AOK 1 - Jun 1940

[tigre]

Hello to all ; here I'll post a brief dealing with unternehmen "Tiger" the assault against the Maginot Line on the Sarre carried out by troops belonging to the 1º German Army in 1940......................

Planspiel – Jun 1940.

On May 12 1940, the Germans attacked the advanced posts (Ligne de Surveillance) north of the line Morsbach – Grosbliederstroff in order to keep the greatest French troops covering the Maginot Line.

From May 16 1940 onwards, gradually, the French Units deployed on the Maginot Line’s advanced positions were taken back and shifted towards the battlefields on the Somme and in the Champagne. On may 26 1940 the Covering Position (position de couverture) was totally evacuated.

On May 27 1940 the French corps franc (storm groups) belonging to the II./ 174e RMIF left Guebenhouse.

On May 28 1940, a french platoon under SLt Bendel tried to recover the materiel abandoned within the village but it was occupied by the German troops.

On May 29 1940 the blockhouses manned by the 3. Rifle Company belonging to the III./ 174e RMIF were furiously shelled by the German artillery so Cap Lelay withdrew with his men.

On May 31 1940, German scout parties got in contact with Louperhouse but were repelled.

On Jun 02 1940 at 03:30 hours the german assailed Louperhouse with support of antitank guns of 37 mm and mortars. The position was defended by one french platoon under Lt Krummenacker. The defenders held till 20:00 hours then retreated towards Hosterbach. Now the German soldiers were 400 meters short of the French Main line of Resistance.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43

More follows. Regards. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Thank you, it will be take in account . Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all people ; here goes the second part of it.....................................

Planspiel – Jun 1940 (2º part).

On Jun 12 1940, in the afternoon, the AOK 1 received the following message:

“Planspiel III: 14 Jun at 07:00 hours”. This meant that the foreseen offensive against the Maginot Line would start on Jun 14 around 07:00 hours. The operation’s code name was “Tiger” and would be unleashed between Sarreguemines and St. Avold with 9 German division of which 6 would be in the first echelon.

The German OoB for Operation “Tiger” was as follows: the XXX. AK with the 258. ID and the 93. ID; the XII. AK with the 268. ID and the 75. ID; the XXIV. AK with the 60. ID and the 252. ID; the 79. ID, the 198. ID and the 168. ID were deployed in the second echelon as reserves. Besides, von Witzleben (AOK 1 Commanding Officer) had an enormous potential in artillery; there were 73 artillery groups within the three Army corps plus the Army artillery either four railroad groups, two batteries of 420 mm and one of 305 mm. In total would be about 259 batteries on hand. Furthermore each regiment had its own 37 mm antitank guns and could count with the 88 mm canons in support. From the air, the Luftwaffe would furnish aerial support with its Stukas and Heinkel 111.

On Jun 13 1940, at 17:00 hours, General Hubert (XXe CA) met his commanding officers at the Corps CP located at Vic s/Seille; there were Col Dagnan, General Echard (52e DI) and General Duch (1e DGP - Polish). General de Girval was to accomplish another fulfilment so he would not come. General Hubert told that the 3e Armée would withdraw that very evening and the next day around 21:00 hours the Sarre Group would do the same in turn. As on Jun 17 1940, the last troops, which were manned the blockhouses would follow after destroying all the bulwarks and casemates. By then, the XXe CA should have reached the Marne – Rhine Canal in the region Avricourt-Réchicourt le Château.

Thanks to the reconnaissance carried out by the French patrols, General Hubert knew about the deployment of German artillery on both sides of Puttelange, hence he was expecting for an enemy attack on the centre of his defence line. Besides of the before mentioned divisions he had yet six fortress regiments, which were deployed, from north to south as follows: the 69e RIF (Lt.Col. Pinta) and the 82e RIF (Lt.Col. Matheu), both of the SF of Faulquemont; the 174e RIF (Cdt. Caye, in replacement of the fallen in disgrace Col Duparant), the 41e RMIC (Col. Tristani), the 51e RMIC (Lt.Col. de Reviers de Mauny) and the133e RIF (Lt.Col. Bertrand) of the SF of the Sarre. The 52e DI occupied positions behind the 174e RIF, which became, just like the 69e RIF under the command of General Echard. The Polish grenadiers of the 1st DGP took positions along the Albe, behind the 41e and the 51e RMIC. The French forces amounted to 57.000 men with one third on first line: 17.000 NCO and enlisted men and 600 officers supported by 12 bateries of 75 mm, 6 bateries of 105 / 155 mm, 1 / 2 bateries of 150 mm; besides the XX CA had two artillery groups of 155 mm and one batery of 305 mm (mounted on rails) in all one hundred pieces.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43

More follows. Regards. Raúl M .

