The Phoney War

Two soldiers peer out from the entrance to their dugout, named '10 Downing Street', made from old car doors and corrugated iron, 28 November 1939.

The Phoney War (French: Drôle de guerre; German: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germany's Saar district. Nazi Germany carried out the invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939, and the Phoney period began two days later with the declaration of war by the United Kingdom and France against Germany, after which little actual warfare occurred, and ended with the German invasion of France and the Low Countries on 10 May 1940. Although there was no large-scale military action by Britain and France, they did begin some economic warfare, especially with the naval blockade and shut down German surface raiders. They created elaborate plans for numerous large-scale operations designed to cripple the German war effort. These included opening an Anglo-French front in the Balkans, invading Norway to seize control of Germany's main source of iron ore, and an embargo against the Soviet Union, which supplied Germany's main source of oil. By April 1940, the lone execution of the Norway plan was considered inadequate to stop the German offensive.

The quiet of the Phoney War was punctuated by a few Allied actions. In the Saar Offensive in September, the French attacked Germany with the intention of assisting Poland, but it fizzled out within days and they withdrew. In November, the Soviets attacked Finland in the Winter War, resulting in much debate in France and Britain about an offensive to help Finland, but the forces finally assembled for this campaign were delayed until it ended in March. The Allied discussions about a Scandinavian campaign caused concern in Germany and resulted in the German invasion of Denmark and Norway in April, and the Allied troops previously assembled for Finland were redirected to Norway instead. Fighting there continued until June, when the Allies evacuated, ceding Norway to Germany in response to the German invasion of France.

On the Axis side, the Germans launched attacks at sea in the autumn and winter against British aircraft carriers and destroyers, sinking several, including the carrier HMS Courageous, with the loss of 519 lives. Action in the air began on 16 October 1939, when the Luftwaffe launched air raids on British warships. There were various minor bombing raids and reconnaissance flights on both sides. Fascist Italy was not involved during the Phoney period, only until the Battle of France.

Terminology

The initial term used by British people for this period was Bore War. While this was probably coined as a play on the Boer War fought approximately four decades earlier, eventually the Americanism Phoney War became favored on both sides of the Atlantic, probably (especially in the British Empire and Commonwealth) in large part to avoid confusion with the aforementioned earlier conflict. The term Phoney War customarily appears using the British spelling even in North America, rather than the American phony, although some American sources do not follow the pattern. The first known recorded use of the term in print was in September 1939 in a US newspaper which used the British spelling, although other contemporary American reports sometimes used "phony", since both spellings were in use at the time in the US. The term appeared in Great Britain by January 1940 as "phoney", the only acceptable spelling there.

The Phoney War was also referred to as the "Twilight War" (by Winston Churchill) and as the Sitzkrieg ("the sitting war": a word play on blitzkrieg created by the British press). In French, it is referred to as the drôle de guerre ("funny" or "strange" war). Perhaps because of mishearing or a mistranslation, French journalist Roland Dorgelès or other French sources read the English "phoney" as "funny."

The term "Phoney War" was probably coined by US Senator William Borah, who, commenting in September 1939 on the inactivity on the Western Front, said, "There is something phoney about this war."

Inactivity

In March 1939, the UK and France formalized plans for how a war against Germany would be conducted. Knowing that likely enemies would be more prepared and have land and air superiority, the strategy was to defeat any enemy offensive, to allow time for economic and naval superiority to build up military resources. To this end, the UK initially committed to two divisions being sent to France, and two more eleven months later. However, the Polish Army general plan for defense, Plan West, assumed that the Allies' offensive on the Western front would provide significant relief to the Polish front in the East.

While most of the German army was engaged in Poland, a much smaller German force manned the Siegfried Line, their fortified defensive line along the French border. On 7 September, the French launched the Saar Offensive, but had to withdraw when their artillery could not penetrate German defenses. A further assault was planned for 20 September, but on 17 September, following the USSR's invasion of Poland, the assault was called off. In the air, the RAF launched a bombing raid against Wilhelmshaven on the 4th of September, although this proved costly. There were occasional dogfights between fighter planes. The Royal Air Force dropped propaganda leaflets on Germany, the first Canadian troops arrived in Britain, and the first BEF divisions completed their transfer to France, while western Europe was under a period of uneasy calm for seven months.

