[烛光生存狂]-THE BATTLE OF FLAVION IN BELGIUM (May 15, 1940)

THE BATTLE OF FLAVION IN BELGIUM (May 15, 1940)

The French 1e DCr against the German 5.PzD and 7.PzD

The 1e DCr was born on January 16, 1940. It is constituted with the already existing 28th, 37th, 25th and 26th tank battalions. The division is commanded by general Bruneau until May 18, 1940, when he is WIA and captured, then general Sandrier from May 19 to 31. General Welvert is in command of the reconstituted division from June 1 to July 1940.

Order of battle:

• 1e Demi-brigade lourde (colonel Rabanit – 1 command B1bis tank) (1st heavy half-brigade)

o 28e BCC (commandant Pinot – 31 B1bis tanks and 3 replacement B1bis tanks)

o 37e BCC (commandant de Cissey – 31 B1bis tanks and 3 replacement B1bis tanks)

• 3e Demi-brigade légère (colonel Marc – 1 command Hotchkiss H39 tanks) (3rd light half-brigade)

o 25e BCC (commandant Pruvost – 40 Hotchkiss H39 tanks + 5 replacement H39 tanks)

o 26e BCC (commandant Bonnot – 40 Hotchkiss H39 tanks + 5 replacement H39 tanks)

• 5e BCP (Bataillon de Chasseurs Portés) (commandant Perrodo) (including 9 25mm SA34/37 AT guns)

• 305e RATTT (Régiment d'Artillerie à Tracteurs Tout Terrain) (colonel Castaignet)

(24 105mm C howitzers, 8 47mm SA37 AT guns, 6 25mm AA guns)

• 131/1e Compagnie de sapeurs-mineurs (engineer company)

• 131/84e Compagnie mixte de transmission (mixed radio/telephone signal company)

TOTAL:

144 tanks (+ 16 replacement tanks)

9 25mm SA34/37 AT guns

8 47mm SA37 AT guns

6 French 25mm AA guns

1 French infantry battalion

But only the French tanks took really part to the battle of Flavion on May 15, 1940.

On May 10, the 1e DCr moves from Suippes in France to Belgium in the area of Charleroi by road and rail-road. It deploys initially north of Charleroi to support the French 1st Army. On May 14, as a consequence of the critical situation on the front of the 9th Army on the Meuse River, the division is suddenly attached to the 9th army by the French high command. At 14h00, the 1e DCr is ordered to move south in the area of Dinant to counter-attack advancing enemy "elements". Elements of the division reach Flavion during the night, others only at the morning of May 15. The movements are largely hampered and delayed by the Belgian refugees thrown on the roads, their towns having been destroyed by the Luftwaffe. The first elements of the 1e DCr reaches Flavion around 20h00 but several tanks will need 7 hours to cross the 35 km. But the Lorraine 37L TRC fuel supply tractors and other supports and services are separated from the tanks. They join several of the tanks at Oret, 9km north-west of Flavion, only at 7h00 on May 15.

In the morning of May 15, the 1e DCr is in touch with French reconnaissance units to the north; to the south there is open terrain. The French troops are deployed as following:

• The heavy half-brigade (Renault B1bis tanks) is along the Flavion-Ermeton road, on the first lines

o 28e BCC : north of Flavion

o 37e BCC : south of Ermeton

• The light half-brigade (Hotchkiss H39 tanks) is deployed west of the B1bis tanks

o 25e BCC : north of Corenne

o 26e BCC : south-west of Stave

• 5e BCP and the artillery are on the rear, in the area of Florennes and will not take part to the battle on May 15.

• About 12 Renault R35 from the 6e BCC (provided by the army) are deployed south-west of Stave

Many French supply columns have been destroyed by the Luftwaffe. The French tanks are just arriving on the deployment areas and are rather out of fuel, several are already immobilized and others have only 1 or 2 hours fuel left. On their side, the German tanks have no logistics issues. In absence of fuel, general Bruneau is condemned to a static mission with his tanks. After Hannut, Flavion is the second most important tank battle of World War 2 at this moment.

