The Breaking Point:
Sedan and the Fall of France, 1940

by Robert A. Doughty

This book–the first to examine both French and German battle records in meticulous detail–explains what really happened in the battle of Sedan, on both sides, from squad and platoon level to grand strategy. Col. Robert Doughty reveals that the main force of victory was not Blitzkrieg but the German infantry, coordinated with other arms and pursuing a consistent and coherent doctrine in the traditional sense. The French defenders, often brave, had been prepared to fight the kind of controlled war of the past, and thus failed to adapt to the German tactical challenges. Here, in telling the story of Sedan, Colonel Doughty brings to life individual soldiers, ridgelines, gun emplacements, charges and bugouts.

About the Author

Col. Robert Allen Doughty’s previous book, Seeds of Disaster: The Development of French Army Doctrine (1919-1939), was awarded the Paul Birdsall Prize in European Military and Strategic History by the American Historical Association in 1986. Colonel Doughty served as an officer of the United States Army and was the chair of the history department at USMA, West Point.

For more Archon Books in military history see

• Tannenberg: Clash of Empires by Dennis E. Showalter
• The Written Wars: American War Prose through the Civil War by Joseph T. Cox
• A Guide to the Sources of United States Military History and its supplements edited by Robin Higham and Donald J. Mrozek
• A Well Regulated Militia: The Battle Over Gun Control by William Weir