Third Republic vs. Third Reich. Ever since the age of Napoleon, the French military had been one of the best in all of Europe. That is, until 1940, when it joined with countries like Italy in the league of military jokes. France’s defeat was so rapid that the entire campaign was over in six weeks. And the leader of the French Republic even telephoned Churchill to tell him they had lost after only six days. The German victory was so sudden, even the German generals were shocked. So, how did it all end up on a beach in Dunkirk? What went wrong?  Please register for this class if you are interested in participating via in person only.