‘It’s Day 47: Ukraine Has Now Lasted Longer Than France Did in World War II’

On April 13 2022, a Reddit screenshot suggesting that Ukraine “lasted longer than France did in World War II,” in terms of how long the European country has been resisting Russia’s invasion, made its way across platforms:

That post referenced “day 47” of the conflict between invading Russian forces and Ukrainians. However, the original post was shared to Reddit’s r/ukraine on April 11 2022:

Fact Check

Claim: "It’s Day 47: Ukraine has now lasted longer than France did in World War II."

Description: The claim is a comparison between the current time period that Ukraine has been withstanding Russian invasion (as of April 13, 2022) and the duration in which France resisted Germany in World War II. The claim specifies that it was ‘Day 47’ of Russia’s invasion on April 11, 2022. France, in comparison, was invaded by and surrendered to German forces over a span of 47 days.

Rating: True

Rating Explanation: Based on the comparison to historical events, as of April 11, 2022, Russia’s invasion had gone on for 47 days, which is equal to the span of time between France’s invasion and surrender in World War II. As of April 13, 2022, Ukraine had been resisting invading Russian forces for 49 days which is longer than France held off invading German forces in 1940.

How Long Did France ‘Last’ in World War II?

In the title of the post, the submitter stated that Ukraine “lasted longer than France did in World War II,” a reference to France’s eventual occupation by Germany in that conflict.

Brittanica.com’s entry on the “Battle of France” provided concise context along with specific dates for comparison. It began:

[The] Battle of France, (May 10–June 25, 1940), during World War II, the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. In just over six weeks, German armed forces overran Belgium and the Netherlands, drove the British Expeditionary Force from the Continent, captured Paris, and forced the surrender of the French government.

History.com was a bit less precise in their explanation:

Paris fell to Nazi Germany on June 14, 1940, one month after the German Wehrmacht stormed into France. Eight days later, France signed an armistice with the Germans, and a puppet French state was set up with its capital at Vichy. Elsewhere, however, General Charles de Gaulle and the Free French kept fighting, and the Resistance sprang up in occupied France to resist Nazi and Vichy rule.

Using a duration calculator and inputting May 10 and June 25 of the same year, we arrived at the calculation described in the Reddit post — 47 days between Nazi Germany’s invasion and France’s surrender to the regime:

how long did france last in world war ii

When Did Russia Invade Ukraine?

February 24 2022.

Has Ukraine ‘Lasted Longer’ Against Russia’s Invasion Than France Did in World War II?

Using the same duration calculator, we put in February 24 2022 to April 11 2022, the date the post was shared to r/ukraine.

One again, the calculator returned “47 days“:

47 days ukraine lasted longer than france wwii

Again, the Imgur post was shared on April 13 2022 — adding two more days to the “47 day” figure in the original post, which was accurate on the day it was posted.

Summary

An April 11 2022 post to Reddit’s r/ukraine asserted that it was “day 47” of Russia’s invasion, and that Ukraine “lasted longer than France did in World War II.” The claim referenced France’s 1940 invasion by and surrender to German forces, which spanned 47 days. As of April 11 2022, Russia’s invasion had gone on for 47 days — equal to the number of days between France’s invasion and surrender. As of April 13 2022, Ukraine held off invading Russian forces for 49 days, longer than France resisted invading Germans in 1940.