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Index
Page numbers in italics indicates maps.
aerial operations, Allied, 281–86
first daylight attack, 283
in Netherlands, 285
at Sedan, 285–86
Air Force, intelligence reports, 96–97, 99, 101
Ardennes, French in, 73
cavalry in Belgium, 83–89
identifying location of main German attack, 94–102
intelligence assessments of German order of battle, 73–79
mission and organization of cavalry, 79–83
on the Semois River, 89–94
Ardennes, Germans in, 29
Bodange, 43–50, 44
crossing Luxembourg, 37–43
delays at Bodange, 52–54
final push to Meuse River, 71
1st Panzer Division advance, 63–70
Martelange, 43–50
Operation Niwi, 50–52
planning and preparation, 29–37
2nd Panzer Division advance, 60–62
10th Panzer Division advance, 54–60
Army Group I, 284
Balck, Hermann, 48, 144, 197, 245, 347
1st Infantry Regiment crossing Meuse and, 144–50
Barratt, Air Marshal A. S., 282–83, 285
Baudet, Colonel, 203
Beaufre, André, 101
Beck-Broichsitter, Lieutenant, 219–20
Belgian forces, in the Ardennes, 43–50
Bertin-Bossu, General, 308
Billotte, General, 284–85
blitzkrieg, xv–xvi, 341–42
Blumentritt, Günther, 78
Bodange, 43–50, 44
Chasseurs Ardennais at, 45–48
delays at, 52–54
Boutancourt, 2nd Panzer Division at, 324–25
Boyer, Captain, 201–2
Breda Variant, 9–13
Brocard, Antoine, failure of 3rd Armored Division and, 298–309
Bruché, General, as 2nd Armored Division commander, 333–36
Bulson, attack toward, 216–19
bunkers, at Sedan, 350
Cachou, Lieutenant Colonel, preparation for counterattack and, 263–68
Campaign of 1940, xiii–xiv
Bodange, 44
dispositions of forces
and plans, 3
fight in Belgium, 33
French strategy in, 2–13
German fight in the Ardennes, 28–71
German strategy in, 13–22
myths surrounding, xv–xvii, 350
special operations, 41–42
see also Meuse, Battle of the
Carribou, Captain
on aerial attacks, 140
behind Torcy, 183–89
on French Infantry personnel policies, 208
casualties
comparison between French and German, 348–49
Connage, 241
cavalry, French, see French cavalry
Chaligne, Colonel
at Chémery, 264–65
collapse of 55th Division and, 278–79
counterattack and, 275–78
at Fond Dagot, 252–53
learning the details of plan for counterattack, 265–66
panic of the 55th Division and, 200–6
Chanoine, General, 83, 318–22
Charita, Lieutenant, 194
Chasseurs Ardennais, at Martelange and Bodange, 45–48
Chémery
55th Infantry Division failure to halt move toward, 255
German attack toward, 219–22
7th Tank Battalion action around, 272–73
Clausener, Captain, Semois River action and, 89–94
colmater process, 24, 116
Connage
action, 220–21
casualties, 241
counterattack, French, by the 55th Division, 251–79
Crousse, Captain, 195–96
d'Astier, General, 286
de Gaulle, Charles, 338
de Lattre, General, mission, 327–33
de Saint Cernin, Major, counterattack and, 275–78
Demay, Lieutenant Colonel, 115
Directive No. 6, 15–16
Directive No. 8, 18
Dittman, Lieutenant Colonel, 222
doctrine, French, see French doctrine
doctrine, German, see German doctrine
Donchery, 2nd Panzer Division at, 169–71
Drapier, Lieutenant, 207
Duhautois, Brigadier General, on 55th Division panic, 203
Dyle Plan, 7–9
Enigma machines, 74
Escaut Plan, 7
Etcheberrigaray, General, mission, 323–27
Faissault, action at, 331–32
5th Light Cavalry Division, at Vendresse and La Horgne, 318–22
XVth Panzer Corps, 21
53rd Infantry Division
collapse of, 322–27
mission, 324
orders to seal gap, 325
withdrawal to Vence River, 326–27
55th Infantry Division, 106
assessing the situation around Sedan, 251–53
bunker construction, 123
causes of panic and sequence of events, 203
collapse of, 278–79
communications of, 275
coordination between tanks and infantry of, 271–72
counterattack by, 268–78
cowardly performance of artillery, 204–5
criticisms of men of the, 119
effect of panic on fighting capability of, 205–6
explanation for poor performance of, 208–9
failure to halt move toward Chémery, 255
holding ground, 117
lack of cohesion and training within, 133
lack of mines, 122–23
máteriél shortages, 120–22
mission, 115
officers, 117–18
panic of the, 200–6
panic spread to other units of, 204
perceptions of attitudes and abilities of, 120
personnel and personnel shortages, 117, 118–19
preparation for counterattack, 257–68
reserve battalion, 116
scale and nature of panic of, 202–3
strength of, 118
success of Germans against, 121
training, 120
units of, 115–16
using the reserves of, 253–57
1st Battalion, counterattack progress of, 269–71
1st Cavalry Brigade, 318–22
1st Infantry Regiment
