There were so many, I can but only mention a few. This was an advertisement in the Daily Express, August 1939: At WAR WITH THE OLD COFFEE AUNTIES.
On the 1st of September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, as we know. This resulted in Britain and France declared war on Germany a couple of days later. Hitler, being in his headquarters in Berlin, was shocked and even frightened. This was not the behavior of politicians Hitler had previously dismissed as 'old coffee aunties.'
Years of appeasement caused Hitler to be complacent and reckless. He had gambled that no rational would seek conflict after the horrors of WW1. He now faced the mightiest navy in the world and the most powerful army on the continent.
General Gort.
It was stated that he was not a clever man and the his brain could be compared with that of a glorified boy scout. He was chosen to lead, because he liked following orders. He had won the Military Cross and other decorations during the first world war. He was from aristocracy, known to be unimaginative and not very bright. There was contempt and jealousy when he was appointed head of the BEF.
The invasion that didn't happen.
Hitler found it difficult to decide when to attack France. He finally decided on 17th January 1940. A fluke stopped this intent. On January 10th, a lost German plane crash landed in a field in Belgium. On board were the invasion plans. The 2 men crew decided to burn the papers, but, neither of them smoked. They wandered around until they found a farmer and borrowed his matches!! Before reaching the plane, they were arrested. Fearful of the consequences they told German diplomats that the plans were destroyed. The Germans were at a loss. Goering went as far as visiting a fortune teller. The invasion was called off. The allies were in possession of the plans.
Withdrawal.
The entire future of the French Air Force was questioned after the early bombings raids by the Germans. Many of France's would be withdrawn to safety further south. It was a critical mistake and crippled France's ability both to strike offensively and provide support for their own troops and tanks.
The lack of proper preparation.
Under severe pressure from the Germans, the Belgian army was losing ground. French commanders in the field contacted their superiors to get the message across that French and British troops to retreat as they were losing the Dyle line. The superiors refused to listen, but the Dyle line was already in tatters. Continuing to show their vulnerability 7 out of 8 battles against Germany were lost. Devastating losses were counted of their Bristol Blenheim bombers during a low-level German Air raid.
The Refugee and Prisoner of War Crisis.
'One poor old man threw himself in front of our truck. He wanted us to run him over. ( Private Eric Cole).
I was shaken to the core when I first saw German fighter pilots gunning down the crowds of civilians. That didn't seem to me to be a fighter pilot's job to me
( Flying Officer Peter Matthews.RAF).
The attack on refugee columns were mainly demonstrations of tactical thinking by the Germans. They didn't see it as cruel or sadistic. If the roads could be blocked by corpses and burnt out vehicles, it would make it more difficult for Allied forces to reach the front lines. The blunder here was that the Allied forces realized or just got an inkling as to the aggressive nature they were facing. Another blunder by this emphatic German behavior was that the
Allies now got their whole countries citizens to help. Women and children, old folks helped the war effort by making bullets, sewing uniforms, packing supplies for the soldiers etc...
Sources : Websters Encyclopedia, excerpts from Churchill's view of the battle of Dunkirk, Own content, Pixabay Google Images