In the first few months of the war, Britain still hoped to persuade Germany to agree to peace. Although London hospitals prepared for 300,000 casualties in the first week, Germany unexpectedly did not immediately attack British cities by air, and German pilots that attacked Scottish naval bases said that they would have been court-martialed and executed for bombing civilians. Both sides found that attacks on military targets, such as a British attack on Kiel on the second night of the war, led to high losses of aircraft. They also feared retaliation for bombing civilians. (Britain and France did not realize that Germany used 90% of its frontline aircraft during the Polish invasion.) Civilian attitudes in Britain towards their German foes were still not as intense as they were to become after the Blitz. On 30 April 1940, a German Heinkel 111 bomber crashed at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, killing its crew and injuring 160 people on the ground. The crew were laid to rest in the local cemetery with support from the Royal Air Force. Wreaths with messages of sympathy were displayed on the coffins. British pilots mapped the Siegfried Line while German troops waved at them.

When Leopold Amery suggested to Kingsley Wood that the Black Forest be bombed with incendiaries to burn its ammunition dumps, Wood—the Secretary of State for Air—amazed the member of parliament by responding that the forest was "private property" and could not be bombed; neither could weapons factories, as the Germans might do the same. Some British officers in France imported packs of foxhounds and beagles in 1939, but were thwarted by the French authorities in their attempts at introducing live foxes.

In their hurry to re-arm, Britain and France both bought large amounts of weapons from manufacturers in the US at the outbreak of hostilities, supplementing their own production. The non-belligerent US contributed to the Western Allies with discounted sales.

Despite the relative calm on land, on the high seas, the war was very real. Within a few hours of the declaration of war, the British liner SS Athenia was torpedoed off the Hebrides with the loss of 112 lives in what was to be the beginning of the long-running Battle of the Atlantic. On 4 September, the Allies announced a blockade of Germany to prevent her importing food and raw materials to sustain her war effort; the Germans immediately declared a counter-blockade, while the Soviet Union helped Germany with supplies bypassing the blockade. RAF Bomber Command, Britain's principal offensive arm, was also heavily engaged, but found that daylight bombing caused little damage and cost insupportable losses (e.g., 12 out of 22 Wellington bombers were shot down in an air battle over the Wilhelmshaven naval base on 18 December 1939).

At the Nuremberg trials, German military commander Alfred Jodl said that "if we did not collapse already in the year 1939 that was due only to the fact that during the Polish campaign, the approximately 110 French and British divisions in the West were held completely inactive against the 23 German divisions." General Siegfried Westphal stated that if the French had attacked in force in September 1939 the German army "could only have held out for one or two weeks".

Saar Offensive

The Saar Offensive was a French attack into the Saarland defended by the German 1st Army. Its purpose was to assist Poland. The assault was stopped after a few kilometers and the French forces withdrew. According to the Franco-Polish military convention, the French Army was to start preparations for a major offensive three days after the beginning of mobilization. The French forces were to effectively gain control over the area between the French border and the German lines and were to probe the German defenses. On the 15th day of the mobilization (that is on 16 September), the French Army was to start a full-scale assault on Germany. The preemptive mobilization was started in France on 26 August, and on 1 September full mobilization was declared.

The offensive in the Rhine river valley area started on 7 September, four days after France declared war on Germany. Since the Wehrmacht was occupied in the attack on Poland, the French soldiers enjoyed a decisive numerical advantage along their border with Germany. Eleven French divisions advanced along a 32 km (20 miles) line near Saarbrücken against weak German opposition. The attack did not result in the diversion of any German troops. The all-out assault was to have been carried out by roughly 40 divisions, including one armored, three mechanized divisions, 78 artillery regiments and 40 tank battalions. The French Army had advanced to a depth of 8 km (5.0 miles) and captured about 20 villages evacuated by the German army, without any resistance. The half-hearted offensive was halted after France seized the Warndt Forest, 7.8 km2 (3.0 sq mi) of heavily mined German territory.

On 12 September, the Anglo-French Supreme War Council gathered for the first time at Abbeville. It was decided that all offensive actions were to be halted immediately as the French opted to fight a defensive war, forcing the Germans to come to them. General Maurice Gamelin ordered his troops to stop no closer than 1 km (0.62 miles) from the German positions along the Siegfried Line. Poland was not notified of this decision. Instead, Gamelin informed Marshal Edward Rydz-Śmigły that half of his divisions were in contact with the enemy and that French advances had forced the Wehrmacht to withdraw at least six divisions from Poland. The following day, the commander of the French Military Mission to Poland, General Louis Faury, informed the Polish Chief of Staff—General Wacław Stachiewicz—that the major offensive on the western front planned from 17 to 20 September had to be postponed. At the same time, French divisions were ordered to withdraw to their barracks along the Maginot Line, beginning the Phoney War.

