Hitler s Invasion of France Created a Humanitarian Crisis
The 1940 exodus from Paris as the German Army approached choked the roads from the city with refugee traffic.
Here s What You Need to Know: Many of the refugees had no ultimate destination in mind.
During the afternoon of May 16, 1940, flames rose from the block of Foreign Office buildings on the Quai d’Orsay in Paris. Earlier that morning the alarming news that the Germans were approaching Laon, less than 100 miles northeast of the French capital, had sent the government into a panic; by 11 am all ministers and staff were told to ready themselves for departure at any time.