[烛光生存狂]-[法国战役]斯通尼村血战

STONNE 15th May - additional notes and remarks

I have found a document from the artillery museum in France about the battle of Stonne : "l'artillerie de la 3e DIM du 14 mai au 7 juin 1940 au sud de Sedan dans la bataille de Stonne". Among other things it includes a testimony from a German tanker from 10.PzD (Karl Koch, PzRgt 8, 7th company - he is in the turret of a Panzer IV) on 15th May in Stonne.

5 Panzer IV and 5 Panzer II from 10.PzD are moving to Stonne. Quickly 3 Panzer IVs are knocked out by a French AT gun. In Karl Koch's Panzer IV the driver is hit but manages to move the tank a little bit more. The crew bails out except the driver which is heavily wounded and the radio operator who is under shock. While abandoning its Panzer IV under French infantry fire, Karl Koch sees the French AT gun very close to the 3 German wrecks, one of the 3 Panzer IVs is burning. Behind the 3 knocked out tanks, the 2 remaining Panzer IVs and 5 Panzer IIs are waiting.

These 5 German tanks enter in Stonne and the French AT gun has moved to another emplacement. The 3 crew members of Karl Koch's Panzer go again to the knocked out Panzer IVs, wanting to use one of them as pillbox. The driver is evacuated and the radio operator is found dead on the tank with a bullet in the head.

The 5 Panzer IIs retreat from Stonne, signalling a French tank attack. The next day Karl Koch was told the previously 2 remaining Panzer IVs from the platoon had been destroyed in Stonne.

A first French tank is knocked out after 2 shots at 600m. 10 minutes later a second tank arrives beside the first one and still later a third one. All of them are destroyed by the immobilized Panzer IV. These tanks are very probably Hotchkiss H39 tanks form the 45e BCC but on the French side only 2 Hotchkiss tanks are reported destroyed (perhaps one of them could be recovered later since the town was occupied by French troops after this attack). French infantry appears (probably 1 infantry company of the 51e RI) but is pulled back by the German tanks. The German tankers gather ammunition from the other remaining Panzer IV.

After a long moment a 4th French tank arrives, and is described as a "monster". It is a Renault B1bis tank and seems to be a surprise for the German tankers. They say having shot about 20 times on this tank with their 7.5cm KwK without effect but additional shots enable finally to destroy one of its tracks. Later a 5th French tank arrives, also a B1bis tank. It fires with all its weapons but has not spotted the German tank (or took it as a wreck like the 2 other ones). Once again all the shots are without effect until the barrel of the 47mm turret gun is hit and the French tank is damaged while firing with it. This French tank is abandoned.

We know that 3 Renault B1bis were lost on 15th May : B1bis "Chinon", "Gaillac" and "Hautvillers" of the 49e BCC.

So at least 2 Renault B1bis tanks and 2-3 light tanks were destroyed or immobilized by the German Panzer IV of Karl Koch. That means that these 2 B1bis tanks were not at all destroyed by 3.7cm AT guns according to this testimony ... or at least not by a 3.7cm PaK alone. The 3rd Renault B1bis can be credited to the 14th AT company of the GD infantry regiment (Lieutenant Beck-Broichsitter) - the famolus intake shutter testiony - and probably not the 3 Renault B1bis like they claim it. During the same time 5 Panzer IV have been knocked out as well as 12 vehicles and 6 AT guns destroyed in the 14th AT company of the GD infantry regiment. The Germans claim the destruction of 33 French tanks on that day but the real number of knocked out French AFVs is 10-11 tanks, including 3 Renault B1bis.

The B1bis "Hauvillers" is also the one said to have been knocked out by Karl Koch on Antoine Misner's website. This is the one which has been hit on its turret gun.

The B1bis "Gaillac" as seen on the photos as a destroyed track and would be the first B1bis tank knocked out by Karl Koch.

The B1bis "Chinon" would then be the Renault B1bis knocked out at very close range by a 3.7cm PaK.

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