[Endzeit Jan]

Hi
Here OOB from 1. Armee:
Kriegsgliederung der 1. Armee: Stand 08.06.1940
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXVII, 246. ID, 215. ID, 262. ID, 257. ID
XXIV. AK, 60. ID, 252. ID
XII. AK, 75. ID, 268. ID
XXX. AK, 258. ID, Tle. 93. ID
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXXV, Tle. 95.ID, 167. ID
der Armee direkt unterstellt: 79. ID, 168. ID, 197. ID, 198. ID

Kriegsgliederung der 1. Armee: Stand 09.06.1940
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXVII, 246. ID, 215. ID, 262. ID, 257. ID
XXIV.AK, 60. ID, 252. ID
XII. AK, 75. ID, 268. ID
XXX. AK, 258. ID, Tle. 93. ID
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXXV, Tle. 95.I D, 167. ID
der Armee direkt unterstellt: 79 .ID, 168. ID, 197. ID, 198. ID

Kriegsgliederung der 1. Armee: Stand 13.06.1940
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXVII, 246. ID, 215. ID, 262. ID
XXIV. AK, 60. ID, 252. ID
XII. AK, 75. ID, 268. ID
XXX. AK, 79. ID, 258. ID, Tle. 93. ID
Höh.Kom .z.b.V. XXXXV, 167. ID
der Armee direkt unterstellt: Tle. 95. ID, 168. ID, 197. ID, 198. ID, 257. ID

Kriegsgliederung der 1. Armee: Stand 16.06.1940
XXIV. AK, 60. ID, 252. ID, 168. ID
XII. AK, 75. ID, 268. ID, 198. ID
XXX. AK, 79. ID, 258. ID, Tle. 93. ID
der Armee direkt unterstellt: 167. ID, Höh. Kom. z.b.V. XXXXV: Tle. 95. ID, 197. ID, 257. ID, 262. ID

Kriegsgliederung der 1. Armee: Stand 25.06.1940
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXVII, 246. ID, 215. ID, 262. ID, 257. ID
XXIV. AK, 60. ID, 252. ID, 168. ID
XII. AK, 75. ID, 268. ID, 198. ID
XXX. AK, 258. ID, 93. ID, 79. ID
Höh.Kom. z.b.V. XXXXV, 95. ID, 167. ID
der Armee direkt unterstellt: 197. ID

Jan

source www.diedeutschewehrmacht.de

[tigre]

Thanks for that good complement Jan . Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all people ; here goes a little more of it.....................................

Planspiel – Jun 1940 (3º part).

Among those who would carry out the assault on Jun 14 1940, one of the German Officers had been entrusted with a special task. He was Oberleutnant Gerd von Ketelhodt (9./IR 472), who should conquer the Knopp with his unit. The objective was a wooden hill of 262 meters of height that dominated the French lines and the city of Sarralbe as well; it was defended by the French I. / 51e RMIC.

The Oberleutnant von Ketelhodt knew little about the hill’s defence; he was told that two French companies were deployed there but it could not be ascertained at all. He organized his troops in two Stoßgruppen (assault groups) of 30 men each. The first Stossgruppe would be led by Oberleutnant von Ketelhodt himself having Hauptfeldw. Kokoska as the second in charge; the second Stossgruppe would be led by Leutnant Lubbe with Feldw. Jagielcki as the second in charge. There would be also two pioneers groups, which would be led by Leutnant Kahle and Feldw. Urbanitz respectively; they had the task of removing the obstacles along the path and to attack the casemates with explosive charges. Besides, a flame throwers’ squad would be held in reserve and the sharpshooters would be watching the French positions carefully with their sights.

