Abbeville - 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

[tigre]

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Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

Abbeville, Second Attack. 28 – 30 of May of 1940.

29 May 1940.

At 04:00 hours instead of 55 tanks that were expected in Bailleul, arrived only 5 of them. Without maps, messengers, guides or radios. The other 50 tanks were lost in the field and during the night. Many are out of fuel and those which were not here only God knows where were for sure. Where was De Gaulle? Probably, around 04:30 hours in Bailleul. The village is completely destroyed. Only the church remains intact in the center.

At 05:00 hours the 22 R.I.C. and the tanks of the 3éme Cuirassiers resumed the attack in the direction of Mareuil. Around noon, the 1º Battalion of the 7ème Régiment de Dragons Portes of Commander Torquat, had cleared the bois de Fréchencourt and captured prisoners and equipment.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

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Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

Abbeville, Second Attack. 28 – 30 of May of 1940.

29 May 1940.

The Germans kept the positions or rather the artillery stood fast, as it was learned later, the infantry fled in panic before the ineffectiveness of their weapons against the French tanks. German troops tried to regain the right bank of Somme but the bridgehead was not emptied because the gunners still were manning their guns.

At 17:00 hours short of liaisons, communications and fuel the French effort decreased, the victory was no longer possible.

The ID 57 Commander, General Blumm accompanied by the Commander of the XXXVIII AK, General v. Manstein (the man who designed the German-operational strategic plan) went to the bridgehead and reached Caubert to stop the disbanding of the troops, which had calmed down in the meantime and returned to their positions, the crisis had passed.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

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Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

Abbeville, Second Attack. 28 – 30 of May of 1940.

May 30, 1940.

The already worn out 4 DCR resumed its attack on the same axes; at the foothill of Mount Caubert the Germans shot directly over the French. Fierce fighting ensued at Villers. Mareuil was devastated. The attack was stopped and it became clear that the French means were not sufficient to make the decision.

But on this day the 4 DCR received a booster, it was the 51 Scottish Infantry Division which still was fighting in France. It had arrived from the front of the Saarland. Its men were eager to enter the battle but the Commanding Officer, General Fortune who knew that war had been lost did not wish engage much with the French side. His division was intact, well equipped and with full vehicles. Churchill had claimed it be taken to Le Havre but the Scots will hold their positions while the French troops carried out its withdrawal and later will be surrounded and captured at Saint-Valery-en-Caux.

The 4 th Battalion of the 51 st Seaforth Scottish Division relieved the RDP 7ème in the Bois de Bailleul.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

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Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

June 4, 1940. Third Attack.

It will be carried out by the highlanders of the 51 DI (Scotland) and the 2 nd DCR. The war appears to be lost. Everyone starts to doubt themselves. On May 28, 1940 Belgium has capitulated and Dunkirk, already surrounded, can not stand. On the night of May 30, 1940 before Abbeville there was only silence.

The General Headquarters has been determined to establish a coherent defensive line along the front of La Basèe - Somme and a powerful army, the Tenth was organized under General Altmayer.

It consists of the 51 DI (Scotish), which holds the line from Abbeville to the Sea, the 2 nd and 3 rd D.L.C. from Abbeville to Picquigny. These divisions, which have taken its place in the line since May 26 are quite worn out and will be relieved in early June by the French 31ème DI, whose troops had its moral very low by the fear of an encirclement, and by the 5th DI , a division mainly composed of colonial troops of Senegal. After being relieved, the D.L.C. would be consolidated further south and together with one division rescued from Norway, will form a reserve to cover Rouen. Although this will be only a project .

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more about this topic........................

Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

June 4, 1940. Third Attack.

