Maurice Gamelin and the Allied Command Collapse

General Maurice Gamelin was the Supreme Commander of the French and British armed forces at the outbreak of World War II. Bound by a defensive doctrine centered around the Maginot Line, Gamelin failed to anticipate the swift and innovative German armored strategy through the Ardennes in May 1940. His centralized and sluggish command structure crippled the Allied response, allowing German forces to breach French defenses and isolate Allied troops in Belgium and northern France. Following the rapid military collapse, Gamelin was abruptly relieved of his command by Prime Minister Paul Reynaud. Subsequently arrested by the Vichy regime, he was put on trial at Riom, deported to Germany, and imprisoned in Itter Castle until his liberation by Allied troops in May 1945.

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