[烛光生存狂]-Around Mormal forest

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=109697&p=1218764

Map scanned by myself from an original 1940 Michelin map.

Photo taken from Antoine Misner's website: Panzer 38(t) destroyed by a Panhard 178 (6e RC, Lieutenant Astoul) and Somua S35 (4e RC, Lieutenant de Conigliano) knocked out by AT/AA guns in Landrecies (May, 17 1940).

Explanations in the tex below.

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On May 16/17, the 1e DLM is re-deployed south of Valenciennes and Cambrai, attached to the 9th army. The Somua S35 tanks are deployed at Quesnoy and will soon meet German mechanized elements reinforced by AT guns during short but violent engagements. Rear guard elements of the French 9th army are engaged in the forest of Mormal, east of Quesnoy. The 7.PzD (General Rommel) has trapped them in the woods and goes on with its advance, letting the 5.PzD (General von Hartlieb) reduce them.

On May 17, the 1e DLM is ordered to block the German tanks. There is also a fierce battle in and around the Mormal forest. The 1e DLM meets the 5.PzD and elements of the 7.PzD. The 1e DLM is far from having all its units but the counter-attack starts at 18h30 from Quesnoy towards Landrecies. The tanks from 4e RC (Colonel Poupel) and 18e RD (Colonel Pinon) are numerically inferior, the units are far from complete, and forced to disperse to control the assigned area. Nevertheless the morale and the determination are high.

During the counter-attack many tanks are destroyed by 10.5cm field guns used in AT role. The French counter-attack will nonetheless significantly delay the 5.PzD.

At the 6e RC (Panhard 178 armored cars), the Dudognon squadron launches several reconnaissance patrols across the Sambre River: Maréchal-des-Logis Chef towards Berlaimont and Lieutenant Astoul towards Landrecies. Astoul arrives in Landrecies around 9h00 and discovers French infantry troops physically and morally broken, unable to face German tanks. Astoul's patrol crosses the bridge and moves to the city hall. They meet a column of French POWs, telling them that the city is occupied by the Germans. Despite the arrival of the French armored cars the French POWs don't seem to change their behaviour. Suddenly 2 German soldiers armed with SMGs arrive to hurry up the French POWs. They are immediately killed by the MG of Astoul's Panhard 178. Around 10h00, the French patrol moves back to a level/grade crossing, where the armored cars can hide and control the accesses to the bridge.

Suddenly a Panzer 38(t) [7.PzD] crosses the bridge and advances rapidly. At 100 meters, the French Panhard 178 from Astoul fires the first with its 25mm gun. At the first shot the German tank is immobilized without having been able to react: the driver has been killed and the other crew members are bailing immediately out. Lieutenant Astoul goes on with firing on the German abandoned tank to definitely disable it. At the 15th shot the German tank is burning.

Changing their tactics, the Germans send many patrols through the gardens left and right of the road. Around 12h00, a group of German soldiers advance on the road, hidden behind French POWs who are forced to march in front of them. The Panhard 178 armored cars fire on their flank and a dozen of Germans are killed.

Around 14h00, elements from a battalion from 95e RI (9e DIM) and a 75mm Mle1897 field gun arrive. After a forced march, the men are exhausted and unable to launch an attack. They reinforce the position hold by Astoul's patrol and by motorcycle troops from 6e RC (Maréchal-des-Logis Gasquet and Maréchal-des-Logis Munier). They block the Landrecies to Englefontaine road.

Still on May 17, 2 infantry tanks will spread havoc in Landrecies. Unlike the Panhard 178 arriving from north-west, these tanks arrive in Landrecies from south-west. The B1bis "Mistral" and "Tunisie" from 3/15e BCC (3rd company of the 15th tank battalion - 2e DCr) will attack the German troops, advancing between two columns of armored cars, light tanks (Panzer I and Panzer II) and probably armored personnal carriers (Sd.Kfz.251). They will slaughter about 50 German vehicles in 20 minutes.

The testimony of Sous-lieutenant Gaudet, commander of the B1bis "Tunisie" enables to tell the story from the French side. Initially 3 B1bis tanks were to attack but shortly before one of them experienced a mechanical breakdown. During there movement towards Landrecies they stayed camouflaged and immobile during about 45 minutes since the Luftwaffe was strongly bombing the towns around.

The "Tunisie" (Sous-lieutenant Gaudet) and the "Mistral" (Lieutenant Pompier) stop at the entry of Landrecies, at the crossing of the roads to Ors and Avesnes-Le Cateau. A French convoy is completely abandoned beside the road. It is 12h00 and Landrecies seems unoccupied.

The "Mistral" moves on among the French abandoned vehicles and is followed by the "Tunisie". Several streets and squares are crossed without noticing something interesting. Suddenly the "Mistral" stops and opens fire with its 47mm turret gun and its 75mm hull gun. The "Tunisie" moves to the left but the intense smoke prevents him to see what is happening in front of the French tanks. The "Mistral" goes on, fires several times and moves towards the center of Landrecies. The "Tunisie" is following 100m behind. Suddenly, sous-lieutenant Gaudet discovers what was targeted: many German armored cars and light tanks parked on both sides of the street and very close to each others. The "Mistral" turns in an adjacent road 150m in front of the "Tunisie". At the end of the road, on the church square, several German armored cars are burning after the action of the "Mistral". The "Tunisie" starts to fire meticulously and systematically on each German AFV in the street. The "Tunisie" moves two times all along the eastern part of Landrecies, firing on each spotted target.

The "Tunisie" has lost visual contact with the "Mistral" of the company commander and avoids to cross the bridge on the canal in Landrecies, assuming that the core and heavy elements of the German Panzerdivision are deployed in the western part of Landrecies. Nonetheless, two 3.7cm PaKs are defending the bridge. They fire on the French B1bis without effect and are quickly destroyed.

In Landrecies itself, Sous-lieutenant Gaudet says that there were probably about 200 various vehicles. He destroyed two 3.7cm PaKs (for a total of 4) and many (armoured) vehicles. He saw very few German soldiers in the street except AT gunners. All the crews fled and were hidden in the houses. The various hits on the turret of the B1bis tanks showed that the Germans fired also with AT rifles but they did not damage the tank. On the other hand, the machineguns of the B1bis tank penetrated easily many German armored cars and put them on fire with AP rounds.

Fearing a counter-attack and without having achieved a complete destruction of the enemy vehicles, the "Tunisie" moves back. The streets are full of burning vehicles whose ammunition is exploding. Sous-lieutenant Gaudet estimated that perhaps about 100 German vehicles were burning or out of use. The "Tunisie" alone had fired 8 shells of 75mm, 27 shells of 47mm and 3 MG magazines (450 cartridges).

At 12h25, 20 minutes after being entered in Landrecies, the "Tunisie" moves to Ors on an empty road. Sous-lieutenant Gaudet meets 3 French soldiers who were POWs in Landrecies and managed to escape during the attack. In Ors the "Tunisie" meets the "Mistral" (Lieutenant Pompier) but also the "Tornade" (Sous-lieutenant Rival), the "Vosges" (Lieutenant Willig) and the "Nantes" (Sous-lieutenant Phelep), which arrived in reinforcement. The "Mistral" is covered by many hits but remains undamaged. Lieutenant Pompier has been back from Landrecies 10 minutes before Sous-lieutenant Gaudet. He tells that he has destroyed two AT guns and many ar

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