The Rest Is History – Episode 622: The Nazis at War: The Fall of France (Part 3)

Date: December 1, 2025
Hosts: Tom Holland & Dominic Sandbrook

Episode Overview

In this gripping episode, Tom Holland and Dominic Sandbrook dissect the collapse of France in June 1940, a pivotal chapter in the Second World War that has shaped not only European history, but also modern conceptions of defeat, morale, and national destiny. Drawing on vivid personal accounts, expert analysis, and their trademark blend of insight and dry wit, Tom and Dominic chronicle the Nazi advance, the Dunkirk evacuation, the emotional fallout in France and Britain, and the psychological high-water mark of Hitler’s reign.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hitler’s Triumphant Tour through Paris

[03:53]

• The episode opens with Albert Speer’s memoir of Hitler’s only visit to Paris after its fall; a surreal three-hour sightseeing tour at the peak of his power.
• Hitler openly savors the humiliation of France and fulfillment of a lifelong ambition.
• Tom frames it as “perhaps the single sweetest moment in Hitler’s life.”
  • Quote: “Three hours in Paris made him happy when he stood at the height of his triumphs.” – Albert Speer, recounted by Tom Holland [05:11]
• Dominic places this alongside the Anschluss as one of Hitler’s personal high points.

2. The Strategic Situation: Britain and France on the Brink

[06:25]

• German forces have cut off the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and large French and Belgian contingents at Dunkirk.
• Tom and Dominic recap the rapid Nazi advance and the desperate predicament of the Allies.
• The episode picks up with Operation Dynamo, the audacious evacuation plan from Dunkirk, masterminded by Vice Admiral Bertram Ramsay.

3. The Miracle of Dunkirk and the 'Halt Order' Controversy

[11:28]

• The German advance pauses outside Dunkirk due to a halt order, a vital and much-debated decision.
  • “Why, with victory over Britain within Hitler’s grasp, does the order go out to the panzers to stop their advance?” – Tom Holland [11:39]
  • Dominic unpacks von Rundstedt’s concerns about terrain and troop exhaustion, as well as Goering’s boast that the Luftwaffe can finish the job.
  • Others, like Guderian and von Bock, protest the order as a catastrophic error.

Key Moment

• Quote: “I thought it was the biggest blunder of the war.” – Heinz Guderian, via Dominic Sandbrook [15:05]
• The Luftwaffe fails to annihilate the stranded Allies, suffering unsustainable losses. By the time the Wehrmacht resumes its advance, 338,000 troops—British, French, and colonial—have been evacuated (“a miracle of deliverance”).
• The event becomes a psychological and propaganda victory for Britain, despite being a military defeat.

4. The British Perspective: “A National Mood of Defiance”

[20:13]

• The hosts highlight the critical effect of Dunkirk on British morale; the “little ships” become a national legend of solidarity.
• Churchill’s oratory and the people’s reaction reframe disaster as redemption:
  • Quote: “The national mood of defiance which brought down Napoleon and would destroy Hitler too.” – John Horsefall (quoted by Dominic) [21:41]
  • Nella Last’s diaries capture ordinary Britons’ emotional embrace of shared struggle.
• Tom notes Hitler completely misunderstands this, expecting British capitulation.

5. The French Collapse: “A Sense of Crushing Misery”

[26:13]

• While Britain rallies, France is traumatized by a second invasion in a generation.
• Millions of civilians flee cities; towns are emptied in a refugee crisis described as the largest in Western European history.
• The French government, led by Paul Reynaud, is fractured and demoralized. Marshal Pétain and General Weygand advocate armistice to avoid anarchy and destruction of Paris.

6. Diplomacy, Drama, and the Failed Franco-British Union

[33:33]

• Churchill twice travels to meet French leaders, urging continuing resistance and even proposing a union of the two countries.
• Pétain and most of the French cabinet reject the idea, believing defeat is inevitable and a German armistice preferable.