The attack would be preceded by ground and aerial fire support furnished with mortars of 210 mm and the Stukas respectively. Nevertheless, around 05:00 hours (Jun 14) Oberleutnant von Ketelhodt was told that the Stukas had another assignment so the attack should go on without air support.

In the other hand, the French artillery was not inactive and held the German positions constantly under fire. The harassing fire, the lack of sleep, the rain and the mud were drained the German infantry’s mood.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43
http://www.lignemaginot.com/menu10/indexfr.htm

More follows. Regards. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all people ; here goes a little more of it.....................................

Planspiel – Jun 1940 (4º part).

On Jun 14 1940 around 06:00 hours, the German artillery opened up; it was answered by the French artillery and the men of Oberleutnant von Ketelhodt knew about its precision. Both, Leutnant Lubbe and Leutnant Kahle were wounded while Feldw. Urbanitz was killed. The pioneer groups were without its leaders. Nevertheless, Oberleutnant von Ketelhodt’s decision was to proceed. But the assault was postponed due to the mortar of 210 mm was unleashing its fire on the hill’s top.

At 09:10 hours a single green light flare was fired and the mortar of 210 mm shifted its fire to the rear of the enemy position. Taking advantage of the smoke the Germans closed in up to the barbed entanglements and got thru but were halted by the defenders’ fire short 30 meters from the fortifications.

One antitank gun of 37 mm was placed at 20 meters and fired upon the blockhouses till was hit by the french fire; one man killed and one wounded. A second group threw grenades and smoke pots against the hostile positions after that a third group with engineers got close to the casemates and attached their explosive charges on them pouring hand grenades inside thru the openings caused by the explosions.

After that a close combat hand to hand ensued, the fighting was short but violent, the Adjudant Drianne was killed by MG fire and the block 3 was blown together with its crew. Half of the position was in German hand so the alsatian Schmidt cried for a cease fire and the French garnison gave up. After the enemy surrender it was ascertained that the objective was defended by a Platoon of 24 men belonging to the 2./51e RMIC under the Adjudant Drianne. Being a commanding feature there the Knopp was quickly occupied by the German artillery observers.

The German artillery fire crushed the French defensive positions over the whole front. The French defenders were not defeated yet, most of them only watched the barrages from inside of their concrete shelters expecting the end of the fire.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43
http://www.lignemaginot.com/menu10/indexfr.htm

More follows. Regards. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all people ; here goes a little more of it.....................................

Planspiel – Jun 1940 (5º part).

The first fight on the ground took place within the sector of the I./ 51e RMIC along the positions which were held by the approximately 250 men of Cdt Dousset in the surrounding of the Solvay-factory. At 09:00 hours, the Cdt Dousset gave the withdrawal’s order; under the CF Hénard protection the French troops got across the river Sarre. These Colonial troops pulled themselves back towards Sarralbe where they dug in. Due to their though resistance the IR 472 under Oberst Hotzy suffered heavy losses and the regiment was halted on the Sarre. Then the city of Sarralbe was harassed with artillery fire and aerial attacks.

Around the town of Holving lay a blockhouse with two casemates linked by a double row of rails reinforced with barbed wire and AP mines. The defence there was in hands of the CM/9 (III/41e RMIC) under Cap. Courdavault. From the blockhouse up to the wood of Wiedeichen the entire slope was covered by the defender’s fire. From the before mentioned wood there was roughly 800 meters of open plain up to the French positions. When the Germans laid a dense curtain of smoke, Cap Courdavalt could recognize that the enemy infantry was advancing behind that screen; he requested for artillery support and it came down with accuracy between the German ranks. At 08:30 hours the enemy troops reached the French first lines but they met there a heavy fire coming from machineguns, automatic weapons and hand grenades; eventually the attackers were compelled to withdraw with a counterattack. After that Holving was shelled during one hour with all sorts of calibers by the German artillery. Shortly after that the infantry came on for a second time; the defenders held the fire till the attackers approached up to 500 meters from the bulwark then opened up with his machineguns. There a bloodbath followed; some landsers went backwards trying to reach the wood again, others tried to dig in. It was not a good beginning for the 60. ID of General Friedrich Eberhardt. The north’s flank of Holving was defended by the CM/3, CM/2 and CM/1 belonging to the I./ 41e RMIC.