Because, before establishing this deployment, the High Command, unfortunately obsessed with the idea of a continuous front, was willing to eliminate the bridgeheads. Therefore, in Abbeville, it should be "restored" the front. Because it was still the 2nd DCR, almost with its strenght at 50 % without having fought, it was reconstituted in haste. Its OoB as Jun 1940 included remmants 8th/15th BCC (B1bis)
+ 347th, 348th and 349th CACC (B1bis) remmants 14th/27th BCC (H-39) + 351st CACC (H-39); 40th BCC (R-35) + 48th BCC (R-40); remmants 17th BCP; as its artillery 309th RATT and 10th BDAC


The 2 DCR when it was built.
http://enpointe.chez-alice.fr/dcr.html#dcr2

This division was gathered around Compiègne. Its commander, Colonel Perré, was an important figure in 1940, former Chief of the tanks in the Infantry Division from which depend, had the age of de Gaulle, but opposites in character and for reasons of doctrine, they hated.

The 2 DCR suffered the same ills as the 4 th DCR: lack of communications, lack of maps, lack of liaisons, not enough reconnaissance in the field. The Commander also did not have the same universal respect than his predecessor.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more about this topic........................

Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

June 4, 1940. Third Attack.

On June 3, 1940, the 2nd DCR was occupying an assembly area overlooking the river Bresle. Allied artillery in the area was important; there were the batteries of the DCR, the DLC and the Scots. It said it was the largest concentration of war. On June 4, 1940 at 03:30 hours the artillery fire broke out; either the Germans and the French evoke the great preparations of the First World War.

After the shelling, the tanks moved forwards, each seeking to reach the Mont de Caubert. One of them by the left of Bienfay, others by Boencourt and the valley through the farm of Mesnil Trois Fétus. Finally, another corridor ran between Villers-Mareuil, which was retained by the Scots and the Bois de Villers. But to the left the 31 DI demoralized, did not follow behind the tanks. More to the center, due to difficulties on the roads, some tanks returned and others were lost; a Scottish brigade led by the French Captain JF PERRET attacked without protection: 500 men were captured. To the right Villers, evacuated by the Scots, was recovered by the Germans during the night after which they blocked with mines the obligatory passage: six tanks were damaged.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; more about this topic........................

Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

June 4, 1940. Third Attack.

On Jun 04 1940 at 11:30 hours General Delestraint, Commander of the armored battle group, who must coordinate all armored means, admitted that the attack was a failure. Around noon, the Stukas, finally released by the fall of Dunkirk, descended on the French elements.

The phase of the offensive of the Battle of Abbeville had ended. In the afternoon the 2 DCR retreated in an incomplete form and regrouped in the area of Bresle. On the ground remain only the Scots and the forgotten elements of the 2 DCR.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

Cheers. Raúl M .

[tigre]

Hello to all ; the end........................

Abbeville 27 May till 05 Jun of 1940.

The German Offensive - Fall Rot.

Early on the morning of June 5, 1940, the flow was reversed and at Hangest, Rommel crossed the Somme with his 7 Pz by railway bridges which were not destroyed by the French. From the Abbeville bridgehead the Bavarian 57 ID also jumped off to the attack. The French resisted in their hedgehog positions which Weygand had ordered built around the towns.

On 6 June the fighting was fierce but confused. The Germans who had broken from Amiens and Abbeville forced the crossing of the Somme and by June 07 1940, had started the debacle. For the French armored elements of the 2 DCR and 4 DCR will be a withdrawal in order to end in La Creuse. For the 2, DLC 3, DLC, 5 DLC and the Scots of the 51 DI, will be a series of battles which would end in the siege against the sea in Saint-Valery-en-Caux.

Sources: Lost Victories. Erich v. Manstein.
http://batailles-1939-1940.historyboard ... s-t104.htm
Militaria Magazine Hs21 Le Mois Terrible La Bataille D'abbeville.
In zwanzig Minuten elf Feindpanzer abgeschossen. Ralph Tegethoff http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/ De junio de 2004.
http://www.deutsche-stimme.de/ds/
The Destruction of 12th Division. 20th May 1940 by Pete Gill http://www.magweb.com
Heimat Wolfur. Set 1992. Tagebuch eines Wolfurters zwischen 1939 und 1946.
Section patrimoine des Amis du CIS Nº 13. Les Années de guerre.

It's all folks. Cheers. Raúl M .