Chapter 24 Assault on the Loire

During the second phase of the campaign on the Western Front, fate ruled me almost entirely as a spectator.But in the second stage, it gave me at least one experience as a commander of a large force.We tried repeatedly to persuade our superiors to allow us to cross the Somme before the enemy formed a complete line, but to no avail.Now in early June we began preparations for the planned attack that Fourth Army was scheduled to launch on June 5th.The area on both sides of Abberville is now taken over by the Second Army, commanded by Gen. Count Brockdorff.Between this army and the 38th Army, there is the 15th Armored Army scheduled to be inserted at Ailly, and the commander is General Hoth (Gen‧Hoth).The Amiens bridgehead position, including the Ninth Armored Division, was still taken over by the Fourteenth Armored Corps (commander General Wintershall), and at the same time was transferred to the command of another army group.So XXXVIII Corps was only in charge of thirty miles on either side of Picquigny.It has two divisions on the front line, on the right is the 46th Infantry Division of Sudeten, commanded by Maj｜Gen‧V‧Hase, and on the left is the 20th Infantry Division of Xizuben Seventh Infantry Division, commanded by Lieutenant General Bergmann (Lt|Gen‧Bergmann).Faria's 6th Infantry Division, commanded by Maj｜Gen Biegeleben, remained in reserve.

Wait until the two leading divisions have crossed the river before they are used to complete the task of breaking through. On our own side, the highlands gradually level off towards the banks of the Somme, and there is no forest to provide effective cover, whereas on the south bank the terrain becomes steep enough to prevent the enemy from attacking us. Jump out of position and get ample opportunity to observe.However, the actual width of the valley was only a few hundred yards, and due to the thick vegetation on the water's edge, it was enough to hide the front lines of both sides.On the south bank, still within the valley, there were several villages, the more famous Breilly, Airy, and Picconey, all of which the enemy seemed to have held heavily.Like most French villages, their massive houses and walls are thick enough to provide an excellent stronghold for any defender.In the rear of the enemy's line of defense, up to the high ground behind the steep slope of the south bank, there are still many villages and some fairly large forests, which the enemy can use as a center of resistance or to cover his artillery.My army faced two French divisions, one was the black colonial division, and the other was the thirteenth division of Alsace.Intelligence indicated that the enemy's artillery was by no means weaker than ours in numbers, and might even be stronger.Judging by the proportion of terrain and force, I think that our attack has the best chance of success only by making use of surprise.Our artillerymen were therefore ordered to maintain complete silence and not to fire until the assault had begun.Therefore, the greatest firepower was used later to shoot down the villages on the south bank and in the valley, in order to eliminate all the resistance of the enemy to our army's actual crossing of the river.The infantry of our two divisions had entered the jungle by the river on the eve of the attack, and they carried all the means of crossing the river.Their task was to cross the Somme by surprise at dawn and advance around the villages.At dawn on June 5, our army crossed the river along the whole line, completely surprised the enemy, and successfully succeeded.

However, on the hillsides and in the villages, the enemy began to mount fierce resistance.The enemy's battles were quite heroic. Blacks have a bloodthirsty nature and despise life. The Alsatians are also known for their bravery and skill in fighting. They provided Germany with many excellent fighters in the First World War. It is a real tragedy to treat these German youths as enemies in this battle.When I spoke to prisoners afterwards, many told me that their fathers had served in the Wehrmacht or in the Navy with pride.I also remember, while serving in the 3rd Guards Infantry Regiment, having personally trained Alsatian troops, most of them excellent soldiers.My army command post was set up in a small jungle very close to the front line, and from there I monitored the launch of the attack.

