Churchill Vows Blood and Sweat: Britain Faces Germany's Onslaught
German Panzer divisions crossed the Meuse River at Sedan on May 13, 1940, punching through the supposedly impassable Ardennes forest and outflanking the Maginot Line. General Heinz Guderian's XIX Panzer Corps bridged the river under intense air attack, then broke through French positions held by poorly trained reserve divisions. The breakthrough was decisive: within six days, Guderian's tanks reached the English Channel, cutting off the British Expeditionary Force and the best French divisions in Belgium. That same day, Churchill addressed the House of Commons with his first speech as Prime Minister, offering "nothing but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." France signed an armistice on June 22. The entire campaign lasted just six weeks.
May 13, 1940
86 years ago
Key Figures & Places
Nazi Germany
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World War II
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British House of Commons
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Winston Churchill
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Meuse River
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blood, toil, tears, and sweat
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House of Commons of the United Kingdom
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Meuse
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World War II
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Battle of France
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Meuse
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Winston Churchill
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Blood, toil, tears and sweat
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House of Commons of the United Kingdom
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House of Commons
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Campagnes d'Afrique, du Moyen-Orient et de Méditerranée
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Heeresgruppe Afrika
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Hans-Jürgen von Arnim
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Campaña en África del Norte
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Axis powers
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Wehrmacht
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History of France
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Geschichte des Vereinigten Königreichs von Großbritannien und Nordirland
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Parliament of the United Kingdom
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Nazi Germany
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