Why was French military leadership so weak in 1939 - 1940?

Weak is not necessarily the word I would use but it's hard to argue that they didn't fail in a spectacular way. I think two factors were at play in 1939–40. The french were the winners of the last war. read more

To summarise: in France the civilian leadership was weak and unable to unite the nation around a common cause. It was the same for the military one. In late 1918 France had way better doctrines than Germany (more tanks and planes) and in 1939 was still convinced that it was the case. The military leadership mostly WWI veterans. read more

The French could not hold back the onslaught of the German troops. In general, during 17 days of fighting, the German troops completely defeated the enemy and withdrew to the Channel, cutting off the French from British aid. June 17, 1940 a meeting of the French government, headed by Marshal Petain. It lasted only 10 minutes. read more