Phony War

The Phony War, or in Winston Churchill's words the Twilight War, was the phase of World War II marked by no military operations in Continental Europe, that followed the collapse of Poland. Although the great powers of Europe had declared war on one another, neither side had yet committed to launching a significant attack, and there was little fighting. The term has cognates in many other languages, notably German: Sitzkrieg ("sitting war", a pun on Blitzkrieg), French: drôle de guerre ("funny war" or "strange war"), and Polish: dziwna wojna ("strange war"). In Britain the period was even referred to as the Bore War (a pun on Boer War).

Related Topics:
Winston Churchill - World War II - Continental Europe - Poland - Powers - Declared war - German - Pun - Blitzkrieg - French - Polish - Boer War

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While most of the German army was fighting against Poland, a much smaller German force manned the fortified defensive lines along the French border (Westwall). At the Maginot Line on the other side of the border, British and French troops stood facing them, but there were only some local skirmishes. Meanwhile, the British air force dropped propaganda leaflets on Germany and the first Canadian troops stepped ashore in Britain, while western Europe was in a strange calm for seven months. The United States, still technically neutral in the war effort, contributed to democratic powers in Europe by discounted sales or gifts of military equipment and supplies.

Related Topics:
Westwall - Maginot Line - United States

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