MicroFactzzz#0100 · 🏛️ History Gone Off the Rails
France and Britain Declared War on Germany, Then Did Almost Nothing for Eight Months
After the invasion of Poland in September 1939, the Western Front stayed eerily quiet for months in what became known as the "Phony War."
Right after Germany’s invasion of Poland in September 1939, France and Britain formally declared war on the Third Reich, fulfilling their alliance obligations.
Yet on the Western Front, for the next eight months — until the German invasion of France and the Low Countries in May 1940 — there was practically no serious ground fighting.
The period became known as the "Phony War" — soldiers on both sides of the Maginot Line spent their time on routine patrols, and the press even joked about the "Sitzkrieg," since so little actual fighting took place.
This inactivity gave Germany time to regroup after the Polish campaign, which some historians consider a factor that helped fuel its lightning success in the next phase of the war.
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Krulicza Nora
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