The French Crisis

Overview

The French Crisis, known in German as the 1962 Emergency, was an 11-day confrontation between the Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Axis Powers. It began on October 19th, 1962, when after months of growing protests, the pro-Axis Marseille France was overthrown. French Republic forces entered Marseille Regime territory that same day, resulting in a tense standoff with Axis forces stationed there. It marked the first major confrontation of the Cold War, and possibly the closest it has ever come to escalating into mutually assured destruction.