For a long time, Germany had a history of tension with France and the Nazi was open about their hatred for the French political ideals of liberty and equality. The French had Africans in their military, which went against Nazi Germany’s belief in the racial superiority of the Europeans.
Hitler was also concerned about the probability of France going against Germany on Eastern and western fronts and the great lengths France would go to prevent Germany from becoming too powerful. This was part of the basis for Hitler’s decision to defeat France before defeating Poland.
However, when Britain and France heard about and witnessed the invasion, they declared war on Germany. This was on September 3, 1939; despite the declaration, they did not engage in a significant battle till 1940, when France encountered difficulty in putting a stop to German advancement.
In a few months, Germany conquered almost all of western Europe in rapid force. Denmark and Norway were invaded by April because they supplied steel and other resources from Scandinavia. In May, the Netherlands and half of Belgium were invaded. On June 14, Paris was captured.
France and Germany signed a truce on June 22; this truce divided France into Northern and Southern France. The Nazis also set up numerous rules to govern the western European countries it had defeated. After conquering these countries, Hitler offered a hand of peace to Britain. However, following Hitler’s track record of fake promises of peace, Winston Churchill, the British Prime minister, didn’t accept it.
In July 1940, The Battle of Britain began with massive German air attacks designed to wipe out the British air force and its naval fleet. This air battle carried on for two months, and despite this, the Germans could not defeat the British because the British had aid from numerous quarters who were determined to carry on till the end if Britain was defeated.