Winter War

A notable event during the Phoney War was the Winter War, which started with the Soviet Union's assault on Finland on 30 November 1939. Public opinion, particularly in France and Britain, found it easy to side with Finland, and demanded from their governments effective action in support of "the brave Finns" against their much larger aggressor, the Soviet Union, particularly since the Finns' defense seemed so much more successful than that of the Poles during the September Campaign. As a consequence of its attack, the Soviet Union was expelled from the League of Nations, and a proposed Franco-British expedition to northern Scandinavia was much debated. British forces that began to be assembled to send to Finland's aid were not dispatched before the Winter War ended, but were sent instead to Norway's aid in the Norwegian campaign. On 20 March, after the Winter War had ended, Édouard Daladier resigned as Prime Minister of France, partially due to his failure to aid Finland's defense.

German Invasion of Denmark and Norway

The open discussions on an Allied expedition to northern Scandinavia, also without the consent of the neutral Scandinavian countries, and the Altmark Incident on 16 February, alarmed the Kriegsmarine and Germany by threatening iron ore supplies and gave strong arguments for Germany securing the Norwegian coast. Codenamed Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway commenced on 9 April. From the 14th, Allied troops were landed in Norway, but by the end of the month, southern parts of Norway were in German hands. The fighting continued in the north until the Allies evacuated in early June in response to the German invasion of France; the Norwegian forces in mainland Norway laid down their arms at midnight on 9 June.

Change of British Government

The debacle of the Allied campaign in Norway, which was actually an offshoot of the never-realized plans to aid Finland, forced a famous debate in the House of Commons during which the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was under constant attack. A nominal vote of confidence in his government was won by 281 to 200, but many of Chamberlain's supporters had voted against him while others had abstained. Chamberlain found it impossible to continue to lead a National Government or to form a new coalition government with himself as the leader. So on 10 May, Chamberlain resigned the premiership but retained the leadership of the Conservative Party. Winston Churchill, who had been a consistent opponent of Chamberlain's policy of appeasement, became Chamberlain's successor. Churchill formed a new coalition government that included members of the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Party, as well as several ministers from a non-political background.

Actions

Most other major actions during the Phoney War were at sea, including the Second Battle of the Atlantic fought throughout the Phoney War. Other notable events among these were:

A German submarine sank the ship SS Athenia on the first day of the war, killing 117 civilian passengers and crew.

4 September 1939, Royal Air Force daylight bombing raids on major Kriegsmarine warships in the Heligoland Bight proved a costly failure. Seven of the Bristol Blenheim and Vickers Wellington bombers were shot down without any ships being hit. Further ineffective anti-shipping raids in the same area on 14 and 18 December led to the loss of 17 Wellingtons and the abandonment of daylight operations by RAF heavy bombers.

17 September 1939, the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous was sunk by U-29. She went down in 15 minutes with the loss of 519 of her crew, including her captain. She was the first British warship to be lost in the war.

14 October 1939, the British battleship HMS Royal Oak was sunk in the main British fleet base at Scapa Flow, Orkney (north of mainland Scotland) by U-47. The death toll reached 833 men, including Rear-Admiral Henry Blagrove, commander of the 2nd Battleship Division.

Luftwaffe air raids on Britain began on 16 October 1939 when Junkers Ju 88s attacked British warships at Rosyth on the Firth of Forth. Spitfires of 602 and 603 Squadrons succeeded in shooting down two Ju 88s and a Heinkel He 111 over the firth. In a raid on Scapa Flow the next day, one Ju 88 was hit by anti-aircraft fire, crashing on the island of Hoy. The first Luftwaffe plane to be shot down on the British mainland was a He 111 at Haddington, East Lothian, on 28 October, with both 602 and 603 Squadrons claiming this victory. 602 Squadron's Archie McKellar was a principal pilot in both the destruction of the first German attacker over water and over British soil. McKellar (KIA 1 Nov. 1940) went on to be credited with 20 kills during the Battle of Britain, as well as "ace in a day" status by shooting down five Bf 109s; a feat accomplished by only 24 RAF pilots during the entire war.

