Hey, so this has been hear for a while so I shall try to shed some light on it.

Essentially, they second world war happened. The French army was considered one of the most powerful in the world. The maginot line niegh impassable. They were a fully modernised and technologically advanced force.

The Germans smashed into the British and French line in the Ardennes, reeling them back and pinning the British and some French against the coast and throwing the rest of the French army into chaos. Despite a spirited defence of the Dunkirk salient by the French allowing the rest of the British to pull off an incredible evacuation. The rest of the French army was ineffective. The government surrendered rather than see Paris obliterated and a puppet state was set up. Charges of collaboration and aiding the Nazi regime were levelled. The reputation of a once great nation was left in tatters.