15th May 1940

[Pdf27]

The extent of the German breakthrough at Sedan has now become obvious to the French General Staff. It is now clear that this is the main German thrust, with the attack through northern Belgium as a diversion. Gamelin therefore issues orders that the entire reserve (1st and 5th Armies, plus II Corps of the BEF) should concentrate WNW of Reims in order to halt the German thrust. When in position, they should prepare to launch a counterattack and throw the Germans back across the border. While Gamelin is shocked by the scale of the German breakthrough, he also believes that given the strength and mobility of the reserves available the battle is not yet lost.

While Gamelin is issuing these orders, the leading German Panzers are approaching Reims. A hurriedly thrown together defensive line stalls them just short of it in the late afternoon as they are forced to wait for their artillery to catch up, but it is clear to the French troops on the ground that they won't be able to stop the Panzer forces for more than a few hours.

In the Netherlands, the RN destroyers which have been used as fast troop-ferries are used to provide fire support as the Dutch cross the Dordtsche Kil to recapture the southern part of the island of Dordrecht. While an extemporised lash-up (mostly using fishing boats, with most of the vessels involved propelled by oars), the lack of German artillery and the fire support provided by the destroyers and Dutch Army mean the landing is a success, and the initial counterattack is repelled. The newly arrived Hurricanes provide air cover for this operation, allowing the destroyers to withdraw to the UK afterwards without damage. Importantly, this cuts the German troops holding the remains of the Moerdijk bridge off from the rest of the Fallschirmjäger in and around Dordrecht itself.

In Belgium, the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions attack and break through the Gembloux gap, then turn north towards Brussels, in order to encircle the Belgian forces defending the Dyle line. By evening, however, they have only reached the line Wavre-Waterloo. The Belgian reaction to this is very mixed. Some of the Generals start planning for a retreat to the Scheldt line, while half the government flees to Paris or Ghent. King Leopold, on the other hand, stays in Brussels fully intending to share the fate of his army.

[Belushi TD]

I am having trouble finding a map showing the Dutch geography in 1940. All I can find is the ones since they filled in or diked the polders, so I'm not following what's happening well. If I understand it correctly, the tip of the German advance in Holland is two islands away from the mainland, and the landing they did on this day is looking to cut off that tip?

The Wavre Waterloo line is the line that was defended in @, right? And its the one that the French and British decided NOT to defend in Blunted Sickle?

The counterattack by the entire reserve on this date is the first major departure from @, correct?

Belushi TD

[Pdf27]

Hopefully this makes it clearer. The action today is all on the island of Dordrecht, which hasn't changed much except that I'm assuming the areas marked as farmland are pretty boggy and so impassable to vehicles.

• Red circle is the location of the majority of the Fallschirmjaegers - they were dropped on the Rotterdam Docks at Waalhaven (other end of the island at the top left) and have been withdrawn to the island of Dordrecht.
• Yellow star is the bridge over the Hollands Diep. By this point the Rhine has split into a bunch if distributories, of which this is the most southern. The Meuse has also joined the Rhine just upstream, so this is a pretty critical bridge - not only does it protect the Holland region, but it's also the most downstream crossing over both the Rhine and Meuse.
• Blue arrows are where the landing is. The Germans had assumed that it would be a conventional river crossing and that the main threat was from the North (particularly as the Germans are on the other side of the Moerdijk bridge). However it isn't really a river any more - the biggest port in the world at this time is only a few km away - so the RN are able to sail in and provide direct fire support.

image_2022-12-20_165908104.png

[Pdf27]

The Wavre Waterloo line is the line that was defended in @, right? And its the one that the French and British decided NOT to defend in Blunted Sickle?

It's just south of Brussels, so well past the line of the river Dyle which they tried to defend in OTL.

The counterattack by the entire reserve on this date is the first major departure from @, correct?

The location of the reserve is really the departure, and where the butterflies start to flap. In OTL, the locations are as shown below:

The British are defending the line of the River Dyle, the French 1st Army are fighting in the Gembloux Gap (and doing rather well). As I understand it 5th Army were in reserve - De Gaulle's 4e DCr were part of it, and they were fighting at Montcornet on the 17th.

ITTL, 1st Army plus II Corps of the BEF are in reserve at Amiens, and 5th Army at Nancy. They've been ordered to converge just outside Reims to form a blocking position in front of the German advance. Unfortunately, the French Army OODA loop in 1940 was pretty catastrophic - the orders to form a blocking position there are already out of date, and by the time they reach the units concerned (in several days time) will be grossly out of date. The question then is what the officers involved do...

image_2022-12-20_181708073.png

[Bernard Woolley]

Do appreciate the maps. Helps a lot.

[Belushi TD]

Yes, seconded!

They make it MUCH clearer.

Belushi TD