France
France heard talks that Germany wanted to take over Poland. Both Britain and France made an agreement with Poland that they would protect the country if she was invaded. On September 1, 1939 Germany invaded Poland. France and Britain offered a deal with Germany that if they pulled out, then they wouldn’t go to war. Germany didn’t listen and so on September 3, 1939, France and Great Britain declared war on Germany. This was the beginning of WWII. France was a part of the Allied Forces, which included Great Britain, US, and USSR. They were fighting against the Axis forces, which included Germany, Italy, and Japan. France did not stay in the war long as they surrendered to Germany June 22, 1940. And Germany occupied them until 1944.
Charles De Gaulle
The homeland of France was affected in many ways during WWII. Life was fairly normal for a while until May 1940, when the Germans invaded France and they had to surrender. At this time, many people had already left the country and most of the men where called to service. Women and children stayed at home. When the Germans took over, the people of France had to have a 9:00 curfew with their lights turned off. Many of them painted their flashlights with blue paint so they could maneuver in the dark. At night, air raids would occur and so sirens would go off. Many people retreated to the subway to try to stay out of harms way.
Women had a tough role in that they had to find food to feed their children and cope with their husbands being gone. Many times they would get up while it was still dark and wait in lines to get food, which never showed up. A woman could be gone the entire day trying to find food. Additionally, food was rationed, so everyone only got a certain amount, which was very small. Children were able to receive greater portions of milk and bread than the adults. Finding food was difficult, but so was finding clothes. Women drew false seems on their legs because they couldn’t buy stockings. Also, the shoes they wore made with wooden or cork soles that didn’t last very long. Many women took up sewing for their families and to make money. Women would take over family farms and some even learned to fly and maintain planes.
Civilians tried to make life normal for children, but it was difficult with soldiers being killed in the streets. It was also difficult because students weren’t getting adequate nutrients. The schools adapted to the students’ needs by shortening the school day and giving the children less strenuous activities. At school, Jewish students began showing up with the Jewish star on them and then they would stop coming to school because they were sent to concentration camps. Many children were orphaned and separated from their families never to be reunited.
Amy Reinhold