When we were satisfied with our general success in crossing the river, I got into my car and proceeded.Now the battle for control of the highlands and riverside villages has begun.One thing that strikes me is that the enemy artillery is quite inactive, out of proportion to the number of batteries we have demonstrated.Obviously the artillery of the French army still has too much Maginot psychology.Their shooting was difficult to adapt to the environment, and the speed of their concentrated fire could not keep up with the standards required for mobile warfare.In addition, their advanced observation technology is not as developed as ours, and their expertise in this area cannot be compared with the quality of our observation battalion.Moreover, the victory in 1918 made them too complacent, and they stopped seeking progress.In any case it was a pleasant surprise for us, as the effectiveness of the enemy's artillery was not as good as that encountered under static conditions in the First World War.Although my own crossing was quite risky, since the newly built temporary bridge was still within range of enemy artillery.Nevertheless, I made it through safely until I reached my position in the 63rd Infantry Regiment of the 27th Division.The regiment, led by its brilliant leader, Col. Greiner, had captured the opposite high ground but suffered heavy losses.What impressed me most was the valor of some wounded soldiers who had to remain on the ground waiting for vehicles and could not be evacuated during this initial stage.I then returned to the Somme, passed another crossing, and headed in the direction of the 40th Infantry of the division, which formed the left flank of our corps.It was pinned in front of the Neuilly forest, which was largely in the vicinity of XIV Panzer Corps and which was still held by the enemy.Here too, I fear, considerable losses have been suffered, for the village of Airi to the rear is still in enemy hands, leaving the regiment under enemy fire.Nevertheless, the highlands dominating the valley have been captured.

On the right, the 46th Infantry Division had crossed the river and was now occupying the opposite heights.So I should be satisfied with the results of the first day, even though the battle for the village by the river did not stop until late at night.As for the two sides of the army, the Fifteenth Armored Corps had crossed the Somme, but could not advance for a long time, because the enemy was still holding on to a large village called Arraines, which blocked the armor. Roads necessary for vehicles.The 14th Armored Division on the left, after a preparatory bombardment, attacked from the bridgehead position in Amiens. Because it was hindered by the enemy's minefield, it seemed to have been stranded.Therefore, it was ordered to attack southward, and as a result, we never came into contact with it in our subsequent advances.The attack of June 5 had given us such space on the south bank of the Somme that the first artillery could be sent across the river during the night.However, it is very difficult to determine whether the enemy has conceded defeat or will take a step back before continuing to resist tenaciously.In this case, there is a complete lack of information on such an important matter.Regarding the enemy's position and intentions, there has been a cloud of uncertainty, which is also a factor that often exists in war.An excessive haste at this time is enough to cause serious setbacks; a delay of a few hours is enough to allow the enemy to establish a new front and incur heavy losses on our next turn.Under such circumstances, if a field commander's attitude is to wait for the correct information to arrive before taking action, then there is little hope of obtaining the gift of the God of War.So in the early morning of June 6th I rushed to the command post of the 46th Division, which had moved to the south bank of the river.Because after a hard day of fighting, I found that everyone was still fast asleep.I pointed out to them the need to begin the pursuit immediately, as the division seemed to have ceased to be in direct contact with the enemy.I went with the division staff to the division's advance area and found the 42nd Regiment awaiting orders, although the frontal fighting had practically ceased, and I ordered them to advance immediately.Then I went to inspect a regiment on the right wing of our army.In spite of the fact that she was ready to advance, she was still waiting for the effectiveness of the artillery attack on the village of Coisy and the nearby highland forest to show before starting to move.When I felt that the village, the heights, and the forest were probably free from the enemy, I ordered the regiment commander to advance immediately on a broad front, but to divide his forces into small groups well spaced.If these points were still held by the enemy, they would be automatically exposed, and ready artillery could immediately destroy them.And when the regiment advances in the manner I order, it need not fear serious losses.The regimental commander seemed to express obvious doubts about my situation, so I got into my command car and led the way.When we entered the village of Koshi, we found the road blocked by a fence, but it was unguarded.Occasional gunshots could also be heard from inside the village.Obviously it was launched by stragglers.After a short observation we drove into the village and found that the enemy had indeed retreated, as well as the heights and the front of the adjacent forest.

