WHY FRANCE FELL

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21195, 19 August 1940, Page 12

WHY FRANCE FELL

ARMY NOT PREPARED ENEMIES UNDERESTIMATED OUTNUMBERED BY GERMANS (Times Air Mail Service.) LONDON, July 18. Today I have talked to all sorts of persons in a position to know—generals, politicians and diplomats, writes Harold Cardozo, Daily Mail correspondent with the French armies.

While naturally in present conditions I can name none, I can give a summary of their views on why the present disaster has befallen France. A few words will suffice. France has failed for lack of tanks, planes, and war material. Her Army Staffs and her Governments refused j to believe in warning given so fre- ! quently and with such authority dur- | ing the past seven years of the ex- ! tent of German armaments. | I can vouch for the fact that at j the outset of the present whirlwind ! campaign it was said everywhere ! in France that Germany had not j more than 10 armoured divisions. I : myself declared that she had 13 or | 14. It has now been shown that in j reality the figure was 15. And this j does not include light motorised di- I visions or normal infantry divisions, j which all have tank units. The result was the French tanks, j though superior in quality, were in- < ferior in number by at least one to six. Outnumbered in Men Again, at the outset of the offensive it was stated that the Germans had 80 divisions in the line—l gave the figure as 100, afterwards corrected to 120. It has now been established that at least 150 divisions were used. It is a similar story as regards planes. Undoubtedly the Allied Staff I and Allied Intelligence grossly un- ! derestimated the number of planes ■ Germany could put in the sky. j Here, again, each individual Allied j plane is probably superior to the I comparable German plane, but num- j bers count. j Then come material, lorries, ten- 1 ders, gun, munitions—and here, j again, though the Allies’ material is ! a good deal better than the German, | it was hopelessly outclassed in numbers. The French General Staff were unable to believe the Germans could get away with such a terrific series of raids across country, and did not take proper precautions in the for-

tified line north of Montmedy Troops Withdrawn Troops which should have been' holding the frontier casemates were j not brought up, bridges not properly ! protected, and when the Germans j had reached them they were not j blown up because they were con- j gested with refugees. Over and over again the Nazis advanced under the “ cloak ” of the fleeing refugees. It is reported that Weygand said when they called him to take supreme control: “ You’ve asked for me a fortnight too late.” Whether he said so or not, it is less than the truth. He should have been called at least a year earlier. These are rude lessons for which France is now suffering and may have to suffer for years, but they should be o.f profit to the British people and prevent us from continuing to sleep.