In reading accounts of the lightning war of 1940 in which German forces overwhelmed France and the Low Countries in a few short weeks, one encounters little mention of the role played by the French Air Force. The reason for this is that French air power was so inferior to the might of the Luftwaffe that no effective opposition to the invasion could be offered, even with the help of Britain's Royal Air Force. This article will discuss the evolution of France's Armee de l'Air prior to the Second World War and will describe some of the contributions the French and British Air Forces made to the fighting which took place in the summer of 1940.

More French Air Force in World War II

Introduction
Preparation for War
The Machines
The First Week
The Beginning of the End
To The Armistice, 1941-1945