The Rest Is History – Episode 621: The Nazis at War: Blitzkrieg (Part 2)

Hosts: Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook
Date: November 27, 2025

Overview

In this gripping installment, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook explore the dramatic events of 1940 that cemented the legend of Nazi "Blitzkrieg" in Western Europe. Focusing on the invasions of Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, the episode analyzes Nazi strategy, Allied miscalculations, and the staggering speed of Hitler’s victories. Blending military history with vivid storytelling and sharp wit, the hosts dissect why the Allies were so rapidly and thoroughly defeated, and set the stage for the coming crisis at Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Churchill’s Early Days as Prime Minister

• [06:31] The episode opens with Winston Churchill’s first address as Prime Minister (May 19, 1940), delivered against the bleak backdrop of Nazi advances in the West.
  • Quote (Churchill, as read/quoted):
    “The Germans, by a remarkable combination of air bombing and heavily armoured tanks, have broken through the French defences north of the Maginot Line. … Upon all [defeated countries] ... the long night of barbarism will descend, unbroken even by a star of hope. Unless we conquer. As conquer we must, as conquer we shall.”
• Tom: Notes how Churchill “had been Prime Minister for only nine days” and inherited a government on the brink of disaster.

2. Nazi Ambitions in Scandinavia and the Iron Ore Factor

• [07:28 - 14:44] The hosts discuss Nazi obsession with the North, rarely covered in this depth on the show.
  • Finland’s Winter War:
    • Stalin’s failure against well-prepared Finns leads Hitler to underestimate Soviet military capability:
    • Dominic: “Hitler, as he says to his top brass, ‘We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure [of the USSR] will come crashing down.’”
  • Iron Ore & Narvik:
    • Securing Swedish iron ore—essential for Nazi war production—is central:
    • Tom: “There’s nothing I enjoy more than a discussion about iron ore. ... By December 1939, ... nine and a half million tons [of iron ore] had come from sources now closed to [Germany]. ... The one remaining guaranteed source is Sweden.”
• Admiral Raeder’s fears: The Allies might intervene in Scandinavia under the guise of helping Finland, then seize Norway/Sweden.
  • Dominic: “The Allies absolutely had such a plan. Churchill… is especially keen on it.”
  • The plan is scrapped, but Hitler acts first, giving General von Falkenhorst just hours and a guidebook to plan the invasion.

3. Quisling and the Invasion of Norway & Denmark

• [14:44 - 27:56]
  • Vidkun Quisling: The archetypal collaborator; works with Hitler, betrays his country.
    Dominic: “So overt treason completely. … He really is a Quisling. And of course, that’s where the name comes from.”
  • Allied Plans & Dithering: The British and French vacillate, plan to occupy Norway, but are outmaneuvered by the Germans.
    Tom: “It’s so Gallipoli, isn't it? ... Church never learns, really, does he?”
  • Farce and Resistance:
    • Norwegian confusion and comic mishaps as the invasion begins (General Larka’s taxi for his “toilet dress”, delayed while staff have already fled).
    • But also a rare moment of stout resistance:
      Dominic: “The Norwegians… waited with antique cannons, hit the Blucher’s fuel store… the Blucher explodes… 800 of the Germans were drowned. So it was a big win for the Norwegians.”
  • King Haakon's Defiance:
    • Dominic: “The King says ... there’s no way I’m going to accept this [puppet government], no way whatsoever... and then he burst into tears.”
  • Swift Fall of Denmark [25:32]:
    • “Shortest campaign of the entire war … the Panzers roll in, and by breakfast, [the king] has ordered a ceasefire … five and three quarter hours.”

4. Allied Missteps and Allied Campaign Failures in Norway

• [27:56 - 31:28]
  • British and French efforts characterized as “utter moral ignobility and military incompetence” (quoting Max Hastings).
  • British troops unprepared: “They didn’t have maps,... radios, ... heavy weapons. They had the wrong shoes, ironically.”
  • Tom: “Not the most glorious moment in British military history.”
  • The Allies disgracefully abandon Norway, failing to even inform the Norwegians.
    • Dominic: “You keep promising to people you will defend them… the lesson of history is that Britain and France will let you down.”
  • Despite Nazi losses, the overall campaign outcome is:
    • Iron ore secured, Norway’s bases captured, and Nazi prestige sky-high.

5. Blitzkrieg in the West: France, Belgium, and the Netherlands

• [41:09 - 69:06]
  • Hitler's Motives & Allied Intelligence Failings:
    • Hitler hopes to knock out France and force Britain to the negotiating table (as per Goebbels diary).
  • Military Strength and the Myth of Nazi Mechanization:
    • Tom: “Overall, the Allies do have more planes ... only 10 of 135 divisions are panzer, only six are fully mechanized. The idea that the whole German army is the cutting edge of modern fighting forces simply isn’t true.”
  • French Reliance on the 1918 Playbook:
    • Dominic: “The French are always fighting the last war… as though tanks have not yet been invented.”
  • Case Yellow (Fall Gelb) – The Real Genius:
    • Original plan to sweep through the Low Countries—mirrored in Allied expectations. A lucky accident (German plans falling into Belgian hands after a plane crash) leads Hitler to adopt the more daring Sickle Cut plan:
    • Massive armoured thrust through the Ardennes, thought impassable.
    • The Allies are hooked by the feint and walk “straight into the Germans’ trap.”
  • Dutch & Belgian Collapse:
    • Dutch surrender within 4.5 days after the Luftwaffe destroys Rotterdam, a turning point exacerbated by miscommunication.
    • Belgian forces fight for 18 days, their king pilloried for ‘collaboration’ (Daily Mirror: “The face that every woman now despises”).
  • Allied Collapse and Chaos in France:
    • The German thrust through the Ardennes is unimaginably fast; French and British forces are outflanked and encircled.
    • Staggering statistic [58:32]: General von Kleist leads 134,000 soldiers, 1,200 tanks, and 500 armoured vehicles through the Ardennes—exposed but unchallenged by the French air force.
    • Millions of French civilians take to the roads, clogging supply lines as refugees.
    • The Stukas terrorize both soldiers and refugees, deepening the sense of unstoppable German power.