Having obtained this information, I drove back to the regiment, told them to proceed now, and hinted that they should carry out reconnaissance work themselves in the future.Although a military commander should not personally undertake the task of patrolling and searching, I feel that it is necessary to lead by example in such an environment, especially since the combat troops do not have a deep understanding of me, but I am convinced of the effectiveness of pursuit. Depends on the initiative of the commander.I was delighted to see that my lieutenant, Lt. V. Schwerdtner, and the young pilot, Sergeant Nagel, appreciated this unexpected reconnaissance trip.In the afternoon I went to inspect the attack on the village of Saismont by two regiments of the 27th Division.I happened to be talking to a company commander on the front lines.After he reported the situation to me, he asked me to unfold the big map and explain the overall situation to him.I did not return to the military headquarters until I had satisfied his thirst for knowledge, and I brought a wounded soldier back with me. He was also very interested in my explanation of the situation.Fortunately, the return journey was very short, because my command post had moved to a small forest near the front line at this time.On June 7, the 6th Division, which had crossed the river the day before, also entered the battle on the extreme right of the army.These tenacious Westphalians, always excellent fighters, displayed admirable spirit.When I went to inspect the division in the afternoon, I found that the steep depressions in the Poix area (a very useful cover for the enemy) had already been taken.The town of Panx is also in our hands, and the regiment is busy attacking a village at the far end of the area.Even so, Panks and its surrounding roads were under threat from enemy artillery at the far end, and the situation was rather unpleasant.When a driver of an ammunition cart found himself held back by artillery fire, he hurriedly hid under the cart, forgetting that the cart was loaded with shells!This is a joke that lightens everyone's spirits a little.That afternoon I went to inspect a regiment of the 46th Division, which was pinned up in front of the Pankers area.But at dusk, having made the necessary contact with the heavy weapons and artillery, it moved on again.The 27th Division was originally the main force in the battle, but now it can be transferred to the second line, because the pursuit is undoubtedly going on smoothly.The division's position on the left flank of the army was replaced by the 1st Cavalry Division that had just been allocated.The pursuit continued on June 8, still at the pace of the Westphalian forces.The 46th Division reported that it had discovered a concentration of 100 enemy tanks, so dive bombers were immediately ordered to attack it.It is a pity that the division did not take advantage of this opportunity to capture the tank.They've all escaped, and swift action could catch them all.

The battles of July and August gave the army the impression that what these stubborn enemies can do now is only partial and temporary resistance.But it can also be assumed that he will try to gather as many troops as possible to retreat safely across the lower reaches of the Seine.When you get there, if you can get the help of the reserve team, you will try to stand up and fight again.So as far as our army is concerned, all success or failure will depend on our ability to cross the Seine quickly without giving the enemy time or opportunity to regroup a line.Therefore, although our army was still about forty-five miles from the banks of the Seine on the night of June 8, I ordered the leading divisions to push their motorized spearheads not only to the banks of the river, but also within a day tomorrow. , but also to actually cross the river.The main force of the infantry and the horse-drawn artillery were to follow at the highest possible speed, and they were scheduled to reach the Seine on June 9th.The 6th Division aimed at the crossing at Les Andeleys, the 46th at the crossing at Vernon.In the past four days, these troops have been fighting and advancing without stopping, so this is really an excessive request for them.But in this case, a high commander must make the strictest demands on his subordinates, so as to save his troops from more difficult battles and serious losses in the future.And the overall operational situation dictates the need for swift action.Up to this point the French seemed determined to defend Paris.In this city defense system, from the Osé River to the Marne River in the extreme north of the city, there are already powerful enemy troops stationed.If we could cross the Seine below Paris, the defenses of the city would seem to have broken their hinges, and the enemy must withdraw from the city quickly, or risk being cut off.Therefore, the situation of our army is destined to make the highest demands on the troops.It requires commanders at all levels to display the utmost initiative and to use the highest speed in their operations.Favorable opportunities like this should be grasped with both hands.Throughout the whole day of June 9, from early morning to late at night, I ran on the road, urging my army to lead the divisions to their designated goals.Though our infantry had toiled enough, they rushed to their goal, the Seine, with the utmost excitement and stamina.This phenomenon is really pleasant.Naturally, some conflicts were unavoidable, although in terms of the Sixth Division, everything seemed to be going extremely smoothly.In the early morning, I met with two division commanders, and then went to inspect the 46th Division.At about noon, I arrived at the crossing point of the Sixth Division at Lees Andries, and found that its search battalion had already reached the river bank, and its division staff were already preparing to cross the river, which was scheduled to be carried out in the afternoon.Unfortunately, when search forces arrived, the bridge over the river had been blown up.On the high cliffs on the opposite bank, the picturesque town of Lees Andreas was ablaze, the result of a dive bomber air strike.It is tantamount to informing the enemy in advance that we are coming, which is not what we want.

