Summary of Robert A. Doughty's The Breaking Point

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 The fighting that occurred near Sedan between 10–16 May 1940 was shaped by the competing strategies of France and Germany. France relied on a defensive strategy, while Germany relied on an offensive strategy. By attacking northern Belgium and the Netherlands with a minimum number of forces, Germany sought to deceive the French and convince them that the main attack was coming through northern and central Belgium.

#2 France’s strategy was to defend herself against a German attack, and she believed victory could be hers only if she first defended herself successfully against a German attack. She accepted the requirement for a total war and the complete mobilization of all her resources.

#3 The French had a difficult time deciding how to defend their borders after World War I. They believed that fortifications would strengthen their defenses and enable them to overcome the manpower advantages of Germany.

#4 The French plan was to rush forward and establish a defensive position in northern and central Belgium. They assumed that Germany would violate Belgium’s neutrality first, so they could use it as a basis for their entry into Belgium.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: May 11, 2022
• ISBN: 9798822512993

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Insights on Robert A. Doughty's The Breaking Point

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The fighting that occurred near Sedan between 10–16 May 1940 was shaped by the competing strategies of France and Germany. France relied on a defensive strategy, while Germany relied on an offensive strategy. By attacking northern Belgium and the Netherlands with a minimum number of forces, Germany sought to deceive the French and convince them that the main attack was coming through northern and central Belgium.

#2

France’s strategy was to defend herself against a German attack, and she believed victory could be hers only if she first defended herself successfully against a German attack. She accepted the requirement for a total war and the complete mobilization of all her resources.

#3

The French had a difficult time deciding how to defend their borders after World War I. They believed that fortifications would strengthen their defenses and enable them to overcome the manpower advantages of Germany.

#4

The French plan was to rush forward and establish a defensive position in northern and central Belgium. They assumed that Germany would violate Belgium’s neutrality first, so they could use it as a basis for their entry into Belgium.

#5

The French had three other lines along which they could defend. The first of these was the Namur-Dyle River-Antwerp line, which was the farthest forward. The second was to defend farther to the rear along the French frontier to Condé, through Tournai along the Escaut River to Ghent, and then either directly to the North Sea at Zeebrugge, or alternatively along the Scheldt (Escaut) River to Antwerp.

#6

By the middle of November, the Allies had decided that the Dyle line was the most likely position for their forces to occupy in Belgium. The Dutch and Belgians had improved their defenses, and the British Expeditionary Force was slowly increasing in size. The French forces were becoming better equipped and trained, and they gained confidence in themselves.

#7

The French Seventh Army was supposed to occupy a bridgehead between the Belgians and the Dutch, but the Germans could attack the Netherlands and leave Belgium alone. The French generals decided to send forces toward Breda, which elicited strong objections from several high-ranking officers.

#8

By May 1940, the French and British were prepared to carry out the Allied strategy. Army Group 1 had responsibility for the area between the English Channel and the western edge of the Maginot Line. The Seventh Army, B. E. F. , First Army, and Ninth Army prepared to move forward and occupy the Dyle line, while the Second Army remained in position.

#9

The French Second and Ninth armies were the two easternmost field armies in Army Group 1, and they had responsibility for the area between Pont à Bar and Longuyon. The German XIXth Panzer Corps turned west on 14 May in the area behind the hinge after crossing the Meuse River at Sedan.

#10

The French strategy was particularly vulnerable to a German attack through the Ardennes. While General Georges played the primary role in placing individual divisions behind the main line of French defenses, General Gamelin devised the Breda Variant and forced his subordinates to accept it.

#11

The German strategy in May 1940 was to launch a massive attack through the Ardennes, and the initial plans for the war against the Allies differed dramatically from the final plan that yielded victory in 1940. The German military leaders believed their forces were not ready for a difficult campaign against the Allies.

#12

Hitler's vision of appropriate strategy was an attack west on a broad front into Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland. The attack aimed at destroying the French and British armies, but its chances of success were small.