Operation Paula

Operation Paula
Part of the Western Front of World War II
Heinkel He 111 formations prepare for another mission, somewhere in France, June 1940
Date 3 June 1940 Location Paris, France Result German operational failure[1]
Belligerents
France	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Joseph Vuillemin	Hugo Sperrle Albert Kesselring
Units involved
Zone d'Opérations Aériennes Nord or Z.O.A.N	I. Fliegerkorps II. Fliegerkorps IV. Fliegerkorps V. Fliegerkorps VIII. Fliegerkorps
Strength
120 fighters[2]	1,100 aircraft (460 fighters)
Casualties and losses
35 aircraft (31 fighters) 906 casualties 254 dead (166 were servicemen)[2]	10 aircraft (four bombers)[2]

Unternehmen Paula (Undertaking or Operation Paula)^[3][4] is the German codename given for the Second World War Luftwaffe offensive operation to destroy the remaining units of the Armée de l'Air (ALA), or French Air Force during the Battle of France in 1940. On 10 May the German armed forces (Wehrmacht) began their invasion of Western Europe. By 3 June, the British Army had withdrawn from Dunkirk and the continent in Operation Dynamo, the Netherlands and Belgium had surrendered and most of the formations of the French Army were disbanded or destroyed. To complete the defeat of France, the Germans undertook a second phase operation, Fall Rot (Case Red), to conquer the remaining regions. In order to do this, air supremacy was required. The Luftwaffe was ordered to destroy the French Air Forces, while still providing support to the German Army.

For the operation, the Germans committed five Air Corps to the attack, comprising 1,100 aircraft. The operation was launched on 3 June 1940. British intelligence had warned the French of the impending attack, and the operation failed to achieve the strategic results desired by the Oberkommando der Luftwaffe (High Command of the Air Force). However, the plight of the French ground and air forces at this stage meant that the failure of the operation would not impede the defeat of France.