Chémery action, 219–22
Connage action, 220–21
crossing the Meuse, 144–50
engineer units providing support for, 146
fighting near Chateau of Bellevue, 148
French principal line of resistance and, 149–50
Guderian visit, 246–47
objective of, 222
rapid advance of, 148
reasons for success of, 144
reinforcements, 144–46
1st Motorcycle Battalion, southwest of St. Menges action, 148–49
1st Panzer Division
Allied aerial attacks and, 215
artillery support for attack, 143
Biourge capture, 64–65
at Bouillon, 67–69
at Bulson, 216–19
at Chémery, 219–22
Connage action, 217
daily log records of Meuse River crossing, 211–12
final preparations for attack, 142–43
at Gaulier, 141–43
at Maisoncelle, 216–19
Meuse River crossing, 145
at Mouzaive, 68–70
objective, 64
plan, 142
positions, 212–13
push toward south, 211–16
Rethel advance, 244–47
screening forces, 63
Semois River advance and crossing, 63–70
at Singly, 241–44
at Vendresse, 325
wartime journal on initial fighting of, 147
Flavigny, General, 288, 295
halting attack, 304–5, 309
Huntziger meeting, 296
fortified houses, 111–12
4th Tank Battalion, counterattack by, 274–78
14th Infantry Division
mission, 327–33
position, 330–31
reputation of, 327–28
sealing gaps at Omont and Poix-Terron, 327–33
43rd Assault Engineers, provided support for crossing Meuse, 146
49th Engineer Battalion, breaking through main French defenses, 160–63
Foucault, Captain, at Frénois, 175–83
French cavalry
Arlon-Florenville action, 84
establishing series of phase lines, 83
explanation for failure of, 88–89
hampered by refugees, 88
mission and organization of, 79–83
at Mouzaive, 87
performance of, 93–94
Petitvoir action, 86
preparing to move in Belgium, 83–89
strength of, 81
at Vendresse and La Horgne, 318–22
see also individual divisions
French doctrine, 22–25
colmater process, 24, 116
commanders post, 25
decision makers, 25
formulating, 22–24
German doctrine differences, 28
leadership style, 348, 349–50
methodical battle, 23–24
French infantry
malfunctioning weapons of, 207
performance of, 206–7
personnel policies, 208
weakness of the, 206–9
see also individual divisions
French intelligence
Air Force reports, 96–97, 99, 101
Army Group 1 reports, 97–98
assessments of German order of battle, 73–79
cipher section, 74
Ninth Army reports, 100
Second Army reports, 94–96, 97, 98–99, 100, 101
French strategy, 2–13
approach to protecting frontiers, 2
Breda Variant, 9–13
carrying out, 11–13
&nb
sp; considerations that influenced, 6
defensive positions, 6–7
Dyle Plan (Plan D), 7–9
economic wealth and, 2–4
Escaut Plan, 7
fortifications, 5
goal of, 2
Frénois
breakthrough at, 193–200
2/331st Infantry Regiment at, 175–83
Fuller, Major General, on importance of the fighting around Sedan, 341–42
Gabel, Captain, 190–91, 192–93
Gamelin, Maurice, 101–2, 283
French strategy and, 7–13
Garski, Eugen, Operation Niwi and, 50–52
Gaulier, 1st Panzer Division at, 141–43
Georges, General, 76–77, 283, 284, 292, 314, 323, 337
counterattack at Sedan, 307–8
French strategy and, 10
German doctrine, 25–28
concept of continuous battle, 25–26
decentralization and initiative, 26–27
development of Panzer divisions, 27–28
French doctrine differences, 28
infiltration tactics, 26
introduction of tanks, 27–28
leadership style, 347, 349–50
mission-oriented tactics, 344–47
mobility, 26
tradition of auftragstaktik, 27
German strategy, 1, 13–22
encirclement and annihilation, 339
Hitler's statement on, 14–15
Plan Yellow, 16–22
shifting main effort from one Army Group to another, 18
Giordani, Major, 264
Giraud, Henri, 337
Grand Duchy, special operations in, 41–42
Grandsard, General, 112, 114, 261
Greim, Major, as Gross Deutschand Regiment commander, 151–56
Gross Deutschland Regiment, 51, 150–56, 214–15
attached to 10th Panzer Division, 54–60
capture of French center of resistance bunker, 155
crossing points, 152–53
in Floing, 151
French defenders in Torcy delayed advance of, 153–54
Hill 247 objective, 153, 155–56
Guderian, Heinz, 78, 214, 222
account of battle near Etalle, 56–60
aerial operations over Sedan and, 138–41
on crossing the Meuse, 135–38
decision about making pivot to the west, 230–31
1st Infantry Regiment visit, 246–47
German fight in the Ardennes and, 29–71
propelled his corps forward, 234
resignation of, 248–49
securing flank for advance of, 234–41
von Kleist debate, 231–32
Halder, Franz, 20, 38, 78
German strategy and, 13, 16
Hanbauer, Lieutenant, crossing Meuse River near Wadelincourt, 163–68
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