Northwards, along the front of the II/41e RMIC (Cdt. Dumesnil) at the height of Grundviller the Germans (elements belonging to the IR 244 – 60 ID) tried to reach the river bank at Rémering. There they took heavy fire of machine guns coming from the CM/7 (Cap. Raydelet) and mortar of 81 mm coming from CM/6 (Cap. Communal) therefore the German infantry seen in the woods of Grundviller was stopped.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43
http://www.lignemaginot.com/menu10/indexfr.htm

More follows. Regards. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all people ; here goes a little more of it.....................................

Planspiel – Jun 1940 (6º part).

In the sector of Puttelange, the enemy infantry (men of IR 222 – 75 ID) attacked coming from the slopes of the Rodenberg trying to reach up to Puttelange from the north, but here too the machine gun fire coming from the PA of “le Confluant” (3./ 174 RMIF) and the electric power station (the defenders were from the 2./ 174 RMIF under SLt. Mathias Tirbisch) spread dead and destruction. The attackers could placed an antitank gun of 37 mm 200 meters close of the Tirbisch’s blockhouse but the crew was hit and the gun abandoned.

The morning fog allowed the attackers to approach close to the defensive positions but in the other hand denied the needed aerial support. Nevertheless, between 09:30 and 10:00 hours, the sun broke through and the stuka’s attack went under way, however they bombed the casemate’s nearby rather than attack the bulwark directly trying to neutralize the loopholes. A bomb exploded near the blochaus of Tirbisch throwing men, weapons and equipment in disorder. At 15:15 hours de attack was rejected and the survivors turned back and fled leaving behind a lot of equipment as well as his wounded and killed comrades. Later the French artillery positions were bombed by Heinkels 111.

The wood of Kalmerich was defended by the CM/6 (II./ 174 RMIF) under Cpt Daubenton); at 06:30 hours the blockhouse STG B (half finished) under Aspirant Lamaze, took heavy fire from Ellviller (88 mm flak) and around 07:30 hours the bulwark was pierced (killing 11 men) and it was abandoned breaching a gap in the defence. The units of the IR 125 took advantage of it and could broke through the barbed wire entanglements under heavy fire coming from machine guns and artillery. Nevertheless, they could reach a dead angle and went on. Later the German riflemen took the blockhouse STG A (Aspirant Miller) by its rear. All the ground was filled with smoke. Between 15:30 hours and 16:30 hours the attackers were within the wood and by 17:00 hours could emplace an antitank gun of 37 mm in front of Cpt Daubenton’s CP. In spite of the actions carried out by its defenders (Daubenton and 19 men) the bulwark was seized and all is over. The wood of Kalmerich was in German hands. At 20:30 hours the Germans pressed forward against the forêt de la Hardt but without success.

The passage at Hoste was defended by the CM/2 (I./ 174 RMIF) under Lt Le Granche. After a softening barrage Hoste-Bas was attacked by one battalion of the IR 499 and seized. After that the PA of Calvaire was taken under fire by the 1./ Pz Jäg Abt 525 (88 mm) both blockhouses were destroyed. By noon the IR 489 took the Rimmelhoffenbach; the blockhouse R8B gave up at 14:45 hours and the French could not avoid that the Germans entered in Hoste-Haut.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43
http://www.lignemaginot.com/menu10/indexfr.htm

More follows. Regards. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all people ; after a while the last part of it.....................................

Planspiel – Jun 1940 (7º part).

The French position of Barst – Cappel, was organized on the two towns of the same name; Cappel was defended by the CM/6 belonging to the II./82e RIF (Cap. Doré) and Barst by the CM/7 (Cap. Germain). In the German side, the II./ IR 272 (Maj Wildermuth) should attack to Barst, while the III./ IR 272 (Maj. Löwrick) had Cappel as its objective. Cap Doré’s position at Cappel fell quickly allowing the german to proceed further towards Barst thru the PA of Chemin – Creux. Less than two hours after the beginning of the attack, the german troops stood opposite of the four PA `s around Barst: PA of Château (Adj. Vignolles) close to the Cap. Germain’s CP, PA of l’Eglise (Lt. Schleiffer), de PA of Verrou (Slt. Weinzorn) to the east flank of the town and PA of l’Occident (Lt. Maury) located on the southwest side. Hard fights ensued during all the morning in which the Germans could enter the town but they took heavy fire from the PA’s of the l' Eglise and the l' Occident so that by noon Cap. Germain could report that he still held his position.