The enemy "elements" are in fact the whole XV.Panzerkorps (general Hoth) with the 5.PzD (general von Hartlieb, with Pz.Rgt 31 and Pz.Rgt 15) and the 7.PzD (General Rommel, with Pz.Rgt 25). The XV.Panzerkorps is also followed on its rear and right flank by the VIII.Armee Korps, including the 8.ID and the 28.ID which are also involved in the battle. The 7.PzD arrives around Morville at only 5 km of the first French tanks on May 14 evening.

The German troops have 546 German tanks:

• 5.PzD: 243 Panzer I / Panzer II + 84 Panzer III / Panzer IV = 327 tanks

• 7.PzD: 109 Panzer I / Panzer II + 110 Panzer 38(t) / Panzer IV = 219 tanks

--> TOTAL: 352 Panzer I / Panzer II and 194 Panzer 38(t) / Panzer III / Panzer IV = 546 German tanks against 144 French tanks.

The Pz.Rgt.25 (7.PzD) is the first one to start the battle against the 28e BCC but Rommel avoids the French tanks and continues to move west with his tanks, letting his heavy AA guns, artillery and several armored elements to block the French tanks.

It is the 5.PzD which is mainly involved especially Pz.Rgt.31 with about half of the tanks of the division. During the morning there are about 350 German tanks engaged. Pz.Rgt 25 leaves and Pz.Rgt 15 arrives in the afternoon. There are then more than 300 tanks of the 5.PzD to face the French tanks.

But on the French side the tanks and only them are actually engaged, the infantry and the artillery remain on the rears and there is no air support unlike for the Germans. The German tanks are strongly supported by indirect artillery fire, direct artillery fire from 10.5cm leFH, direct fire of the 8.8cm FlaK used in AT role, strong air support and the support of the infantry.

From the 144 French tanks only the 62 B1bis tanks will face the initial shock of the 2 Panzerdivisionen, they will have to face more than 300-350 German tanks. The 28e BCC is supported by 40 Hotchkiss H39 tanks on the south, which will skirmish with the 7.PzD and one Hotchkiss tanks battalion remains on the rears. The Renault B1bis tanks are roughly alone on the frontline against the 5.PzD. The battalions are separated and 2x 31 B1bis tanks will fight against huge packs of German tanks heavily supported by all available means.

On May 15, at 7h00, the 3/28e BCC (3rd company of the 28th tank battalion) intercepts numerous German radio communications; the enemy seems close and very active.

The German attack is launched around 8h00 in the area of the 1e DCr. The Pz.Rgt.31 (Colonel Werner, 2 tank battalions from 5.PzD) is deployed and moving from Falaen to Flavion. The Pz.Rgt.25 (colonel Rothenburg, 3 tank battalions from 7.PzD) is attacking on the Morville-Flavion road.

The 1e DCr is not at this moment able to maneuver and to face the enemy troops. Most of the tanks are out of fuel and other tanks are currently just refueling. The 25e BCC, 26e BCC and 28e BCC are refueling during the morning and the 37e BCC only achieves its supply at the beginning of the afternoon. During their first battle, the crews of the 1e DCr kept their calm, proved to be very brave and had precise reflexes. The radio sets (in the Renault B1bis tanks mainly) were used and worked, with calm and without errors despite the battle.

1. The 28e BCC (Renault B1bis tanks)

The first German tanks (Pz.Rgt.25) are encountered around 8h30 by the 3/28e BCC. The first German wave is blocked and 5 German tanks are immediately destroyed. The 3/28e BCC has only 6 tanks left out of 10, the 4 other tanks experienced mechanical breakdowns during May 14. These 6 tanks and the 10 tanks of the 1/28e BCC more north are on the first line. The 2/28e BCC with its 10 tanks is a little bit on the rear of the 2 first companies: a total of 26 B1bis against the advancing Pz.Rgt.25 (109 Panzer I / Panzer II + 110 Panzer 38(t) / Panzer IV) of the 7.PzD.

There is a little hill between 3/28e and 1/28e BCC, hampering both companies to cooperate perfectly. The German tanks are still trying to advance. The Renault B1bis open fire meticulously and destroy severa

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