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WWII On This Day: February 17

What happened on February 17 during World War II? This date brings together 1 event from 1940, with period photographs and links to the full operations documented across WW2 Theatres.

1940
German troops in northern France during the campaign of 1940.
Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-299-1808-10A · CC BY-SA 3.0 DE · Source
Battle of France 1940

The main German effort is shifted to the Ardennes

By February the revised Fall Gelb concentrated Army Group A and seven panzer divisions opposite Luxembourg and the Ardennes, making the Meuse sector the operational centre of the western offensive. The concept linked a difficult approach march to an immediate river assault and a westward exploitation toward the Channel. Success depended on traffic control, engineering preparation and command tempo once the armoured columns emerged from the forest. Army Group B retained the visible attack through the Netherlands and Belgium. That northern pressure fitted Allied expectations and encouraged the Dyle-Breda movement…

Continue in Battle of France 1940 →