> Babelio : https://www.babelio.com/livres/Horne-Comment-perdre-une-bataille--Mai-1940/24347...

> COMMENT PERDRE UNE BATAILLE, France, mai-juin 1940, de Alistair Horne, Texto Tallandier, 477 pages, 2010. — Saluons ce classique de l'histoire militaire publié en 1969, et réédité en collection de poche à l'occasion du 60e anniversaire de la campagne de France. Le coq gaulois en prend plein les plumes ! L'auteur, historien britannique, ne ménage pas notre amour-propre. Il passe au scanner une défaite d'anthologie : la plus puissante armée du monde disloquée en moins de 5 jours. Débâcle de l'intelligence, des élites, impréparation, conservatisme mortifère des généraux bedonnants (les capitaines victorieux de 1918). En face, une organisation sans faille, doublée d'une intelligence tactique. Démoralisation face à motivation. Le tableau est terrifiant. C'est passionnant. À emporter cet été avec sa serviette de plage. (Jacques MARMEY)
—Carnets du Yoga, (288), Juin 2010, (p. 19)

Alistair horne adds a worthy chapter to his runthrough of French military history since the empire of Louis Napoleon . This book should be read in close conjunction with Marc Bloch's "Strange defeat" and William Shirer's "the Collapse of the Third Republic" to understand the blow to the western alliance that Hitler dealt in the spring of 1940. France had an army that had taken the main burden of WWI, and had with the wisdom of hindsight, evolved the defences of a large country facing a foe whose methods it had come to understand. Alas they hadn't kept pace with the war that had evolved in the minds of the German General staff, and had been field tested in Poland the previous fall. There was no way the French army would abandon its basic belief in Infantry, the shovel and the machine gun even in the face of that clever book by de Gaulle, their own armour theorist. Thus a country divided in its loyalties, and deeply mistrustful of its politicians would fail to face down a serious gambler. This is a more big picture book than Bloch's, and less political than Shirer's but it is a necessary stop for the serious student. ( )

Bueno, como el otro de Horne, parece una novela, tal vez muy british en algunas conclusiones. Interesante lo que no sabía respecto al tema del engaño de los alemanes respecto a bélgica, al que gráficamente lo caracteriza como una puerta giratoria, cuanto más fuerte le pegás mas fuerte va el otro lado. Interesante también la composición de los generalatos en cuanto la edad. Creo que es Liddell el que dice que los ejercitos aprenden de sus derrotas y no de sus victorias, nunca más cierto. Interesante la pintua del frente civil frances completamente desmoralizado y quebrado, bueno para compararlo con el ensayo de Tony Judt respecto a L. Blum ( )

This is an excellent account of the campaign in France in May 1940, its origins and events. It focuses on the French Army and the German attack at a Military and Political Strategic level. It is well researched and contains useful maps and pictures. What was of particular benefit to me was its analysis, hence it was well used as a reference book for my University course. ( )