1939-1940: A Strange Defeat

Overview

In late summer 1939, the French learned that Adolf Hitler had attacked Poland. On September 3, France entered the war, twenty years after the carnage of World War I. Although France was considered the world’s leading military power, with a vast empire and a powerful ally in the United Kingdom, everyone was overcome with a sense of dread. Yet the fighting would not begin until May 1940 and would end with France’s defeat in June. How did the French people experience those few months—among the most decisive and darkest in the country’s history?

Details

Status

Released

Release date

June 21, 2026

Original language

French

Spoken languages

French

Countries

France

Production

France Télévisions,Roche Productions,ECPAD

Cast

Jean-Pierre Darroussin

Director

Antoine Vitkine

Writer

Antoine Vitkine,Marc Bloch

Producer

Dominique Tibi

Budget

Not recorded

Revenue

Not recorded

IMDb

View on IMDb