The Grossberg, a hill covered with orchards was held by troops belonging to the I./ 69e RIF ( Cap. Lablache-Combier, who was replaced by Cap. Marque during the morning of 14 Jun 1940). The MLR comprised three blockhouses: on the left Lt Fraysse, to the height of Biding SLt Dupont and on the right (in contact with the 82 RIF) Lt Belletre. Following the struggle, the blockhouses were taken under direct fire of antitank guns of 37 mm. The Germans (I./ IR 479 – 258 ID) had conquered about two third of the hill when notice about a counterattack was received in the I./69e RIF’s CP. For this purpouse two platoons belonging to the 110 BCP (Lt Gautherie) were foreseen. The “Chasseurs” (hunters) pressed on with fixed bayonets and the Germans troops retreated in the first moments but then they recovered and brought some machineguns in position. The assault became a slaughter; on the 55 “chasseurs” only 11 remained alive. In the evening the Grossberg fell in German hands; meanwhile the III./ IR 479 had conquered the Mistberg. To the right only few elements belonging to the IR 458 were able to get across the river Nied but were halted due to french artillery fire.

Between 21:00 and 22:00 hours should start the planned retreat of fortress troops in the SF of the Sarre. Some blockhouses would continue occupied in order to cover the others withdrawal. In some places the movement was hampered because the German positions were close by so the hostile artillery took the withdrawal roads under fire. In the 41e RMIC’s sector the journey backwards went on without interference; duet to the heavy losses at Sarralbe, Holving, Buschuberwald and Rémering, the German outposts were rather far from the French ones. It was in the morning of Jun 15 1940 that the German noticed that the French positions were empty. In the following days near a half million of men belonging to the armies of Condé and Bourret withdrew towards the heights of Morvan.

Source: Der Zweite Weltkrieg. Janusz Piekalkiewicz - http://users.skynet.be/fa101291/operati ... ginot.html - http://www.hoste.free.fr/article.php3?id_article=43
http://www.lignemaginot.com/menu10/indexfr.htm

It's all folks. Regards. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more.....................................

Operation Tiger - Assault on the Maginot Line.

Source: http://oorlogsspullen.nl/index.php/prod ... not-linie/

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more......................

Attack of the "Feldferrnhalle" battalion on the Maginot Line 1940.

Infantry Regiment 271.

The Infantry Regiment 271 was organized on October 1, 1939 as a regiment of the 5th wave in the Jüterbog military training area, the II. and the III. Battalion in Luckenwalde. The Staff came from the Infantry Regiment 67, the I. Battalion of the Replacement Infantry Regiment (Ersatz) 20, the II. Battalion of the Replacement Infantry Regiment 22 and the III. Battalion from the SA "Feldherrnhalle", which was distributed throughout the Reich as a vigilance troop. This Standarte had been under the command of Hermann Goering since 12 January 1937. Parts of it were trained for airborne use and taken over by the Luftwaffe at the start of the war. The remaining part was moved to Jüterbog to be employed with the field army as III. / IR 271. The regiment was subordinate to the 93. Infantry Division and participated in the French campaign.

SA troops in feldgrau uniforms crossed the Maginot Line near Saarlautern.

As German troops advanced into the Netherlands and Belgium, the battalion was south of Saarlautern, 300 meters from the Maginot Line. While the Wehrmacht communiqués reported the advance of the troops, the capitulation of Holland and Belgium, peace still reigned on the Rhine and the Moselle. But the mood for an offensive was up in the air, and everyone knew that a major attack could be ordered at any time. Then came June 14. The Feldwebel Schn... speaks of these crucial hours: "It is about 5 o'clock. We sit in our holes, smoke and whisper softly to each other. The clock's hand moves slowly towards 8 o'clock. Then comes the morning blessing from our artillery. It rumbles and howls through the air and builds up to be the most violent hurricane we have ever heard in our lives. It throbs and roars from the impacts. "Finally, it's just an unceasing roar, a rumbling that subsides . Where it hits must be hell."

