Battle of France 1940 Document Archive – 40+ Original WWII Papers

Description

Battle of France 1940 Document Archive – Original French WWII Military Dossier

This Battle of France 1940 document archive is an extensive original French military dossier comprising more than forty historical documents, reports, orders, maps and personal accounts. The archive spans the years 1939 to 1943, with an additional post-war mission order dated 1946, and centres on the collapse of the French front during the German invasion of France in June 1940.

The most important part of this Battle of France 1940 document archive concerns the fighting around Bailleul-le-Soc in the Somme area on 8 and 9 June 1940. The dossier preserves detailed accounts of troop movements, command decisions, withdrawal operations, combat reports and the efforts of Reserve Lieutenant René Kiger to regroup soldiers during a chaotic period of battle.

This is not a single report, a copied booklet or a modern compilation. It is a substantial original archive of wartime paperwork, including period typewritten reports, mimeographed pages, onionskin copies, official military orders, personal statements, a large French map and later supporting records. The archive offers a rare documentary view of the Battle of France through the records of French officers and military units directly involved in the campaign.

At the centre of the Battle of France 1940 document archive is a long military journal connected with the 44th Infantry Regiment. This report covers the period from August 1939 through August 1940 and records daily movements, troop deployments, training, defensive work, transport, supply, enemy contact and later captivity. It follows the unit through the early months of the war, the German offensive in 1940, the retreat southward and the eventual collapse of the French military position.

The archive also includes material concerning the events at Bailleul-le-Soc. The records describe a period in which French troops were under pressure from German armoured formations, artillery fire and the breakdown of communications. René Kiger’s report gives a personal account of attempting to hold his men together, organise defensive positions and lead surviving soldiers through the confusion of the withdrawal.

Two copies of a later report by René Kiger, dated Belfort, 4 March 1943, are included in the group. In these reports, Kiger gives his own account of the June 1940 fighting and explains his actions after his superior officer disappeared from the immediate combat area. His narrative is a significant first-person component of the archive, preserving the perspective of an officer who experienced the retreat and the loss of command cohesion during the campaign.

The Battle of France 1940 document archive also includes three copies of General Orders No. 88 of the 7th Army. These records award René Kiger the Croix de Guerre with Silver Star. The award citation recognises his conduct during the fighting, including his role in resisting enemy infantry and armoured attacks under heavy bombardment. The presence of the award documentation gives the archive an important personal and military dimension beyond general unit paperwork.

Another major component is the original French map titled “Délimitation de la Zone Occupée”, showing France and the occupied zone. The large folding map includes roads, railways and geographical detail, together with period pencil annotations. It provides a visual context for the military reports and the wider occupation of France after the 1940 campaign.

The dossier additionally contains a six-page narrative account of the battle, other administrative and military papers, and a 1946 mission order issued by the Provisional Government of the French Republic in Algiers. The post-war document forms part of the surviving archive and adds another layer to its provenance and historical continuity.

Condition is mixed but appropriate for an original wartime archive. Many documents are on fragile onionskin or mimeographed paper and show fold lines, age toning, handling wear, edge damage, paper fragility and filing marks. The map has expected folds and storage wear. These characteristics are typical of a working military dossier preserved over many decades. The condition of every component should be reviewed carefully through the supplied images.

The Battle of France 1940 document archive is especially suitable for advanced collectors of French military history, World War II campaign records, archival material, Battle of France research, military maps and first-person wartime testimony. It has value not only as a group of historical papers, but as a coherent archive documenting military operations, retreat, command decisions, captivity and later recognition of service.

The lot is offered only as a complete historical archive. Individual documents, reports, map sheets or orders are not offered separately. It should be preserved in acid-free folders and archival sleeves, with the fragile onionskin material handled as little as possible.

This Battle of France 1940 document archive is offered strictly for historical research, documentary preservation, education and responsible collecting. It does not glorify war or violence. Its significance lies in the original testimony it preserves from one of the decisive campaigns of the Second World War.