Alexandra
Posts: 546
Joined: 12/7/2000 From: USA Status: offline
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Yep.
Most historians are so busy looking at Guderian -at Sedean and Rommel in the dash for the coast (ignoring the fact that they were up against conscript divisions with no armor, for the most part), that they forget that the elite French forces were fighting in Belguim. The Belgians fought well, too, especially thier Cav - the Chassures Ardennes.
It was a corps sized fight, that lasted from the night of May 12, until May 15th. It was mostly a French delaying action, pitting General Prioux's Cavalry corps - with infantry from the French First Army, and Belgian support against General Heopner's corps of the German 6th Army.
The Allies had no air power - the French and British AFs *refused* to fly ground support, but they had a lot of arty. The Germans; had mostly Mk Is and IIs, and lost a lot of panzer's - and more importanty - panzermen.
In one fight, during the battle, near Breda, the German 9th Panzer Division fought against the spearhead of General Giraud's 7th French Army - which was coming up as reinforcements - and killed 5 French tanks while losing 100 of it's 150.
Alex
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