One or two difficult things happened with the 46th Division.First, its action was three hours behind schedule.When I came back in this direction after inspecting the Sixth Division, I found that the division had completely lost contact with its search battalion, which, no matter how far it had gone, was definitely not like the Sixth Division's search battalion. , has reached the Rhone.I had no choice but to instruct the commander of the division to meet me at Ferren (his crossing point) in the evening of the present day, and added that he would at least take his lost search battalion with him.

So I went back to Les Andries and found the Sixth Division already crossing the river at three points and facing only the slightest resistance.The infantry and horse-drawn artillery have also desperately rushed to the Rhone River on time.At 7:00 p.m. I returned to Ferloon to find the commander of the 46th Division and his reconnaissance battalion had arrived.Unfortunately, the enemy had time to destroy the bridge.Because of heavy machine-gun fire from the enemy on the south bank, I directed the search force to proceed under cover of darkness.In this chaotic pursuit, I could not use the 1st Cavalry Division as I expected it to have reached in our own area.Its position is still too backward, and the Army Group assigned the division to our command, and there was a condition in advance, that is, I was only allowed to use it on the Osé River to cover the left flank of the Army Group and to deal with the attack from Paris. any threat.At the same time the division, although still far in the rear, reported that it had been attacked by strong enemy armor.This was clearly the tank that slipped away from the 46th Division and was now threatening our overstretched flank.After a little sleep, I returned to Ferren in the early morning of June 10 and learned that the vanguard of the 46th Division had also crossed the river.So the XXXVIII Corps was the first to establish a stable foothold on the south bank of the Seine.

The troops had every reason to be proud of the pursuit they had accomplished.Personally, I am even more pleased that this quick action may have saved our army a bitter fight across the Seine.However, the status of the 38th Army is not safe.It was isolated on the south bank of the Seine, and the Fifteenth Armored Corps on its right failed to reach the Seine until June 10, and then turned to Le Havre (Le Havre).The Second Army was still far behind.On the left flank, Paris is a big question mark where any number of enemy troops could be hiding. In addition, it will take two days for the 38th Army to send all its troops across the river.The two pontoon bridges at Les Andries and Fairloon were repeatedly attacked by the RAF, and the one at Fairlon was indeed blown up at one point.

