Phoney War

>>2160137

It's generally hard to attack in winter. Even on the Eastern front, the pace of the combat slowed down noticeably when the snow started flying. In the Western front, it was far more pronounced a phenomenon.

Furthermore, from the British and French perspective, the two of them had enormously more resources and long-term military potential than Germany did. A hell of a lot more population, a lot more resources that could be used to construct arms. Why embark on a risky winter attack, especially since neither had even fully finished mobilizing? Time is on their side, not Germany's.

>>2160143
So the French were basically so full of themselves and their superior defences that they didn't even bother fighting?

You know what. i think German success in 1940 wasn't even that much of a thing of German superiority, as it was of Allied incompetence and stupidity.

>>2160180
>So the French were basically so full of themselves and their superior defences that they didn't even bother fighting?


Not exactly.

More that the French had the advantage in a long war and they knew it. Why risk everything on a throw of the dice in a winter attack when in a year from now, they'll be stronger vis a vis Germany, and a year further from that, stronger still?

>i think German success in 1940 wasn't even that much of a thing of German superiority, as it was of Allied incompetence and stupidity.

Well, yeah. This is hardly a revolutionary thought. Franco-British war planning in the interwar years was generally predicated that the next big war would be a lot like WW1. Extremely limited mobility. Extremely long duration of conflict. Industrialized output being the key to success, along with balancing arms production and home front stability.

When they didn't get that kind of war, they were badly unprepared.

>>2160189
Ironically the French who made the best tank of WW1 (Renault FT17) had no idea how to use tanks properly. It's like no one in French High Command ever read Liddel Hart.

>>2160238
And why was that tank the best

>>2160180
>>2160189
The French were still traumatized by WW1
They declared war because they had to, but deep down they hoped that if they just sat there and didnt act, the Germans would forget they were at war and everything would be over

>>2160238
>Liddel Hart
No one took that hack seriously except that hack himself who made Guderian say that he took inspiration from Liddel-Hart as Guderian had nothing to lose for saying that.

>>2160245
It was the best compared to other tanks in the war. especially monstrosities like German A7V bucket tank. It had rotating turret, fair amount of speed and mobility, basically a basis of modern tanks.
>>2160254
>hack
explain

>>2160245
Because it was the first to have the crew compartment at the front, the engine compartment at the back, and main armament in a revolving turret
British and German WW1 tanks were retarded garbage
The FT17's revolutionary design is the one that was copied by everyone and still remains in modern tanks

Everyone was planning for War '42. Nobody thought Germany would try for Poland, nobody thought Poland would fight, nobody thought the Soviets would cooperate, and nobody thought the UK and France would declare war.

Neither army was in a state to invade during the phoney war. Germany got lucky in Poland, but no reinforcements were possible because of geography.

>>2160262
Liddel Hart blamed everything on the generals in WW1, calling them incompetent and doing nothing but to do massive frontal assaults to waste lives but that was nothing further from the truth.

His book on the "indirect approach" which is basically be mobile and attack the enemy at its weak points and padded it into a full book.
The worst part is that he tried to take credit for German mechanized warfare which was developed and influenced by the Soviets who were doing massive mechanized experiments.