Italian invasion of France
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The Italian invasion of France, also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France.
The Val Dora battalion of the 5th Alpini Regiment in action in the Col de Pelouse
German coal entering Italy through the Brenner Pass. The issue of Italian coal was prominent in diplomatic circles in the spring of 1940.
The situation on 4 June. Belgian, British, and French forces have been encircled near Dunkirk, while the remaining French armies take up positions to defend Paris.
Mussolini delivering his declaration of war speech, from the balcony of the Palazzo Venezia in Rome
Battle of France
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The Battle of France, also known as the Western Campaign, the French Campaign and the Fall of France, during the Second World War, was the German invasion of France, that notably introduced tactics that are still used. France and the Low Countries were conquered, ending land operations on the Western Front until the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944.
French soldiers in underground bunkers on the Maginot Line during the Phoney War
French soldier in the German village of Lauterbach in Saarland
The classic characteristic of what is commonly known as "blitzkrieg" is a highly mobile form of infantry, armour and aircraft working in combined arms. (German armed forces, June 1942)
British troops of the 2nd BEF move up to the front, June 1940