The French armed forces, people, and territory had not mechanically exhausted every means of resistance in June 1940. The decisive breakdown occurred in the government that chose an armistice while substantial military resources remained. A naval ministry willing to leave would preserve capabilities that political surrender historically removed from the coalition. This interpretation explains why one institutional decision can plausibly generate such large downstream effects.
Notable Point · 1:20:38-1:21:14
France's government collapsed before its capacity to fight
The counterfactual rests on distinguishing political collapse from the remaining forces, supplies, territory, and public willingness to continue.