Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

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Bob_Mackenzie
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#31

Post by Bob_Mackenzie » 31 May 2011, 10:08

Hi Raúl

Thanks for posting the account of fighting around the Gette - that battle is a particular interest of mine


Cheers

Bob

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tigre
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#32

Post by tigre » 01 Jun 2011, 01:39

Hello Bob :D; you're welcome and glad it be useful for you. Cheers. Raúl M 8-).


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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#33

Post by tigre » 05 Jun 2011, 16:31

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 7 Pz.

Montleban (2. Pl of the 10./ 3 Ch.A).

On May 10 1940, around 14:30 hours the 7 Pz’s spearhead, coming from Montleban, met the 2º Lieutenant Coeurdoroy’s Platoon (2. Pl of 3. Coy of 3. Ch A with only 17 hunters and with neither heavy nor antitank guns); this element was deployed west of the town behind a road blocking position. The elements belonging to the Kradsch. Btl 7 supported by 3 tanks went to the attack.

The Belgians were attacked from its front by a German Platoon (30 men) supported by tanks but could hold its position with their four LMG. One corporal was killed and one hunter was wounded. Realizing that his position would be flanked from the north by 2 enemy platoons, 2º Lieutenant Coeurderoy ordered the withdrawal towards the brook of Sommerain in for avoiding the Platoon’s capture.

The German lost one hour due to this action and thinking that the ground that lain ahead was difficult turned northwest towards Chabrehez where were waiting two platoons belonging to the 3. Coy of the 3. Ch A.

Sources: Rommel and the German 7th Panzer division in France 1940. The Initial Days of the Campaign By Ove Pappila.
http://books.stonebooks.com/cgi-bin/fox ... ck?1009147
http://j-mc.ifrance.com/chabrehez/chabrehez.html
http://www.lesannonces.be/photos/photo/ ... 6f359a2575

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image008.jpg
A Fraction of motorcyclists belonging to the Belgian hunters.....................
http://www.clham.org/050341.htm
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#34

Post by tigre » 12 Jun 2011, 16:10

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 7 Pz.

Chabrehez.

More to the west, at the hamlet of Chabrehez, a significant crossroads, it was deployed a company of Hunters. Using the broken terrain, a stream lined up with an anti-tank ditch and a small bunker, the Belgians stopped the Germans during that afternoon. The Belgian soldiers discovered a tank and at first they thought it was a Belgian light tank, but soon they discovered that in fact it was a German tank. More tanks appeared shortly afterwards and one of them advanced into the valley up to the barricaded bridge over the stream.

A German soldier climbed out of the tank and examined the obstacle. Then the tank turned around and moved towards Les Tailles. Subsequently, the leading company of the 7th Motorcycle Battalion appeared over the crest and the Belgians opened fire with rifles and a machine-guns. The German company fanned out and then returned fire.

Sources: Rommel and the German 7th Panzer division in France 1940. The Initial Days of the Campaign By Ove Pappila.
http://books.stonebooks.com/cgi-bin/fox ... ck?1009147
http://j-mc.ifrance.com/chabrehez/chabrehez.html
http://www.lesannonces.be/photos/photo/ ... 6f359a2575

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).

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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#35

Post by tigre » 19 Jun 2011, 15:18

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 7 Pz.

Chabrehez.

The German light tanks descended into the valley between Les Tailles and Chabrehez and upon reaching the bridge received fire from the positions of Sub-Lieutenant Catin (1 in the map) and the fight became general; for a moment the panic seized the Belgian hunters, but their boss with pistol on hand, forced them to return to their positions. The crisis had passed and the Belgians opened fire with all weapons; tanks retreated to the farm Le Fond about 140 meters from the bridge.

After the first contact the company commander, Lt. Lejeune retreated together with the Support Platoon and an ammunition truck, leaving Roufignon (5 in the map) and headed for the Forester's house at 1400 meters of Chabrehez (6 in the map).

In the meantime at Chabrehez the 1. / Kradsch Btl 7 of Hauptmann Heilbronn (4 in the map) tried to flank the position from the south but was stopped by the fire of Platoon of Sub-Lieutenant Cremer (2 in the map). The machine guns Platoon of Sub-Lieutenant Gourmet (3 in the map) which had a good shooting field, halted the Germans but later one of the guns had blocked and could only shoot with single shots.

Sources: Rommel and the German 7th Panzer division in France 1940. The Initial Days of the Campaign By Ove Pappila.
http://books.stonebooks.com/cgi-bin/fox ... ck?1009147
http://j-mc.ifrance.com/chabrehez/chabrehez.html
http://www.lesannonces.be/photos/photo/ ... 6f359a2575

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#36

Post by tigre » 26 Jun 2011, 13:13

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 7 Pz.

Chabrehez.

