The Exodus (1940)

The Exodus (French: l'Exode) refers to what was a massive flight of Belgian, Dutch, Luxembourgish, and French populations in May – June 1940 when the German army invaded Belgium, the Netherlands, and the majority of French territory during the Battle of France, after the breakthrough at Sedan.

[1][2] During the summer of 1940 and in the following months, the French had to deal with millions of civilian refugees fleeing the war.

Automobiles and horse-drawn carts carrying possessions clogged roads.

As the government had not foreseen such a rapid military collapse, there were few plans to cope.

Between six and ten million French fled, sometimes so quickly that they left uneaten meals on tables, even while officials stated that there was no need to panic and that civilians should stay.