MéMorial De La Bataille De France Volume 3

On the 5th of June 1940, the Germans launched their second great offensive of the western campaign against a much-enfeebled French army. Despite intense fighting around the Somme and the Aisne the numerical superiority of the enemy began to tell forcing the French troupes to gradually retreat. On June 13th Weygand sent out the order to retreat and save itself at which point it would appear that the campaign was over. However, fierce fighting continued around the areas of the Loire, Verdun, the Sarre and the Rhine. Over twelve days a struggle raged between those who wanted to continue the fight lead by Reynaud and de Gaulle and those who favoured and armistice led by Weygand and Petain. The fall of the Reynaud government on the 16th June sealed the end of the French campaign.