"In the year, 1940, as Europe stood on the precipice of a vast abyss, the fields of France became the stage for one of the greatest dramas of the Second Great War. The echoes of the First World War still haunted our collective memories, but Britain, in unity with France, prepared to face the resurgent German threat that cast a long, dark shadow across the Continent.

The 'Phoney War' or 'Sitzkrieg', as it was termed, marked the winter of 1939-40. The Allies, including our British Expeditionary Force (BEF), held a line along the Franco-Belgian border, awaiting a German onslaught that was eerily silent. But come spring, the storm broke.

On the 10th of May, 1940, Germany unleashed its blitzkrieg. Bypassing the heavily fortified Maginot Line, they surged through the Ardennes, an area thought impassable for a mechanised army. Belgium and the Netherlands were quickly overwhelmed.

Leading our brave British troops was General Lord John Gort, Commander-in-Chief of the BEF. Opposite him, the Germans fielded some of their finest, including the likes of General Gerd von Rundstedt and General Erwin Rommel, the Desert Fox himself, although he would earn this moniker later in the sands of North Africa.

The Germans' rapid advance led to the Battle of Arras on May 21, where British and French forces launched a counter-attack against Rommel's 7th Panzer Division. Though they inflicted considerable damage, strategic success remained elusive.

But it was the coastal town of Dunkirk that was to be indelibly marked in the annals of history. As the German pincers closed in, some 400,000 British and French troops found themselves with their backs to the sea, encircled, and in dire straits. An ignominious defeat loomed.

Yet, in our darkest hour shone the brightest of British spirit. Between May 26 and June 4, a flotilla of vessels, from the sturdiest of navy destroyers to the smallest of civilian fishing boats, braved the waters and the fearsome Luftwaffe to evacuate our men. Over 338,000 soldiers were plucked from the jaws of defeat in what came to be known as the Miracle of Dunkirk.

In the aftermath, France's fate was sealed. On June 22, she signed an armistice, and the German jackboot trod the streets of Paris. Britain now stood alone.

Yet, from the heartache of the French campaign, rose a spirit unyielding. For, as I once proclaimed, 'We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches... we shall never surrender.'

The Battle of France was over. The Battle of Britain was about to begin."

It should be stressed that the events of 1940 in France involve countless acts of bravery, tactical decisions, and significant moments, and the above, though detailed, is an overview capturing the essence of the campaign.