After Operation Dynamo, where Britain recovered approximately 338,000 British and Allied soldiers from capture and annihilation at Dunkirk, French forces rapidly collapsed under the onslaught of Germany’s Blitzkrieg warfare. On June 22, 1940, France officially signed an armistice with Germany, ending the Battle of France. The armistice effectively divided France into two zones: the Occupied Zone, which encapsulated the northern and western regions of France (including Paris) and was directly controlled and administered by Nazi authorities, and the Unoccupied or Free Zone, which included the southern and eastern regions of France and was governed by the Vichy government and led by Marshal Philippe Pétain.

Known as the “Lion of Verdun” or “Vainqueur de Verdun,” Pétain was a highly decorated military officer known for his effective tactics during World War I. As leader of the Vichy government, however, Pétain sought to straddle a fine line between maintaining relative freedom in France and collaborating with the Nazi regime. Through his agreement to collaborate, Germany gained a compliant government in the southern zone of Europe that enforced their policies, including the enactment of antisemitic laws and participation in the deportation of Jews. It would also provide economic resources, labor, and administrative support to the Nazi war effort, as it allowed Nazi forces to use French infrastructure, agricultural resources, and manufacturing plants for ammunition.