The Belgian defensive position proved too strong so that the Commander of the Vanguard, Major Steinkeller decided to wait for reinforcements, but fortunately for the Germans Generalmajor Rommel soon reached that place and settled himself in the motorcyclist battalion’s CP at Les Tailles. From there, after conferring with Oberst Fürst and Maj Steinkeller, gave his orders: while Hauptmann Heilbronn’s company supported by tanks and Hauptmann Hagen’s company (Heavy Coy - 5 on the map) were to engage the Belgian lines, the 2. / Kradsch Btl 7 of Hauptmann Kleinschmidt was to attack from the north flank of the position (6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11 on the map).

The Heilbronn’s Company and 4 tanks opened heavy fire, as well the Hagen’s Company that managed to destroy two Belgians machine guns meanwhile the Company of Kleinschmidt attacked from the north with a Platoon (Möller) on the flank of the Sub-lieutenant Catin and two other Platoon from the rear. At 18:45 hours the hunters were ordered to withdraw under cover of darkness, about 50 Belgian soldiers managed to escape and the Germans finally captured Chabrehez.

Sources: Rommel and the German 7th Panzer division in France 1940. The Initial Days of the Campaign By Ove Pappila.
http://books.stonebooks.com/cgi-bin/fox ... ck?1009147
http://j-mc.ifrance.com/chabrehez/chabrehez.html
http://www.lesannonces.be/photos/photo/ ... 6f359a2575

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).

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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#37

Post by tigre » 03 Jul 2011, 14:04

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 7 Pz.

Chabrehez.

May 11 1940.

After the fighting at Chabrehez, the advance of the 7th Panzer Division continued on May 11. That day was a better one for the division. The initial advance from Chabrehez to the north of La Roche went without much contact with the enemy. At this time the Belgian units had been ordered to withdraw to the north.

The division advanced on three different roads and crossed the Ourthe in three places. In the south the 7th Rifle Regiment passed the Ourthe at La Roche. In the centre the engineers built a bridge at Marcourt that was used by the 6th Rifle Regiment, and in the north, at Beffe, the 25th Panzer Regiment forded the river.

Rommel wrote: In retrospect I have the impression that the commander, independently calling a halt to the advance, failed to realise that the division he was supporting was continuing its pursuit of the retreating Belgian border troops. In the end the motorcycle battalion succeeded by applying the necessary force.

Sources: Rommel and the German 7th Panzer division in France 1940. The Initial Days of the Campaign By Ove Pappila.
http://books.stonebooks.com/cgi-bin/fox ... ck?1009147
http://j-mc.ifrance.com/chabrehez/chabrehez.html
http://www.lesannonces.be/photos/photo/ ... 6f359a2575

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image014.jpg
German Motorcyclists rolling past through Chabrehez on May 11, 1940.
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#38

Post by tigre » 10 Jul 2011, 14:24

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

The 1 Pz was one of the first three armored divisions to be organized. It was created on October 15, 1935 in Weimar Wehrkreis IX. The division was subordinated to the XIX AK (Mot), which at that time was commanded by General Guderian.

The Division was organized on the basis of 1. Sch.Br. (SR 1 and Kradsch. Btl 1) and Pz Brigade 1 (PR 1 and PR 2), also were part of it the Art.Rgt. (Mot.) 73, the Pz.Jäg.Abt. 37, Pi.Btl. 37, Aufkl.Abt. (Mot.) 4, Nachr.Abt. 37, Div.Nachsch.Fhr. 81. At the beginning of the French campaign it was led by Generalleutnant Friedrich Kirchner, being its first Staff Officer Oberstleutnant iG Walther Wenck.

As the main effort of the Pz Group v. Kleist was to march the XIX AK (Mot) which would have as its center of gravity the 1 Pz Div in the center, marching by Wallendorf - Diekirch - Martelange (Pz Strasse 2).

On May 9, 1940 at 13:15 the phone rang in the CP of the 1 Pz in the "Union-hotel" in Kochem an der Mosel and Generalmajor Kirchner received a terse order: Fall Gelb. May 10. 05:35 hours.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image008.jpg
The commander of the Armored Group, General der Kavallerie v. Kleist in his PKW vehicle where you can see the white K on the fender. Behind was the CoS, Oberst Zeitzler.
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#39

Post by tigre » 17 Jul 2011, 16:42

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Martelange 1940.

On May 10, 1940 at 05:35 hours a German assault patrol jumped off on the bridge over river Sauer in Wallendorf and quickly dominating the Luxembourg border guards, and thus began the West Campaign for the 1 Pz. The German engineers who had to clear obstacles in the bridge found themselves in a dilemma because they had to destroy the obstacles without damaging the bridge structure; then the solution was to place some prefabricated wooden ramps to overcome the obstacles by passing over them. Meanwhile began with the construction of three bridges more.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image002.jpg
Destruction and obstacles on a road in Luxembourg.
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image004.jpg
Traffic jams on the narrow roads of the Ardennes.
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#40

Post by tigre » 24 Jul 2011, 16:42

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Martelange 1940.