In December 1939, the German Deutschland-class cruiser Admiral Graf Spee was attacked by the Royal Navy cruisers HMS Exeter, Ajax and Achilles in the Battle of the River Plate. Admiral Graf Spee fled to Montevideo harbor to carry out repairs on the damage sustained during the battle. She was later scuttled rather than face a large British fleet that the Kriegsmarine believed, incorrectly, was awaiting her departure. The support vessel for Admiral Graf Spee, the tanker Altmark was captured by the Royal Navy in February 1940 in southern Norway. (See: Battles of Narvik, Altmark Incident.)

On 19 February 1940, a Kriegsmarine destroyer flotilla embarked on Operation Wikinger, a sortie into the North Sea to disrupt British fishing and submarine activity around the Dogger Bank. En route, two destroyers were lost due to mines and friendly fire from the Luftwaffe; nearly 600 German sailors were killed and the mission was then aborted without ever encountering Allied forces.

British war planning had called for a "knockout blow" by strategic bombing of German industry with the RAF's substantial Bomber Command. However, there was considerable apprehension about German retaliation, and when President Franklin D. Roosevelt proposed an agreement not to mount any bombing raids which might endanger civilians, Britain and France agreed immediately and Germany agreed two weeks later. The RAF therefore conducted a large number of combined reconnaissance and propaganda leaflet flights over Germany. These operations were jokingly termed "pamphlet raids" or "Confetti War" in the British press.

On 10 May 1940, eight months after Britain and France had declared war on Germany, German troops marched into Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg, marking the end of the Phoney War and the beginning of the Battle of France.

Italy, hoping for territorial gains when France was defeated, entered the war on 10 June 1940, although the thirty-two Italian divisions which crossed the border with France enjoyed little success against five defending French divisions.

People of Warsaw outside the British Embassy with a banner which says "Long live England!" just after the British declaration of war with Nazi Germany.

 

In a German village during the Saar offensive, a French soldier looks at a poster from a German colonial league. Plate at the Colonial Office in Lauterbach, the soldier belonged to the French 151ème R.I., 42ème Division d'Infanterie, 9 September 1939.

UK Ministry of Home Security poster. Hitler will send no warning - so always carry your gas mask.

Two Bristol Blenheim Mark IVs of No. 139 Squadron RAF based at Plivot, in flight over northern France. Circa 1939/40.

Two Bristol Blenheim Mk IV aircraft take off from an airfield in France for a reconnaissance mission over enemy lines. Circa 1939/40.

Three Fairey Battle Mark Is, K9353 HA-J, K9324 HA-B and K9325 HA-D, of No. 218 Squadron RAF, based at Auberives-sur-Suippes, in flight over northern France, circa 1939/40. K9325 went missing during an attack on enemy troops near St Vith on 11 May 1940, and K9353 was shot down north of Bouillon the following day. K9324 survived the Battle of France to serve with the RAAF until 1944.

Three Fairey Battles of No. 88 Squadron RAF based at Mourmelon-le-Grand, flying in 'vic' formation over the snow-covered French countryside. Another 'vic' of Battles can be seen at extreme upper right. Circa 1939/40.

Flying Officer E J Kain of No. 73 Squadron, standing in the cockpit of his Hawker Hurricane Mark I at Rouvres. Circa 1939/40.

A Hawker Hurricane Mark I, 'VY-H', of No. 85 Squadron RAF stands at readiness at Lille-Seclin, as another Hurricane takes off. Circa 1939/40.

Mechanics servicing the engine of a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 501 Squadron RAF at No. 1 Repair Centre, Reims-Champagne. Circa 1939/40.

A Hawker Hurricane Mark I flown by Flight Lieutenant J E "Ian" Scoular, commander of 'B' Flight, No. 73 Squadron RAF, being refueled and re-armed between sorties at Reims-Champagne. Circa 1939/40.

A Hawker Hurricane Mark I flown by Flight Lieutenant J "Ian" Scoular, commander of 'B' Flight, No. 73 Squadron RAF, being refueled and re-armed between sorties at Reims-Champagne. Circa 1939/40.

Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No. 85 Squadron RAF at readiness at Lille-Seclin. In the foreground, two ground crew wait by a trolley-accumulator to start the engine. Circa 1939/40.

An airman, wearing gas clothing and mask, holds down the wing of a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 85 Squadron RAF during a gas attack practice at Lille-Seclin. Circa 1939/40.

Ground crew and armorers of No. 85 Squadron RAF refilling ammunition belts with .303 bullets in front of Hawker Hurricane Mark I, 'VY-C', at Lille-Seclin. Circa 1939/40.

A Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 87 Squadron RAF undergoes refueling from a tender at Lille-Seclin. Note original two-bladed propeller. Circa 1939/40.

Ground staff play with a ball next to a No 85 Squadron Hurricane at Lille-Seclin, November 1939. Note the fabric-covered outer wings characteristic of early-production aircraft. These were initially chosen to ensure a faster rate of production, but were soon substituted for stressed-skin metal wings. Visible also is the Watts fixed-pitch wooden propeller and the gas detection patch painted below the cockpit.

Smoke bombs envelop Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of 'B' Flight, No. 87 Squadron RAF, in their dispersal at Lille-Seclin during a gas attack practice. Circa 1939/40.

Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No. 85 Squadron RAF, stand at readiness at Lille-Seclin. Circa 1939/40.

Lord Gort in France, 26 November 1939.

After a nine-hour sortie to Prague to drop propaganda leaflets, this No 77 Squadron Whitley WOp/AG thaws out with a cup of hot chocolate at Villeneuve, near Paris, 28 February 1940.

The RAF's first ace of the war was Flying Officer Edgar 'Cobber' Kain of No 73 Squadron, seen here with his Hurricane at the beginning of April 1940.

No 73 Squadron pilots Sergeant Lionel Pilkington, Flight Lieutenant Reginald 'Unlucky' Lovett and Flying Officer Newall 'Fanny' Orton, April 1940.

For shooting down the first German aircraft to fall to the RAF in France, Flight Lieutenant Robert Voase-Jeff of No 87 Squadron was awarded the Croix de Guerre. He is seen here among a group of French pilots on 3 February 1940, saluting General Vuillemin, the Commander-in-Chief of the French Air Force.

Six Hurricane Mark Is of No. 73 Squadron RAF, based at Rouvres, France, flying in loose echelon formation. Circa 1939/40.

Sir Kingsley Wood, Secretary of State for Air, accompanied by Air Vice-Marshal P H L Playfair, Air Officer Commanding the Advanced Air Striking Force (left), passes the boiler and bath quarters of an RAF unit billeted in France. Circa 1939/40.

Air Marshal A S Barratt, Air Officer Commanding British Air Forces in France, addresses airmen on a parade in the snow at an RAF base. Circa 1939/40.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Cyril Newall, Chief of the Air Staff (third left), accompanied by Air Commodore Lord Londonderry and Air Vice Marshal P H L Playfair, Air Officer Commanding the Advanced Air Striking Force (first left), on an airfield during his tour of RAF units in France. Circa 1939/40.

A replacement Rolls Royce Merlin engine being fitted into a Hawker Hurricane Mark I of No. 73 Squadron RAF at Rouvres. Circa 1939/40.

A French schoolboy listens to the volunteer band of No. 71 Wing RAF as it practices in a courtyard at Rouvres. Circa 1939/40.

Fairey Battle, K9204 'QT-Q', of No. 142 Squadron RAF, in a camouflaged 'hide' at Berry-au-Bac. K9204 survived the Battle of France, eventually joining the RCAF in 1941 as a training aircraft (2100). Circa 1939/40.

A photographer removes developed aerial reconnaissance film (taken by an F.24 aerial camera) from a developing tank in a Mobile Darkrooms tender at the Headquarters of No. 71 Wing RAF, Bétheniville. Circa 1939/40.

The film magazine from an F.24 aerial camera is handed over to a sergeant photographer for processing at a Mobile Darkrooms at the Headquarters of No. 71 Wing RAF, Bétheniville. Circa 1939/40.

A photographer shows developed film from a Type F.24 aerial camera to the sergeant in charge of the Photography Section, outside a Mobile Darkrooms tender at the Headquarters of No. 71 Wing RAF, Bétheniville. Circa 1939/40.

Three Hawker Hurricane Mark Is of No. 73 Squadron RAF, based at Rouvres, simulate an attack in line astern on the photographer's aircraft. Circa 1939/40.

Anglican Chaplains meet to discuss future programs for RAF personnel in France, under the chairmanship of A H Paget-Wilkes (third left), Senior Church of England Chaplain to the Advanced Air Striking Force. Circa 1939/40.

Flying Officers N "Fanny" Orton and E J "Cobber" Kain of No. 73 Squadron RAF, standing by a Hawker Hurricane Mark I, between sorties, at Reims-Champagne. Orton left France with at least fifteen victories and Kain with seventeen. Circa 1939/40.

An RAF chaplain conducts a church service in a village hall in France. Circa 1939/40.

