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The fall of France

May 1940, British troops await evacuation on the beach at Dunkirk.

May 1940, British troops await evacuation on the beach at Dunkirk.
©Imperial War Museum NYP068075

Although the war at sea began immediately after Britain announced war with Germany, the period from September 1939 until May 1940 was marked by few military operations and termed 'phoney'.

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The war and re-armament

Cabinet Conclusion 5. The military situation in France. 26 September 1939 (PDF, 3.873MB)

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Cabinet Conclusion 2. Naval operations. 14 October 1939 (PDF, 4.189MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 2. Naval operations. 15 October 1939 (PDF, 2.327MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 3. The Naval Situation. 16 October 1939 (PDF, 4.485MB)

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Cabinet Conclusion 2. The Naval Situation. 18 December 1939 (PDF, 2.512MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Weekly Resume (no 14). 8 December 1939 (PDF, 3.858MB)

German invasion of Denmark and Norway

Cabinet Memorandum. Dispatch of forces to Norwegian ports. Note by the Secretary. 10 January 1940 (PDF, 1.394MB)

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Cabinet Memorandum. Weekly Resume (no 32). 12 April 1940 (PDF, 4.197MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Weekly Resume (no 33). 19 April 1940 (PDF, 5.066MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Operations in Norway. Note by the Chairman, Military Co-ordination Committee. (PDF, 2.800MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Weekly Resume (no 34). 26 April 1940 (PDF, 4.082MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. Military implications of a complete withdrawal from Norway. 22 April 1940 (PDF, 2.737MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Scandinavia: German invasion of Norway and Denmark. 9 April 1940 (PDF, 1.105MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 3. Royal Air Force. 10 April 1940 (PDF, 1.832MB)

Fall of France

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Military, Air and Naval situation. 19 May 1940 (PDF, 1.440MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. The Western Front and Air operations. 21 May 1940 (PDF, 2.097MB)

Cabinet Conclusions. The Western Front. 27 May 1940 (PDF, 0.930MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Belgium. 28 May 1940 (PDF, 1.854MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 2. The Western Front. 18 May 1940 (PDF, 1.854MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Western Front. 26 May 1940 (PDF, 1.778MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. The Western Front. 29 May 1940 (PDF, 1.209MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 7. France. 24 June 1940 (PDF, 1.392MB)

Cabinet Memorandum. British strategy in a certain eventuality. Report by the chiefs of Staff. 25 Amy 1940 (PDF, 4.035MB)

Cabinet Conclusion 1. Western Front. 26 May 1940 (PDF, 1.778MB)

Cabinet Conclusions. France. 26 May 1940 (PDF, 2.988MB)

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Search using British Expeditionary Force Fall of france Invasion of Denmark

Further reading

Barnett, C., Engage the enemy more closely: the Royal Navy in the Second World War (London: Penguin Classics, 2000)
Caddick-Adams, P., Phoney war and Blitzkrieg: the Territorial Army, 1939-1940 In RUSI Journal, 143 (2), pp.67-74 (1998)
Collier, B., The defence of the United Kingdom (London: HMSO, 1957)
Horne, A., To Lose A Battle: France 1940 (London: Penguin, 1990)
Parker, R.A.C., Britain, France and Scandinavia, 1939-40 In History, 61 (203), pp. 333-506 (1976)
Terraine, J., Business in great waters: the U-boat wars, 1916-1945 (Ware: Wordsworth Editions, 1999)
Terraine, J., The right of the line: the Royal Air Force in the European war, 1939-1945 (Ware: Wordsworth Editions, 1998)

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