6. Command Paralysis, the Fall of France, and Dunkirk Looms

• [62:45 - 69:06]
  • French morale and leadership shatter at record speed.
    • May 15: Churchill, PM for only 5 days, gets a call from French PM Reynaud:
      Reynaud: “We have been defeated.” / Churchill: “Surely it can't have happened so soon.” / Reynaud: “The front is broken near Sedan.”
    • General Gamelin’s fatalism: Churchill: “Where is your strategic reserve?” / Gamelin: “Il n’y en a plus.”
  • The “sickle cut” is complete; the British Expeditionary Force and much of the French army are trapped at the sea.
  • Catastrophic meltdown among Allied generals:
    • General Billotte, France’s commander in Belgium, “burst into tears.” Later, he dies after a car crash post-omelette.
    • Sir Henry Pownall (Chief of Staff, BEF): “Frankly, [General Billotte] is no loss.”
  • The Stage is Set for Dunkirk:
    • “The entire British Expeditionary Force, 400,000 men, are trapped … against the Channel. … Surely within days, Hitler’s tanks will finish the job and then Britain will be forced to sue for peace.”
  • Tom: “Or, Dominic, will Britain be forced to sue for peace? We will find out in our next two episodes … The Miracle of Dunkirk, the fall of France, the Battle of Britain, and eventually, Hitler’s decision to turn on the Soviet Union.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [06:31] Tom (on Churchill’s first speech): “He had been Prime Minister for only nine days. Never in history had anybody taken office against quite such a bleak backdrop.”
• [10:32] Dominic (On Hitler’s view after the Winter War): “We have only to kick in the door and the whole rotten structure of the Soviet Union will come crashing down.”
• [16:56] Dominic (On Quisling): “He really is a Quisling. And of course, that’s where the name comes from.”
• [21:45] Tom (On Norwegian resistance): “This isn’t the spirit of Harald Hardrada, is it?”
• [27:56] Dominic (Max Hastings quote): “Our campaign was characterized by utter moral ignobility and military incompetence.”
• [32:15] Dominic (On the Norway debate): “Leo Amory … quotes Oliver Cromwell: ‘In the name of God, go.’”
• [41:25] Dominic (On Hitler’s strategy): “His priority is Britain. He never wanted war with Britain in 1939. The whole point of this is to get them to negotiate … The condition: England out of Europe and our colonies back to us. But that is only possible if it’s already received a knockout blow.”
• [45:04] Tom (Myth of Nazi superiority): “The idea that the whole German army is the cutting edge of modern fighting forces simply isn’t true.”
• [55:14] Dominic (On French thinking): “Gamelin … says, ‘what I’ve learned… is you never lose your cool. Things will probably be fine. Don’t overthink anything.’ … Of course, he doesn’t know they’re not coming through Belgium.”
• [64:22] Tom & Dominic (On French defeat):
  • Reynaud: “We have been defeated.”
  • Churchill: “Surely it can't have happened so soon.”
  • Gamelin: “Il n’y en a plus.”
  • Dominic: “Inferiority of numbers, inferiority of equipment, inferiority of method.”
• [66:06] Dominic (Allied command in crisis): “The French commander in Belgium… burst into tears, which I don’t think is ever a good sign in your commanding officer.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• [06:31-07:28] — Churchill’s first days as PM; Hitler’s attack in the west begins
• [08:31-14:44] — Scandinavia as strategic pivot; iron ore and the Norwegian campaign
• [14:44-27:56] — Quisling and the invasions of Norway and Denmark; Allied missteps
• [27:56-31:28] — British and French failures in Norway; campaign consequences
• [41:09-69:06] — The Blitzkrieg in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands; collapse of Allied command; Dunkirk
• Notable Quotes:
  • [10:32] – Hitler on the USSR
  • [16:56] – “He really is a Quisling…”
  • [27:56] – Max Hastings’ scathing verdict
  • [41:25] – Hitler’s negotiation hopes
  • [45:04] – The Nazi war machine myth
  • [55:14] – Gamelin’s complacency
  • [64:22] – Calls and conversations as France collapses
  • [66:06] – French commander bursts into tears

Tone and Style

Dominic and Tom blend their usual sharp historical analysis with self-deprecating humor, rich anecdotes, and sympathy for individual actors caught up in the chaos. They are scathing about Allied leadership, wry about British incompetence (often referencing their own family, or comedic military mishaps), and poignant describing moments of personal or national resistance.

Conclusion

As the Allies’ western front collapses in days rather than months, Tom and Dominic paint a vivid picture of chaos, missed opportunities, and shattering defeat—yet hint at the extraordinary acts of survival and defiance still to come at Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain.

For Further Listening

Want to know what comes next? The hosts tease the upcoming double episode on Dunkirk and the fall of France, available early via The Rest Is History Club.

(This summary excludes non-content sections, sponsor reads, and promotional material.)