Arrest of Maurice Gustave Gamelin
Arrested for the French defeat
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
1940 in France — Page 4
Explore 149 historical events and records for France in 1940.
Historical records for France in 1940
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 29 of 149 unique records.
149Unique records
4 of 4Page
24Named events on this page
17Named people on this page
3Places on this page
December
Arrest of Pierre Laval
Laval is dismissed and arrested, pressure from German ambassador Otto Abetz secures his release, Laval leaves for Paris and the protection of his German patron
Collaboration
Laval is dismissed and arrested, pressure from German ambassador Otto Abetz secures his release, Laval leaves for Paris and the protection of his German patron
Other events (month unknown)
Armistice
The Vichy Government has to pay reperations & disarm the Navy held in French ports
Arrest of Jacques Philippe Leclerc
Arrested by by the Germans & escapes
Arrest of Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman
Arrested for acts of resistance and protest against Nazi methods. He was interrogated by the Gestapo but thanks to the intervention of a German lawyer, he was saved from being sent to Dachau. Transferred as a personal prisoner of Gauleiter Joseph Buerckel, he escaped in 1942 and re-joined the French Resistance
Arrest of Jean-Baptiste Nicolas Robert Schuman
Arrested for acts of resistance and protest against Nazi methods. He was interrogated by the Gestapo but thanks to the intervention of a German lawyer, he was saved from being sent to Dachau. Transferred as a personal prisoner of Gauleiter Joseph Buerckel, he escaped in 1942 and re-joined the French Resistance
Arrest of Leon Blum
Arrested & imprisoned by the Vichy Government, 1940-1945
Burial
A gift to France from Adolf Hitler, moved from Vienna to Les Invalides
Capital
The French Government moves to Vichy in unoccupied southern France
Commander of 7th Army
Appointed Commander of the 7th French Army
Commander of 7th Army
Appointed Commander of the 7th French Army
French Resistance
Opposes the appointment of Petain & joins the French resistance
French Resistance
Opposes the appointment of Petain & joins the French resistance
German Captivity
Sartre is captured during the German invasion and spends months as a prisoner of war.
Government
The majority of 1 vote in the Assembly makes him dependent on Daladiers support
Heavy Water
Helps safeguard heavy water supplies during the war.
Member of Government
Because of his expertise on Germany, Schuman was called to become a member of Paul Reynaud's wartime Government, in charge of the refugees
Minister of Marine
Appointed Minister of Marine
Mobilization
Orders the fleet to North Africa provoking attacks by the British Mediterranean fleet
Prime Minister of France
Appointed Prime Minister of France
Reparations
The Vichy Government has to pay reperations & disarm the Navy held in French ports
Resignation of Albert Lebrun
Rsigns when the gvernment headed by Petain & Laval assumes power. Last President of the 3rd Republic
The Philosophy of No
Bachelard publishes The Philosophy of No, presenting scientific knowledge as dynamically revisable.
Trial
Deserts from the Vichy Government & is sentenced to death
Under Secretary
Appointed Under Secretary of State on the War Committee
Vichy Government
Arrested & imprisoned by the Vichy Government, 1940-1945
Vichy Government
Deserts from the Vichy Government & is sentenced to death
Vichy Government
The Vichy Government has to pay reperations & disarm the Navy held in French ports
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.