Dunkerque

In 1939 France's Third Republic was sixty-eight years old, despite church and state rivalries, corruption, and political factionalization. At the start of World War II every major politician and every political party had their own newspaper disseminating their own propaganda.

The deteriorating situation in France left the British Expeditionary Force seriously compromised. French General Maxime Weygand”s plan to create a defensive line on the Somme was impossible; The Germans, using superior tactics and communications but not equipment, had high morale and were advancing faster than the French high Command could draw up defensive plans.