Had the enemy commander been on this wing and had reserves available, the 38th Army, isolated on the south bank of the river, would have been their target.When the offensive began, General Kruger, commander of the Fourth Army, told me that the objective assigned to him by the Army Headquarters was to obtain a bridgehead on the south bank of the Seine.Even if the goal of the Supreme Commander is not to follow the route planned by Schlieffen and use a strong northern wing to bypass the west of Paris to determine the outcome of the second phase of the French campaign, but to concentrate armored forces and attack Paris from the southwest to Paris. A surprise attack was carried out in the east; however, this task assigned to the Fourth Army still seemed extremely inappropriate.Because that would regard the assault to the east of Paris as a decisive action, and the breakthrough attack of Army Group C on the Maginot Line and the advance of Army Group B to the lower Seine River as secondary actions, but we did not. There is still a need to remain proactive. Army Group A will not start its attack across the Aisne until June 9, and it is still uncertain whether it will be decisively successful. At the same time, we should assume that the enemy is well aware of Schlieffen's plan, so that he will not ignore the possibility of our large detour across the lower Seine, and therefore he may take countermeasures of his own.This gives us all the more reason to maintain the initiative on the German right flank, without allowing the enemy to make defensive or counter-offensive deployments in this direction at any time.So, as I see it, if the strategic mission of the Fourth Army justifies our continued offensive south of the Seine, the Thirty-eighth Army would sit in a bridgehead position and wait for the enemy to concentrate (possibly) superior forces against it. Offensive, that is really a mistake. I therefore asked Army Group permission to attack south as soon as my corps artillery had crossed the Seine, instead of holding this bridgehead, which we had now extended to the Eure.As a precaution, the 20th Infantry Division has also been ordered to enter the south bank of the river.Furthermore, on June 11, I requested the Army Group's approval to advance the 1st Cavalry Division from its position on the Osé to the south bank of the Seine, and during that day the division had to deal with the above-mentioned enemy. Fang Panzer has also scored a nice victory.In these circumstances I found it quite natural to use the only cavalry division we had as the spearhead of the pursuit.My intention was to use it as early as possible to block the railroads and roads to Paris.Unfortunately, my suggestion was refuted by the Army Group, because it had to wait for instructions from its superiors first. The 1st Cavalry Division, therefore, broke away from my command, and was put under the command of the 1st Corps, which was advancing on the second line, and was ordered to continue watching the flanks of the Osé, and in any case to remain north of the Seine.I feel very sorry that this elite teacher did not have the opportunity to display his strengths and show his talents. Two things happened on June 11, both of which were sufficient to justify my claim.The 58th Infantry Regiment of the 6th Division shot down an enemy driver and found papers on him stating that the enemy had ordered a general retreat.Second, the 46th Division reported that it was under heavy attack from enemy tanks which indicated that the enemy had found our position in Honan and was uncomfortable.If we continue to be negative, we will only help the enemy improve the situation.That same night, the 46th Division also repelled this attack with considerable losses.In the early morning of the next day, the division reported that the enemy in front of it was preparing to attack again (estimated at 110 tanks), and requested emergency assistance.I decided on my own initiative to attack with all three of my divisions.Immediately after this order was issued, the commander of the army group himself came.Although he agreed with my decision, he could only stick to his position because there was no new combat order from Army Headquarters.He was anxious that I might order my army to advance in spite of everything.So he strictly ordered that the attack should never cross the Evreux|Pacy line, and just to be on the safe side, he repeated the order of the army group during the same night. While the 27th Division on the left was making good progress in the attack, the 46th Division on the right reported that it had not been able to attack so far because there was not enough artillery, ammunition, and rations on the south bank.Even so, it has repelled the enemy's armored attack, but the number of enemy tanks has proved to be no more than fifty | sixty. In the next few days, it became a stage of pursuit again.On June 13, Second Corps also crossed the Rhone on our right.That day we spent the night at the villa of the famous French novelist Collette (Colletted Arville).The building is stunningly beautiful and the outdoor swimming pool is a boon to all of us.On June 14, the commander-in-chief of the army came to inspect the military headquarters.I have reported to him the achievements of our army, but he has been careful, but has not revealed anything about its future intentions.On June 15th Admiral Kruger informed me that the Fourth Army's target was now Le Mans, and emphasized that it should press forward regardless of the troops on both sides.For us, I think these words are really unnecessary. On June 16, our divisions encountered organized resistance again along the Vitte|Senoches|Chataunenf line.These forces were the remnants of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd French Mechanized Divisions, which had escaped from Dunkirk after the Battle of Flanders and landed again at Brest. Unit designations of two Algerian (Spahi) brigades and a Moroccan division were also found.By