Memorable Moment

• The dispute in Bordeaux, where Reynaud and his mistress Countess Hélène de Port become embroiled in intrigue (she is fiercely anti-Semitic, pro-fascist, and leaks confidential plans).
• Quote: “She was not chic, she was not charming, and she was not intelligent, but she behaved as if she had some vested right, whether constitutional or divine, in the government of the French Republic.” – Vincent Sheehan, quoted by Dominic [32:33]

7. Paris Falls and Hitler’s Revenge Fantasy

[40:11]

• Paris is declared an open city; government and population flee. Germans march in and symbolically hoist the swastika above the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower.
• Hitler stages the French surrender in the exact railway carriage in Compiègne where Germany had surrendered in WWI, exulting in the reversal of humiliation.
  • Quote: “Today it is afire with scorn, anger, hate, revenge, triumph.” – William Shirer describing Hitler’s face [60:36]
• The French are forced to sign terms dividing the country, instituting the infamous Vichy regime.

8. Aftermath: National Destinies Diverge

[63:55]

• In Germany, the victory unleashes euphoria; even critics and doubters are swept up:
  • Quote: “I feel exhilarated by happiness and enthusiasm. It’s an unbelievably great national change of fortune, the fulfillment of our long-held dreams.” – Luisa Solmitz, cited by Tom [65:25]
• For Hitler, this is the zenith of his career—celebrated like a messiah on his return to Berlin.
• Britain, now alone, braces for the next showdown—the Battle of Britain.
• France is left divided, some viewing the defeat as proof of national “sickness,” others blaming military mistakes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Dunkirk:
  “A miracle of deliverance achieved by valor, by perseverance, by perfect discipline...” – Churchill, paraphrased by Dominic Sandbrook [19:35]
• On the nationwide British response:
  “It made me feel part of something undying and never old. Somehow I felt everything worthwhile...” – Nella Last, quoted by Dominic [21:41]
• On the French mood:
  “Let’s imagine the sense of crushing misery as you realize, it’s happening all over again on a greater scale than ever before.” – Dominic Sandbrook [26:13]
• On Pétain’s perspective:
  “You are asking us to agree fusion with a corpse.” – Marshal Pétain on the proposed union with Britain [48:57]
• On Hitler’s vengeance:
  “The disgrace is now extinguished. It’s a feeling of being born again, this sort of sense of vindication and revenge after the First World War.” – Goebbels, as recounted by Dominic [61:52]
• On the episode’s turning point:
  “The final German victory over England is now just a question of time.” – Gen. Jodl’s diary, as cited by Dominic [67:49]

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 03:53 – Speer describes Hitler’s Paris tour; the apotheosis of Nazi ambition
• 08:07 – The encirclement at Dunkirk and Operation Dynamo begins
• 11:28 – The Dunkirk “halt order” and the Luftwaffe’s failed promise
• 17:24 – Outcome of the Luftwaffe’s failure; the Allies escape
• 21:11 – The impact of Dunkirk on British morale and myth
• 26:13 – France’s civilian crisis and government divisions; the exodus from Paris
• 32:33 – Countess de Port’s intrigues and the disintegration of French unity
• 40:11 – Germans enter Paris; the symbolic weight of defeat
• 57:07 – Hitler orchestrates the Railway Carriage surrender at Compiègne
• 62:18 – Details of the armistice; the Vichy regime
• 65:25 – National euphoria in Germany; the Nazi regime’s peak; what comes next

Final Notes

• The episode skillfully contrasts the psychological consequences of Dunkirk and the fall of France—morale forged in defeat in Britain vs. moral and political collapse in France.
• Tom and Dominic emphasize the long shadows these events cast, from Churchill’s “finest hour” to the stain of collaboration under Vichy.
• The hosts end by previewing the next episode: the Battle of Britain and Hitler’s ill-fated plans for invading Britain.

For Listeners New to the Story

This episode serves as a rich, human-centered account of one of the most consequential reversals in twentieth-century history. Through strategic analysis, first-hand accounts, and a lively repartee, Tom and Dominic show not just how France fell, but how nations respond to shock, defeat, and the challenge of destiny.