The village where the French dug their line of bunkers is on fire. Shortly after 09:30 the first squadrons of bombers and Stuka appear in the sky. More and more squadrons emerge from the cloud cover. Calmly and majestically they pass over the enemy line. Suddenly, the first Stuka falls, one after the other, they literally fall from the sky. We see the bombs drop and the planes rise gracefully again."

A large bunker can be seen.

“Our leading companies have gone on the assault. Heavy weapons cover our approach. Heavy machine guns unleashed an endless stream of fire. Band after band in the weapons to seize the opponent. The first 300 to 400 steps we advance without obstacles. We go down a slope, suddenly bundles of bullets whistle in our ears. We received machine gun fire from the edge of the town. In no time at all we were on the knee-deep grass and pressed against the ground. The buzzing bounce goes over the top. As soon as the machine gun fire dies down for a moment, we continue downhill in long jumps. The enemy fire intensified more and more. Finally comes the order that we must establish ourselves in the position we have gained. We waited all afternoon in the scorching sun and the next night, sleeping in cold, damp burrows that we hastily dug.

Wake up at 05:00 (June 15) Order: At 05:30, attack the bunker line by surprise without artillery preparation. Heavy machine guns, Pak (anti-tank), heavy mortars come forward. At 05:30 o'clock, our heavy weapons begin to hit. We can see from the tracer ammunition of the heavy machine guns that the enemy's targets are registered with incredible precision. We move at a rapid pace. We have to overcome the obstacles in the shortest possible time before the surprised opponent can recover and send us their projectiles. Suddenly we see a large bunker behind the barriers in our direction of attack. It has adapted perfectly to the terrain and is completely covered with vegetation. We can see that the bunker has a dome made of iron girders, armored plates, and sandbags as a replacement for the armored dome, which apparently hasn't been completed yet. Concentrated machine gun fire will shoot out of this dome until we get close. Its main loopholes are oriented to the east and west, while luckily we are not in its range coming from the north.

Hand grenades fly towards the armored dome.

Now their machine guns begin to fire and sweep, the valley to the right and left. Three jump forward and cut lanes through the wire barrier. We are surprisingly fast in the bunker and therefore somewhat protected from side fire from the neighboring bunker. The Feldwebel F and the Feldwebel S are already lying on the roof of the concrete monster. The first hand grenades fly towards the improvised armored cupola. With white flares we indicate that we have reached the bunker. On the ceiling, an outstretched swastika flag shows aerial scouts circling above us where is the front line. We are systematically trying to silence the two loopholes to the east and west. The enemy will hold fire for a moment. The Feldwebel F jumps out immediately. Ten, twelve steps forward, he breaks through the wire obstacle and plunges toward the western loopholes, which yawn before him darkly and menacingly. It is a matter of a few seconds. The first hand grenade, immediately followed by the second hand grenade, is already flying towards the opening of the slit. Finally it was silenced.

"Bon camarades! Pardon! Pardon!"

Meanwhile, the eastern loophole continues to fire non-stop with all the barrels of its machine gun and its anti-tank weapon. Luckily, two stragglers join us and plant a powerful demolition charge on the bunker's heavy iron door. Detonates with a tremendous crash. Now the chorus shouts: “Bon camarades! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" We point our guns at the entrance and then they stagger out. "Hands up!" Gray and yellow faces, eyes wide with terror, come out into the sun. We counted 25 men and an officer. The fight for this block of iron and concrete lasted an hour and a half. The breach in the Maginot Line is open, now we are advancing inexorably, right in the heart of France". We listen to this report in silence and shock. What a magnificent fighting spirit speaks in its details! The men of the "Feldherrnhalle" made their contribution to the great victory in the West in an exemplary manner, SA fighters in gray uniforms!

Source: Bataillon „Feldferrnhalle“ greif an. Neueste Zeitung. Donnerstag, 15. August 1940.
https://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gl ... R271-R.htm
https://www.wehrmacht-awards.com/forums ... le-ashtray

Cheers. Raúl M .