Charles Gardner, the BBC war reporter, and his sound engineer E L Lysett (seated in the car at right), recording an interview with RAF officers outside their billets in a town in northern France. Circa 1939/40.

Officers of No. 88 Squadron RAF, and a civilian guest are served a meal in their mess at Mourmelon-le-Grand. At the head of the table sits the Squadron's Commanding Officer, Wing Commander G F Ellison. Circa 1939/40.

Men of the Royal Scots queue up for haircuts, France, 18 April 1940.

Troops from the first contingent of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) prepare for embarkation at a tented camp near Southampton, 5 - 9 September 1939.

Troops from the first contingent of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) embarking for France at Southampton, 5 - 9 September 1939.

Troops from the first contingent of the British Expeditionary Force embarking for France at Southampton, September 1939. Photo has been partially censored.

An RAF officer examines the wreckage of a crashed German Dornier Do 17 bomber which crashed in a French field. Dornier Do 17P reconnaissance aircraft, Luftwaffe code (Verbandskennzeichen) 4N + FH (white F), 1.(F)/22 (1st squadron of 22nd Fernaufklärungsgruppe/strategic recce group). Circa 1939/40.

British and French pilots prepare for a mission over German lines at an airfield in France. Circa 1939/40.

A Hawker Hurricane fighter is loaded with ammunition before a mission. This Hurricane Mark I has the original two-bladed propeller. Circa 1939/40.

Air Vice Marshal P H L Playfair, Air Officer Commanding Advanced Air Striking Force, at RAF Headquarters in France. Circa 1939/40.

The Operations Room at RAF Headquarters in France. Circa 1939/40.

A Royal Pioneer Corps ammunition dump near Nantes. 4 February 1940.

HM King George VI visits the BEF, December 1939: The King surveys the countryside around Bachy from the top of a pillbox.

Major General the Hon Harold Alexander, GOC 1st Division, with HM King George VI inspecting the 2nd Battalion, Hampshire Regiment near Bachy. December 1939.

French soldiers salute as the coffin of one of six soldiers of the Royal Corps of Signals killed in an accident is carried past them for burial in Epernay. Circa 1939/40.

Lysander Mark II, L4767 OO-E, of No. 13 Squadron RAF, on the ground at Mons-en-Chaussee, France, as ground crew investigate a deflated tire on the port undercarriage. The serial number has been painted over for security purposes. Circa December 1939/February 1940.

French 25mm Mle 1934 anti-tank gun in service, January 1940.

French soldiers in northern France, circa 1939/40.

French soldiers in a dugout, 24 April 1940.

German guard at a roadblock at the exit of Steinfeld, Westwall, circa 1939.

German troops move along a trench in a graveyard, Western front, 17 April 1940.

Two German prisoners being led to the rear by two French soldiers, one of whom carries a MG 34 light machine gun, taken at the same time as the men, April 1940.

On 6 December 1939 King George VI, with the Duke of Gloucester and Viscount Lord Gort (Commander-in-Chief of the BEF), inspected RAF Air Component units at Lille-Seclin. Here the King greets Squadron Leader J. S. 'Johnny' Dewar, commanding No 87 Squadron, in front of a smart line-up of Hurricanes. Note original two-bladed propellers.

Pilots of No 87 Squadron run to their Hurricane fighters for a mock 'scramble' at Lille-Seclin, November 1939. By now some replacement Hurricanes were arriving in France fitted with de Havilland three-bladed variable-pitch propellers, as evident in this photograph.

Army and French Air Force personnel outside a dugout named '10 Downing Street' on the edge of an airfield, 28 November 1939.

A Fairey Battle fighter bomber at a forward airfield in France. Circa 1939/40.

Fairey Battle fighter bomber at a snow covered airfield in France during the winter of 1939/40.

A game of football at Chanzy barracks, Le Mans. Ordnance sergeants in trousers against men in shorts on the BEF assembly ground. Note the gun mounted on a tripod as a precaution against air attack. Circa 1939/40.

Bren gun carriers of the 1st Battalion, Border Regiment move through Orchies near the Franco-Belgian border. 13 October 1939.

The 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Fusiliers marching through Gavrelle near Arras. Circa 1939/40.

British soldiers visit the site of the former 'No Man's Land' of the First World War battlefield at Vimy. 20 October 1939.

French civilians at Bernay wave as a British transport convoy passes through the village. 1 October 1939.

