ABSTRACT
The 1930s witnessed a gradual decline in France’s military might. In 1939 in land armaments France occupied third place among the powers, in naval and air armaments fourth place. The numerical strength of the French army was not fixed and unchanging during the inter-war years. The fact that the Maginot Line was not continued to cover the Franco-Belgian border proved the fatal flaw in France’s defences in 1940. The chief cause of French deficiencies was the delay in air rearmament. Rearmament did not begin until 15 March 1938, fifteen months after the start of land rearmament. The French air estimates for 1937 accounted for 19% of the total defence budget, in Great Britain the corresponding figure was 54%. The General Staff treated air power very much as an adjunct to land forces. French deficiencies in the air might have been offset by large purchases of American aircraft. British assistance was regarded as indispensable at sea.
