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The German army was substantially better than the French and the British. Hitler had built up the German army and, in particular, the air force (Luftwaffe). The Germans had developed superior weapons. In particular, they had developed superior aircraft such as the Stuka dive bomber and the Messerschmitt ME fighter plane, which wreaked havoc on the allies.<ref> Blatt, p. 117</ref> The Germans placed a great deal of emphasis on mobile and armored warfare. They had superior tanks, such as Panzer Mk iv, which easily overcame the allies in almost every tank engagement in the Battle of France. Even though the German army was superior to the French in many ways the Fall of France was not inevitable.

[[File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_121-0412,_Frankreich,_Panzer_Somua_S35,_Geschütz.jpg|left|thumbnail|300px|Captured French Somua S35 tanks being used by Germany in 1940 after the Fall of France.]]

French military tactics were extremely outdated at the start of the war. They had failed to recognize that warfare had fundamentally changed since the First World War. They were over-reliant upon the Maginot Line, and they believed that this would stop any German invasion in its track. Since they did not believe that could defeat Germany outright, they hoped that the Maginot would drive up casualties and Germany to the negotiating table. They relied on defensive tactics and failed to grasp the impact of modern tanks and aircraft.