Signals wireless vehicle being unloaded from a transport ship at Cherbourg. 29 September 1939.

A road sign reminding British Army drivers that they should drive on the right hand side of the road. 29 September 1939.

A British soldier is greeted with flowers by a French girl at Rouen. 1 October 1939.

Young children from the East End of London carrying their belongings, including their gas masks, as they set off on their journey to safer areas. Circa 1939/40.

An early start to evacuation is made by children of Myrdle School in Stepney. The children assembled at school at 5am on Friday 1 September 1939. This photograph shows evacuees and adults walking along a street carrying suitcases and gas mask boxes. The adults are wearing arm bands which identify them as volunteer marshals. Circa 1939.

Women classed as enemy aliens being escorted by police and officials to board trains at a London station, at the start of their journey for internment on the Isle of Man early in the Second World War. Circa 1939/40.

A newspaper seller carrying a placard announcing that Britain had declared war on Germany. Circa September 1939.

The fuselage of a German Heinkel He 111 bomber shot down near Hazebrouck being transported on a trailer towed by a French half-track through the town of Roye, November 1939.

Close to the front lines the French troops had to blow up a bridge. 8 November 1939.

French troops including two medics during the Saar offensive, September-October 1939.

As a solitary sentry watches in a meadow in the Saarland, a train of horses moves past a line of Renault UE tractors.

51st Highland Division in the Maginot Line: A soldier from the Cameron Highlanders looks through a periscope in the Fort de Sainghain. 3 November 1939.

French corporal of I/158° RI a turret in the Bitche sector of the Maginot Line, circa 1939.

French lieutenant in turret number 315 on the Maginot Line near Buhl, circa 1939.

French lieutenant in turret number 315 on the Maginot Line near Buhl, circa 1939.

A group of politicians visits the fortified buildings of the Maginot Line. The diesel-mechanic loco is probably a Locotracteur Heim HDD 10/12 CV. Circa 3 September 1939-9 May 1940.

51st Highland Division in the Maginot Line: A British sentry on duty wearing a gas mask in the underground passage in a fort on the Maginot Line. 3 November 1939.

Men of the 2nd Battalion Royal Fusiliers in a trench in front of the Maginot Line, 3 January 1940.

HM King George VI visits the BEF, December 1939: The King leaves a bunker in the Maginot Line.

51st Highland Division in the Maginot Line: A French sentry presents arms as British troops enter a fort on the Maginot Line. 3 November 1939.

Nicolaus von Below, Wilhelm Keitel, Adolf Hitler visit the Maginot Line, June 1940.

French soldiers play cards on the Maginot Line during the Phoney War.

German troops man the western defenses, circa 1939/40.

French column pauses during a march, circa 1939/40.

French soldiers in the trenches during the "Phoney War". Date and location unknown.

British troops in trenches during the Phoney War.

Troops from the Royal Berkshire Regiment manning trenches near Mouchin, 29 November 1939.

Troops from the Royal Berkshire Regiment manning trenches near Mouchin, 29 November 1939.

A 3-inch mortar of 2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers being demonstrated, France, 4 November 1939.

Troops from 2nd Battalion Middlesex Regiment, 3rd Division, training on the Vickers machine gun at Gondecourt, France, 21 March 1940.

Light Tank Mk VIs and Bren carriers of 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, attached to 51st Division, 19 France, March 1940.

The crew of a Light Tank Mk VI of 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, attached to 51st Division, France, 19 March 1940.

Motorcycle combinations of 4th Northumberland Fusiliers at Fontaine, France, 20 March 1940.

Royal Corps of Signals troops laying a cable, using poles to cross a road, France, 18 March 1940.

Camouflaged 3.7-inch anti-aircraft guns attached to the AASF (Advanced Air Striking Force) near Rheims for airfield defense, France, 23 March 1940.

3.7-inch anti-aircraft gun attached to the AASF (Advanced Air Striking Force) near Rheims for airfield defense, France, 23 March 1940.

A view of one of the wards at No. 8 General Hospital near Nantes, France, 1-2 April 1940.

Gunners of 3rd Medium Regiment, Royal Artillery place brushwood under the wheels of one of their 6-inch howitzers to prevent the wheels sinking into the soft ground as it is towed into position, near Calais, France, 30 March 1940.

Light Tank Mk VI crews of 1st Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, attached to 51st Division, France, 19 March 1940.

25-pdr Mk I, France, 10 April 1940.

