchill in Tours without inviting de Gaulle,
discussing armistice and if London would agree to renounce the March 28
agreement excluding any separate peace between France and England. Later
that day, Reynaud telegraphed Roosevelt asking for his intervention. De
Gaulle was then convinced that the armistice would go forward, and
contemplated resigning from the government. June 14, the government
withdraws to Bordeaux. Four days later, the 400,000 retreating fortress
troops were encircled by the Germans. At that time General Weygand and
Marshal Petain were both calling for the French troops to acknowledge
defeat and stop fighting the Germans. On June 18, General de Gaulle was
the only high ranking officer who called for the French Army and general
population to continue to fight the Germans. On BBC, de Gaulle stated:
"{The leaders who, for many years past, have been at the head of the
French armed forces, have set up a government.
"Alleging the defeat of our armies, this government has entered into
negotiations with the enemy with a view to bringing about a cessation of
hostilities. It is quite true that we were, and still are, overwhelmed by
enemy mechanized forces, both on the ground and in the air. It was the
tanks, the planes, and the tactics of the Germans, far more than the fact
that we were outnumbered that forced our armies to retreat. It was the
German tanks, planes, and tactics that provided the element of surprise
which brought our leaders to their present plight.
"But has the last word been said? Must we abandon all hope? Is our
defeat final and irremediable? To those questions I answer -- No!
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