The Cadets of Saumur

Saumur - June 19, 1940. The Battle of France is lost; the Germans are now ready to cross the River Loire. The meager French troops standing ready and lined up to defend it are the Officer Cadets from the Cavalry …

1940-06-19

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Saumur - June 19, 1940. The Battle of France is lost; the Germans are now ready to cross the River Loire. The meager French troops standing ready and lined up to defend it are the Officer Cadets from the Cavalry School at Saumur, reinforced with a Battalion of the Infantry School at St-Maixent and hodgepodge remnants of the French army. At the first sight of the enemy, they blow the bridges. Embarking on rafts, the Germans soon attempt to cross the river on the islands at Gennes and East of Saumur. The cadets, dug-in and with no real option for retreat, resist heroically, inflicting heavy losses on the enemy. Their valiant efforts are not enough however, and by June 21, the Germans are already breaking through to the South-West. The following day, June 22, 1940, the French army capitulates: The armistice is signed at Rethondes, and takes effect on June 25.

Saumur, 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 By mid-October, the French had withdrawn to their start lines.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

German

French

Game Type: Overlord

Board Type: Countryside

Website Access: Available