The Battle of France, 1940

On May 10, 1940, Hitler launched his war in the West, and France reeled under the hammer of blitzkrieg. Within four days, German panzer formations emerged from the apparently passable Ardennes and established bridgeheads across the Meuse. Soon after, they smashed a 50-mile breach in the Allied line. By June 22nd, it was over: France had fallen. The tragic story of this unprecedented defeat--the only occasion in World War II when a great power lost in a single campaign--makes gripping and unforgettable reading.