Battle for the Isthmus

By the evening of May 14th the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Panzer Divisions had established a bridgehead at Sedan. The 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions had established a bridgehead in the area of Dinant and Houx but the spearhead of …

1940-05-14

HB10

By the evening of May 14th the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Panzer Divisions had established a bridgehead at Sedan. The 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions had established a bridgehead in the area of Dinant and Houx but the spearhead of the 6th Panzer Division [followed by the 8th PzD] was still unable to exploit the bridgehead it had established at Monthermé, northwest of Sedan. The area was defended by the French 102st Fortress lnfantry Division [DIF]. which was tasked with guarding a linear, 40 km front. This DIF was mostly devoid of fortifications but the river was hemmed in by steep banks and billy woods. Monthermé itself was located on a small isthmus and constituted a weak point. There were possible fords and the rough terrain provided many blind spots. Though difficult to defend, the equivalent of one French lnfantry Division heroically blocked the advance of two Panzer Divisions. during two bloody days of fighting. General Reinhardt later said: "At Monthermé, the French troops offered resistance worthy of the Pollos of Verdun in 1916.

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 By mid-October, the French had withdrawn to their start lines.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