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What Happened During The Phoney War? (1939–1940)
The time between the invasions of Poland and France
In late September 1939, upon reading the reports coming out of Europe following the German invasion of Poland, US Senator William Borah remarked, “There is something phoney about this war.” Despite the fact that France and the United Kingdom had declared war on Germany, there was no concerted effort to actually fight with the Germans. The British did what they do best and rolled out a blockade and overall naval strategy. The French poked meagerly into Germany before turning around and going home. Even as Poland was devoured by Germany and the Soviet Union, the rest of the world was content to sit on their hands and wait for someone to make a move.
The period between September 1939 and May 1940 is referred to as the Phoney War because of the lack of fighting in Europe. This is a period of the war that is largely skipped over in the minds of most people. Once Poland capitulated, most people fast-forward to May 1940 and completely skip the intervening months. So, what was actually going on during the Phoney War?
Debate, Debate, Debate
The Phoney War was characterized by seemingly endless debates in the halls of power in Paris and London. There was no agreement about how to fight the…
