Camouflaged in Monthermé

On May 13 the 6th Panzer Division, under General Kempf, arrived in the "Enveloppe", a forest-covered massif just before the Meuse valley. Soon after arriving, they launched their attack. After an air raid of Stukas and an artillery bombardment, the …

1940-05-13

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On May 13 the 6th Panzer Division, under General Kempf, arrived in the "Enveloppe", a forest-covered massif just before the Meuse valley. Soon after arriving, they launched their attack. After an air raid of Stukas and an artillery bombardment, the Gebirgsjäger ("Mountain Hunters") from the 4th Schützen Regiment ran down the slopes of the "Enveloppe" and started to cross the Meuse River with inflatable rafts. When the German forces were on the open river French soldiers from the 42nd Demi-brigade of Colonial Machine Gunners, whose positions were camouflaged, opened fire. The German assault troops suffered heavy casualties. In response, the Panzers advanced to the edge of the river and fired point blank at the newly revealed French positions. At the end of the day, Germans had crossed the river. During the night, a pontoon bridge was built and the next day German soldiers managed to break the second line of defenses. Like in Sedan, the frontline was broken.

Monthermé, France

The Battle of France, also known as the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries during the Second World War. On 3 September 1939 France had declared war on Germany, following the German invasion of Poland. In early September 1939, France began the limited Saar Offensive. By mid-October, the French had withdrawn to their start lines. In six weeks from 10 May 1940, German forces defeated Allied forces by mobile operations, conquering France, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, ending land operations on the Western Front until the Normandy landings on 6 June 1944. Italy entered the war on 10 June 1940.

Wikipedia: Battle of France

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Board Type: Countryside

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