Guardsmen of King's Company, 1st Grenadier Guards, 3rd Division, go 'over the top' during training at Annappes, France, 8 April 1940.

A 25-pdr gun being inspected by General Georges and senior officers of the French and British armies at Orchies, France, 23 April 1940.

An artillery observation post under construction, camouflaged as a house extension in Mouchin, France, 26 April 1940.

General Georges of the French Army, accompanied by Lord Gort, inspecting the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers at Bethune, France, 23 April 1940.

A 40mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun and crew near Douai, France, November 1939.

Matilda Mk I tanks and crews of 4th Royal Tank Regiment in a farmyard at Acq, France, 19 October 1939.

Bren gun carrier and Light Tank Mk VI crews of 4/7th Royal Dragoon Guards mount up during an exercise at Bucquoy, France, 12 January 1940.

Men of 2nd Battalion Essex Regiment with a Hotchkiss 25mm SA 34 anti-tank gun, Meurchin, France, 27 April 1940.

Men of the 1st Royal Welsh Fusiliers practice firing their Boys anti-tank rifles on the beach near Etaples, France, 6 February 1940.

French General, Maurice Gamelin, inspecting the troops during a visit to the French Canadian barracks, England, 29 March 1940.

Men of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry wearing the new battledress and equipment issued to all branches of the Army in 1939. They are armed with Mark 1 No. 4 Lee Enfield Rifles.

General Lord Gort and General Gamelin, 1939.

Curtiss Hawk 75 fighters, SPA 153, Armee de l'Air.

Light Tank Mk VI on board a trailer being towed by an FWD R6T (AEC 850) recovery tractor, December 1939.

FWD R6T AEC 860 recovering 15 cwt truck, France, 1940.

Commer Q25. Bren gun on an anti-aircraft mounting in the back of a lorry transported on a railway flat car at Arras, 3 January 1940.

Motor transport lined up beneath Le Mans cathedral prior to moving forward to GHQ at Arras, France, 27 September 1939.

The Grenadier Guards building breastworks on flooded ground at Hem, France, December 1939.

A military policeman studies a 1st Corps HQ sign, 18 January 1940.

Pilots of No. 73 Squadron RAF grouped round the Duty Office dugout at Rouvres. Standing in the dugout entrance, wearing a balaclava, is Pilot Officer E J "Cobber" Kain, later to achieve distinction as the first Allied 'ace' of the War. The officers grouped around him are (clockwise from Kain): Flying Officer R E Lovett, Pilot Officer P V Ayerst, Pilot Officer J G "Tubs" Perry, Flying Officer N "Fanny" Orton, and Pilot Officers G F Brotchie, A B "Tommy" Tucker and "Smooth" Holliday. To Holliday's left can be seen the head of a Greek journalist who was visiting the Squadron. Standing in a line on the roof are (left to right), Sergeants R M Perry, L J W "Humph" Humphris, B Speake, D A Sewell, G H Phillips and J Winn, Pilot Officer E "Henry" Hall (Squadron Adjutant), and Sergeants C N S Campbell and S G Stuckey. Sgts Perry and Winn became the Squadron's first casualties when they were both shot down and killed north-east of Metz on 22 December 1939 by Messerschmitt Bf 109s of III/JG53.

Six Fairey Battles of No. 88 Squadron RAF based at Mourmelon-le-Grand, flying in starboard echelon formation over the snow-covered French countryside.

Officers of the Intelligence Section at the Headquarters of No. 71 Wing of the Advanced Air Striking Force at Bétheniville, study enlarged prints of aerial reconnaissance photographs with a stereoscope.

Flying Officer E J 'Cobber' Kain of No. 73 Squadron RAF, standing by his Hawker Hurricane Mark I "Paddy III" at Rouvres, shortly after becoming the first Allied air 'ace' of the Second World War.

Ground crew working on a Fairey Battle of No. 218 Squadron at Auberive-sur-Suippes. Note the attempt to camouflage the site with cut fir saplings.

Armorers of No. 218 Squadron RAF loading ammunition drums for .303 Vickers K-type gas-operated machine guns, an example of which is held by the corporal (center), in their tent at Auberives-sur-Suippes.

General Joseph Vuillemin, Chief of the French Air Staff (second left), accompanied by his staff officers, talks with Air Marshal A S Barratt, Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief British Air Forces in France (right), during an awards ceremony at a French Air Force base.

A dummy pillbox erected by 23rd Field Company Royal Engineers, 1st Division, at St Sartine, 26 April 1940.