The vanguard under command of Oberstleutnant Balck (Commander of the SR 1) was organized on the basis of the Kradsch. Btl 1 – the III. / SR 1 – the Pi Btl 37 (less one company) – the 1. / Pz Jag Abt 37 and 88 mm cannons; in turn this advanced guard organized two spearheads developed on the basis of a company of riflemen of the SR 1 called Radfahr-Abteilung Fischer and the other on the basis of the 1. / AA 4 and three light armored vehicles, which crossed the Our by a ford and three hours later, after crossing Luxembourg, approached Martelange.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image014.jpg
Kradsch. Btl 1 on the move towards Martelange.
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tigre
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#41

Post by tigre » 30 Jul 2011, 17:19

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Martelange 1940.

Hardly the first reconnaissance vehicle had reached the destroyed bridge over the river Sauer began receiving fire from the Belgian defenders (4. / 1.Ch A Cdt Kelecom). The German vehicles were kept at bay by an armored T-13 armed with a 47 mm cannon. Soon appeared in the place the Commander of the detachment, Oberstleutnant Balck (Commander of the SR 1) who ordered to conquer enemy positions by assault.

The offensive ran without any previous preparation, the German company forded the River Sauer and then pushing to Martelange carrying out a frontal attack. The bold action was crowned with success and soon the company of Belgian hunters began to withdraw.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
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image018.jpg
Assault against Martelange.
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#42

Post by tigre » 07 Aug 2011, 15:06

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Bodange.

After the German troops conquered Martelange they pressed westward along the Sauer River Valley, at the end of it stood the heights where it was located the town of Bodange and the 5. / 1 ChA of Cdt Bricart, closing the passage of the vanguard of 1 Pz.

At 02:00 hours the hunter company was ordered to carry out the planned destruction and by 04:00 hours the plan was executed.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image013.jpg
Area of Bodange - May 1940.
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image014.jpg
Destructions (planned and executed).
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#43

Post by tigre » 21 Aug 2011, 15:23

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Bodange.

At 08:00 hours Cdt Bricart got the news of airborne troops behind them and following the orders had to detach his unique T-13 which was sent to strive against those forces. At 12:50 hours the enemy came from Martelange along the valley and other elements were advancing from the south of Wisembach.

The Germans received fire from the group Renauld, who retreated to Bodange. Meanwhile the Platoon located in the northern section was redeployed on the top of the village so that it could now open fire at the valley also.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image007.png
Deployment 5. Company. (1 st Platoon in Strainchamps)
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image009.jpg
New deployment of the company....
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#44

Post by tigre » 28 Aug 2011, 20:18

Hello to all :D; here goes something more.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Bodange.

In the afternoon the Belgian hunters were attacked from all sides but they could resist all the attempts carried out by the troops of the Kradsch. Btl 1. The support unleashed by anti-tank guns of 37 mm, Infantry howitzers IG of 75 mm and a light battery firing at from Warnach were inadequate against the walls of the houses. At 14:00 hours the southern Platoon (Stein) was finally overwhelmed and only the Northern Platoon held its lines.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
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Re: Small Unit Actions - France 1940.

#45

Post by tigre » 11 Sep 2011, 18:28

Hello to all :D; the end.................

Hunters against tanks - May 10, 1940.

With the 1 Pz.

Bodange.

The Germans dominated Height 445, which interdicted the Supply road of the Belgians, and at 17:00 hours they had almost exhausted the ammunition, only was kept in reserve a magazine per BAR. Later the German III. / SR 1 stormed Bodange and took it by fighting house by house at 19:00 hours. Finding such a small force they asked surprised "Wo sind die ändern?" (Where are the others?). Commander Bricart tried to withdraw by a dirt road parallel to the route Bodange - Fauvillers, but a hundred meters away he was spotted and got a shot in the head, dying instantly.

From Fauvillers came other German forces, they were indeed the riflemen of the III. / IR GD (Oberstleutnant Garski) who completed the encirclement. However the goal set for that day for the 1 Pz, Neufchâteau, was far from being achieved.

Sources: The Blitzkrieg legend: the 1940 campaign in the West. Karl-Heinz Frieser, John T. Greenwood.
http://users.skynet.be/bs139158/jmc10.html
Mit dem K durch Frankreich.
[Schiffer] The 1st Panzer Division 1935-1945 - A Pictorial History.

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M 8-).
Attachments
image018.jpg
German column moving through Bodange - May 1940.
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