dusk, the enemy's resistance had collapsed.Here I especially admire the bravery of the officers and soldiers of the Sixth Division.At dusk that day, I received another order from an army group and decided to use Le Mans|Angers as our axis of advancement.The 1st Corps joined us on the left, and the 46th Division was assigned to it.The Fifteenth Armored Corps (with one division removed to take Cherbourg) should also enter the lower Loire and form a bridgehead there.This seems to be the end.On June 17, French Prime Minister Renault resigned, and Marshal Petain was ordered to form a cabinet.Is this old fellow preparing to organize a new resistance?Or were French politicians deliberately trying to get the veteran of the First World War to sign a surrender?On June 18, we received an order from the head of state to pursue the enemy relentlessly. This is not a new concept for us.We made a forced march, and one regiment made almost fifty miles, and Col. Lindemann's motorized search battalion had actually reached a point west of Le Mans.I spent the night in the medieval fortress of Bonnetable.All of this is antique, except for the fortress of the Loire River that I will talk about below, this may be the most moving building I have seen since entering France.On June 19th I drove thirty miles to catch up with Lindemann's search battalion without seeing a single German soldier.Seventy years ago, my grandfather entered Le Mans victoriously, and now I pass that majestic cathedral. On the way I met many disarmed French troops marching eastward, and a whole regiment of artillery, with all its guns and vehicles, surrendered to Lindemann.The enemy has clearly disintegrated.Nevertheless, I found that Lindemann's battalion was held up in the area of ​​the Mayenne in the Angels.Enemy tanks can be spotted on the opposite bank, and the bridge is under threat of machine gun fire.Lindemann again used the only artillery he had, a motorized battery of ten guns, to repel the enemy, but to no avail.I walked along the river bank to the most advanced position quite far from the bridge, and found that except for the bridgehead area, there were few enemy troops in the rest of the place.There was a squadron leader, apparently sitting by the river waiting to see if the enemy would abandon the bridge of their own accord.I advised him to swim across the river further downriver, and said I would accompany him if he wished.This approach worked immediately.A short time later, the entire squadron jumped naked into the river and reached the opposite bank unnoticed by the enemy.Now the bridge is ours too.I remained with this search force until they had moved on on the other side of the river, when I returned to the corps command post.Thinking that only a handful of enemy tanks and machine guns were enough to stop this search force on the Maine River for eight hours, I sent my senior lieutenant, Lt Graf, to rush back and directly Lindemann was strictly ordered to cross the Loire River during this night. Not bad at all, Graver found that the troops were planning to rest on the north bank of the river.He strictly carried out the order, so the whole battalion crossed the Loire River in the same night, and Graver personally commanded the leading rubber boat.In the dark night, when the military headquarters heard that the search troops of the two divisions had crossed the Loire River, I immediately rushed forward. When I arrived, I found that the width of the river was really amazing.At Ingrades, the western point of crossing, there was a strong current, and the distance between the banks was six hundred yards.Two round arches of the high bridge have been blown up, and a pontoon bridge must be used to connect them.The difference in height was almost thirty feet, with extremely steep gangplanks in between.Even a command car is difficult to drive across, so all heavy vehicles have to use ferries to cross the river. Due to the wideness of the river, strong currents and many sandy beaches, this is not an easy task.At another point of crossing, at Chalonnes, the situation is simpler, for there the river divides into three tributaries.The bridges over the two tributaries on the north side were all in our hands, so that we had only one hundred and sixty yards of breadth to cross.At this point, I witnessed a duel of no ordinary kind.The French army found on the opposite bank in the morning was still unarmed, but heavy tanks appeared in the afternoon.The forces we have crossed cannot stop them, for no artillery has so far been brought across.From the bridge of Chalonnes, I saw a German 88mm anti-aircraft gun and a French heavy tank take up position on the opposite bank at the same time, and fired at each other at the same time.Unfortunately, our gun was immediately destroyed.However, we then sent a light anti-tank gun, which coincidentally hit a weak point in front of the enemy's 32-ton heavy tank, and it immediately caught fire.That night I moved to the fortress of Serrant near Chalonnes.It is a famous monument whose beauty and grandeur are beyond description.Needless to say, we have great respect for the property of the original owner, and we take great care of all the ancient paintings and furnishings.By June 22, both the 6th and 27th Divisions had completely crossed the Loire.Their search forces advanced a little further, accepting the surrender of countless French troops.On June 23 we learned that a truce had been signed the previous day in the forest of Compiegne.The Battle of France is over.In my daily orders issued by the Department of the Army, I express my deep gratitude to the divisions under my command for their virtues of self-sacrifice, courage, and cooperation.I note that none of them enjoyed armored protection or mechanized propulsion.In a series of assaults they had completed a pursuit of three hundred miles.The wheels are already spinning.From Compiègne in 1918 to Compiègne in 1940, it has been a long way.Where will we go in the future?