CHAPTER 35
TOURS, FRANCE—JUNE 13, 1940
On the day that Paris was declared an open city, Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his military delegation flew to Tours for what they thought might be their last Anglo-French Supreme War Council meeting. Churchill peered out the window of the plane as it safely landed on a badly bombed airfield. The aircraft rumbled to a stop, the engines turned off, and the pilot exited the cockpit and opened the door. Churchill left the plane and was met by a faint smell of burnt petrol and expelled explosive. The airfield—scarred with bomb craters—was silent and barren, except for five parked French fighters and the charred remains of Amiot bombers.
Nearly all is lost for France, Churchill thought. He gripped the lapels of his jacket and gazed over the destruction. Britain alone shall carry on the fight.
General Ismay exited the plane with the other members of the delegation and approached Churchill. He scanned the airfield and adjusted his military cap. “It appears that there is no one to meet us, sir. Would you like for us to search for transportation?”
“By all means.” Churchill took out a cigar and lit it. He took a deep drag and blew smoke through his nostrils.
The members of Churchill’s delegation explored the airfield’s two undamaged hangars and eventually tracked down French military staff with automobiles. Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a large, Renaissance Revival–style hotel in the center of Tours, a town between the Cher and Loire rivers. They entered through an unguarded door and traveled down a hallway lined with stacks of crates and cardboard boxes. Churchill found French Prime Minister Reynaud and his military leaders in a dining room with several tables pushed together to form a meeting area.
Reynaud approached Churchill and shook his hand. “Merci for coming, and my apologies for the disarray.”
“Understandable,” Churchill said.
“The Luftwaffe is conducting frequent air raids on Tours,” Reynaud said. “Tomorrow, we will move the government again.”
“Where?” Churchill asked.
“Bordeaux.”
You are running out of places to hide, Churchill thought. “Shall we begin?”
“Oui,” Reynaud said.
The delegations sat at the grouping of tables—British on one side, French on the other.
Reynaud adjusted his burgundy tie, pulled tightly around the collar of his crisp white shirt, and looked at Churchill. “General Weygand has declared Paris an open city.”
“When?” Churchill asked.
“This morning,” Reynaud said. “We expect the Germans to enter Paris tomorrow.”
A few of the British delegation shifted in their seats.
Churchill, calm and composed, looked at Supreme Commander Weygand—an elderly mustached man who’d replaced General Maurice Gamelin, who’d been dismissed because of his weak leadership and disastrous military errors. “France must defend Paris at all costs.”
Weygand folded his arms. “We have no choice.”
“You have the option to fight,” Churchill said. “For France and for Europe’s freedom.”
Marshal Pétain, a white-haired deputy prime minister of France, placed his hands on the table and looked at Churchill. “I encourage you to listen to General Weygand. He has a complete understanding of all military matters taking place in France.”
“Paris must be defended,” Churchill said.
“We have no reserve troops,” Pétain said. “Britain should be sending more soldiers to aid France.”
We’ve given the support of our BEF and RAF. Your military strategy has failed, allowing the Germans to drive our Allied forces into the sea. Anger burned inside Churchill yet he maintained his diplomatic tone. “Thousands of French soldiers are being evacuated to England. Your remaining military should go to North Africa to carry on the war.”
“It will be futile,” Weygand said.
Churchill leaned forward in his chair. “The French should pursue the use of guerrilla warfare.”
Pétain shook his head. “It will destroy the country. Turning Paris into a ruin will not change the result.”
Churchill glanced at the French prime minister, who remained silent as his military leaders fought for their country’s surrender. He imagined the German Army marching unopposed on the streets of Paris, and he hoped that Reynaud would replace his military leaders with the younger and more confident General de Gaulle. Churchill was impressed with de Gaulle, and he believed that the Frenchman exhibited the tenacity and courage needed to prevent France from conceding to Nazi rule.
For thirty minutes, members of Churchill’s staff asked questions and made recommendations to their French counterparts. And it soon became clear, to Churchill, that French leadership was determined to accept defeat, rather than struggle to fight for the future of France and its people.
Prime Minister Reynaud looked at Churchill. “I’m waiting on a reply from US President Roosevelt on a request for American assistance.”
“I’ve also requested his support,” Churchill said.
“I believe you will agree,” Reynaud said, smoothing his tie, “that we need the help of the Americans, as neither of us on our own can defeat Germany.”
Churchill furrowed his brow. “Is there something more that you want to tell me?”
Reynaud put his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers. “The condition of our army is desperate, and the pursuit of French resistance is hopeless.” He glanced at his military leaders. “We believe that the best option is to seek an armistice with Germany.”
Churchill rubbed his jowl.
“If we were to achieve an armistice,” Reynaud continued, “we would never allow our naval vessels to go to Germany as part of the agreement.”
The room went silent.
General Ismay leaned forward in his chair, its wood creaking under the man’s weight.
