[烛光生存狂]-汉努特/根布罗斯战役简介

The French cavalry corps (2e and 3e DLM) enters in Belgium on 10th May at 10h30, followed by the French 1st army. They wished they could have moved before the German attack but this was not possible due to the Belgian neutrality. General Prioux sends captain Métivier from his staff to makes liaison with general Krahe, commander of the 3rd Belgian corps. He reports the little will of cooperation of the Belgians. He also notes that the "Cointet" mobile AT obstacles planned around Gembloux are not deployed, they are completely dispersed several kilometres further around Perwez. The future French positions should have been fortified by the Belgians but except a short portion of AT ditch absolutely nothing was done. The French troops will therefore have to defend on a completely unprepared position. To add to these bad news, Belgian railroad workers went on strike and delayed the arrival of armored elements of the cavalry corps.

General Prioux estimates that it will be difficult to fulfil the delay mission with the German massive air superiority. The operation on the Dyle was based on two hypothesises which appeared already wrong :

•; the value of the defensive position at Gembloux

•; the capacity of resistance of the Belgian army

He contacts the high command to try to modify the operation into the less ambitious "Escaut" one since only the 3 motorized infantry divisions of the French 1st army were already moving in Belgium. Bilotte, Georges and Blanchard all disagreed with him. The French 1st army will move day and night despite the Luftwaffe. The mission of the cavalry corps is to delay the German troops around Hannut until 14th May before withdrawing behind the French 1st army deployed in Gembloux gap between the Dyle and the Meuse Rivers.

On 11th May, the 4.PzD crosses the Meuse River while the cavalry corps is deploying in the Ophelissem, Hannut, Huy area. On 12th May, the Belgian army retreats to the Dyle River between Anvers and Louvain, exposing the flanks of the French cavalry corps.

The battle of Hannut (12th-14th May) is the first big tank battle of World War 2 : 411 French tanks (3e DLM and 2e DLM) are facing 674 German tanks (4.PzD and 3.PzD). The battle takes place between the Petite Gette stream and the Méhaigne small river, in the area hold by the 3e DLM. The 2e DLM is far less engaged. On 12th May only the 4.PzD is really involved, the 3.PzD having completely crossed the Meuse River only for the 13th May.

The area is favorable to the tanks, therefore to the enemy whose tanks are more numerous. The Germans are also strongly supported by the Luftwaffe whereas on the French side each DLM has only 3 modern reconnaissance aircrafts attached. The battle of Hannut shows that the Somua S35 tank can be at least the equal of the Panzer III and that the Panzer I and Panzer II are rather useless against the French tanks.

During the battle of Hannut, general Prioux had the actual command of a real French tank corps facing a German tank corps. They inflicted heavy losses to the Germans. The use of such a French tank corps is unique during the 1940 campaign except perhaps the formation of the "groupement Buisson" beginning June for the battles on the Aisne and Retourne Rivers south of Rethel which grouped the 3e DCR and the 7e DLM.

On 14th May, having blocked the Germans as long as it was ordered, during 2 days, the cavalry corps moves back behind the French lines at Gembloux. Prioux is ordered to let part of his artillery to the French 1st army. During the battle of Gembloux (14th-15th May) the XVI. Panzerkorps will again be blocked by the 1e DM (Division Marocaine = Moroccan infantry division) and the 15e DIM (Division d'Infanterie Motorisée = motorized infantry division) which anchored their defenses on the Bruxelles-Namur railroad and the cities of Gembloux and Ernage. All the German assaults are repulsed and the XVI. Panzerkorps sustains heavy losses. Nevertheless the German breakthrough at Sedan will force the rather successful allied troops in Belgium to move back.

