Military history at home and abroad
The summer of 1940 was a chaotic and violent one. Six weeks of fighting had seen France and the Low Countries conquered. Denmark, Norway, and Poland were likewise under Nazi occupation. It seemed that Britain would be next to fall.
France was unusual in that part of it was still nominally independent. The northern half of France was under German control. The southern half (with the exception of the Atlantic coast and small sections on the Italian border) was still under French rule. The puppet state became known as Vichy France.