The battle of Hannut (12th-14th May 1940)

3. PzD

PzBfWg : 29

Panzer I : 117

Panzer II : 129

Panzer III : 42

Panzer IV : 26

armored cars : 56 (including 23 with a 2.0cm L/55 gun)

3.7cm PaK L/45 : 51

2.0cm FlaK 30/38 : 24

8.8cm FlaK L/56 : 9

7.5cm leIG : 24

15cm sIG : 8

10.5cm leFH : 24

15cm sFH : 12

+ attached M.G.-Btl.7 : 12 3.7cm PaK L/45

+ attached II./Flak-Lehr-Rgt : 9 8.8cm FlaK L/56 and 24 2.0cm/3.7cm FlaK

4. PzD

PzBfWg : 15

Panzer I : 141

Panzer II : 111

Panzer III : 40

Panzer IV : 24

armored cars : 56 (including 23 with a 2.0cm L/55 gun)

3.7cm PaK L/45 : 51

2.0cm FlaK 30/38 : 24

8.8cm FlaK L/56 : 9

7.5cm leIG : 24

15cm sIG : 8

10.5cm leFH : 48

15cm sFH : 24

+ attached Pz.Jg.Abt.654 : 12 3.7cm PaK L/45

+ attached M.G.-Btl.7 : 12 3.7cm PaK L/45

TOTAL XVI. Panzerkorps

tanks : 674 (including 132 Panzer III and Panzer IV + )

armored cars : 112 (including 46 with a 2.0cm L/55 gun)

3.7cm PaK L/45 : 138

2.0cm / 3.7cm FlaK : 72

8.8cm FlaK L/56 : 27

7.5cm leIG : 48

12cm sIG : 16

10.5cm leFH : 72

15cm sFH : 36

+ 14 infantry/motorcycle battalions

2e DLM

Hotchkiss H35 : 84

Somua S35 : 88

armored cars : 107 (including 40 Panhard 178 and 67 AMR33 / AMR35 ZT1)

47mm SA37 L/53 AT guns : 8

25mm SA34/37 L/72 AT guns : 12

25mm AA guns : 6

75mm Mle1897 field guns : 24

105mm field guns : 12

+ 3 infantry/motorcycle battalions

3e DLM

Hotchkiss H35 : 22

Hotchkiss H39 : 129

Somua S35 : 88

armored cars : 40 (Panhard 178)

47mm SA37 L/53 AT guns : 8

25mm SA34/37 L/72 AT guns : 12

25mm AA guns : 6

75mm Mle1897 field guns : 24

105mm field guns : 12

+ 3 infantry/motorcycle battalions

TOTAL French cavalry corps

Hotchkiss H35 and H39 : 235

Somua S35 : 176

armored cars : 147 (including 80 Panhard 178 and 67 AMR33 / AMR35 ZT1)

47mm SA37 L/53 AT guns : 16

25mm SA34/37 L/72 AT guns : 24

25mm AA guns : 12

75mm Mle1897 field guns : 48

105mm field guns : 24

+ 6 infantry/motorcycle battalions

CONCLUSION

France

•; 411 tanks (including 176 Somua S35 and about 60 Hotchkiss with a 37mm L/33 SA38 gun)

•; 147 armored cars

•; 40 AT guns

•; 12 AA guns

•; 72 field guns

•; 6 infantry/motorcycle battalions

Germany

•; 674 tanks (including 132 Panzer III and Panzer IV)

•; 112 armored cars

•; 165 AT guns (including 27 8.8cm FlaK L/56)

•; 72 AA guns

•; 108 field guns (including 72 10.5cm leFH sometimes used in direct fire against the French tanks)

•; 54 infantry guns

•; 14 infantry/motorcycle battalions

The 3e DLM (general Langlois) will have to face directly 2 Panzerdivisionen : 3.PzD (general Stumpff) and 4.PzD (general Stever). The 2e DLM (general Bougrain) will be only partially implicated. Therefore the 674 German tanks including 132 Panzer III and Panzer IV will mainly be opposed to 239 French tanks including 88 Somua S35 tanks.

On 10th May 1940, the reconnaissance elements of the 8e RC (colonel Mario) of the 2e DLM the 12e RC (colonel Leyer) of the 3e DLM moves towards the Meuse River, Liège and Maastricht. The core of the cavalry corps is moving to the area of Hannut.

On 11th May, general Prioux choose to wait for the enemy on the Tirlemeont-Huy line, using the Petite Gette stream and the Méhaigne small river to anchor the defense. The north part behind the Petite Gette stream and Hannut is defended by the 3e DLM, which will have to face the main assault, and the south part behind the Méhaigne small river is defended by the 2e DLM. During the morning the Belgian army is retreating, exposing the flanks of the cavalry corps ; the actions of the different allies is not coordinated unlike the 136 German divisions under a same and efficient high command. The Fre

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