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Frankforce and the Defence of Arras 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2017-10-30

Total Pages: 318

ISBN-13: 1473852706

There is no other city in France that has the same associations in time of conflict that the British have with Arras. Since the campaigns of John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in the early 18th century, British soldiers have fought in and around Arras, occasionally as an enemy but, more often, as defenders of French and Allied democracy. Battlefield visitors to the area will immediately recognize the names of towns and villages that were as significant to the men of Marlboroughs army as they were to those who fought in the First and Second World Wars.This book serves both as guide to the Second World War battlefields that surround the city and its environs as well as detailing the actions of the British armored attack of 21 May 1940. The book looks at the strategic situation that led up to the famous Arras counterstroke and, using material that has not been published before, examines the British and German actions between 20 and 23 May. The only Victoria Cross action that took place during this time is looked at in detail; as is the fighting that took place in Arras and during the breakout.Despite its shortcomings, the counterstroke achieved the essential element of surprise and caused widespread alarm amongst the German command and hit Rommels 7th Panzer Division at precisely the moment when his armored units were ahead of the infantry and gunners. The British infantry fought well and both the Durham battalions were fortunate that their commanding officers and senior NCOs were men who had already fought in one conflict and possessed the determination to rally their less experienced junior ranks and fight on regardless. Such was the case with the two tank battalions, although sadly they lost both their commanding officers and over half the tanks that went into the engagement. The attack did enable the British to tighten their hold on Arras albeit temporarily and, as is often cited, built doubts in the minds of German High Command as to the speed of their advance and contributed to the subsequent Hitler halt order of 24-27 May.The author has gone to some lengths to track down accounts from those individuals who served in the area during May 1940 and fought the enveloping tide of the German advanceThe book is supported by three car tours, one of which takes the visitor along the tragic path taken by the Tyneside Scottish on 20 May and two walking routes, which concentrate on Arras.137 black and white photographs (integrated) and a number of maps derived from regimental histories; and six tour maps provide the battlefield visitor with illustrations of the battlefields as they were in 1940 and as they are today.

Arras Counter-Attack, 1940

Author: Tim Saunders

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Published: 2018-12-31

Total Pages: 301

ISBN-13: 1473889146

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On 21 May 1940 during the ill-fated Dunkirk Campaign the British launched an operation spearheaded by two tank regiments to help secure the city of Arras. This was the only significant armored operation mounted by the British during the campaign.Poorly coordinated and starting badly, the Matilda tanks ran into the flanks of Rommels over-extended 7th Panzer Division. With the German antitank guns, unable to penetrate the armor of the British tanks, Rommels infantry fell into chaos as the Matildas plunged deep into their flank. The Germans were machine-gunned and started to surrender in large numbers but with the British infantry lagging well behind, fighting their own battles in the villages, there was no one to round them up.Into this scene of chaos entered Rommel whose personal leadership and example started to steady his troops and organize an effective response, despite being spattered with the brains of his aide de camp. This was classic Rommel but in the aftermath, he claimed to have been attacked by five divisions.The Arras counterattack contributed to Hitler issuing the famous halt order to his Panzers that arguably did much to allow the British Army to withdraw to Dunkirk and escape total destruction.

The Defence of St Valery-en-Caux 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword Military

Published: 2024-06-30

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1473852307

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Supported by eleven maps and over 150 photographs, this is the story of Scottish Troops fighting for survival in Normandy. The story of the 51st (Highland) Division during 1939 and 1940 is a short and largely tragic one and although it firmly burnt itself into the minds of Scotsmen it has never been granted the recognition it deserves. Even in Scotland it is often forgotten that the men, and attached troops, of the 51st Division, were fighting for survival in Normandy for some ten days after the evacuation from Dunkerque had been completed. Most present-day accounts of the Second World War in 1939/40 deal with the ‘Phoney War’ and the evacuation from Dunkerque but few mention the rearguard action at St Valery-en-Caux, other than a giving it a passing mention. Nevertheless, the action of the 51st Division against the might of German forces won the admiration of General Erwin Rommel and Charles De Gaulle, who fought against and alongside them. One of the enduring beliefs is that Churchill deliberately sacrificed the 51st Division in an attempt to keep France in the war; this, apart from being palpably incorrect, fails miserably to address the intricacy of the circumstances that overtook the 51st Division after they returned from the Saar. In a situation where units were repeatedly changing affiliation, communication between the French Supreme Command and British forces suffered language difficulties and the inclination to blame each other for the debacle that inevitably ensued. Nevertheless, for all the criticism that is thrown at the French Army, it is clear that a number of French units fought hard and with great courage, the main fault with the French command lying with poor leadership and lack of tactical planning. As far as the Highlanders were concerned it was bad luck that their term of duty on the Saar coincided with the beginning of Fall Rot. The speed and extent of the German advance from Abbeville took their own High Command and the French by surprise and it was with little wonder that Allied military thinking failed to keep up with actions on the battlefield. The theory that Churchill sacrificed the division to keep the French in the war owes a great deal to the Scottish need to attribute all the misery of the world to one scoundrel, a trait that exists to this day! Supported by eleven maps and over 150 photographs, the book traces the history of the 51st Division from its inception until its final surrender at St Valery-en-Caux and deals with the fighting on the Saar and the often ragged skirmishing though Normandy. The book also touches on the actions of the 1st armored Division and the Battle of Abbeville. There are three walks and a car tour included in this volume which allows the battlefield visitor to base themselves firstly in Abbeville and, secondly, further into Normandy.

The Dunkirk Perimeter and Evacuation 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2019-05-30

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1473852242

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The history of a disastrous WWII setback, including numerous photos, maps, and information for visitors. This book tells the story of the fierce fighting around the Dunkirk Perimeter during May and June 1940 between the retreating British Expeditionary Force and its French allies and the advancing German army. This grievous military setback was soon transformed into a morale-boosting symbol of the resilience of the British against a Germany that had crushed so many nations in a matter of weeks. With over 200 black and white photographs and fourteen maps, this book looks at the units deployed around Dunkirk and Nieuport and their often desperate actions to prevent the inevitable advance of German forces opposing them. The evacuation of the BEF from the beaches east of Dunkirk is covered in detail from the perspective of the Royal Navy and from the standpoint of the soldier on the beaches. Also included are details for travelers to the sites involved. In addition to visits to the relevant cemeteries, the book includes three appendices and two car tours, one tour covering the whole of the Dunkirk perimeter and the other covering Ramsgate and Dover, although there is plenty of scope for walking in both tours. There is also a walk around De Panne, which takes the tourist along the beach that saw so much of the evacuation, and into the back areas of the town where the Germans left their mark when clearing up after the British had gone.

Tank Warfare

Author: Jeremy Black

Publisher: Indiana University Press

Published: 2020-10-27

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 0253052718

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“An “insightful and informative” overview of the role of tanks in combat from the First World War to the present day (Dennis Showalter, author of Armor and Blood). The story of the battlefield in the twentieth century was dominated by a handful of developments. Foremost of these was the introduction and refinement of tanks. In Tank Warfare, Jeremy Black, a recipient of the Samuel Eliot Morison Prize from the Society for Military History, offers a comprehensive global account of the history of tanks and armored warfare in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. First introduced onto the battlefield during World War I, tanks represented the reconciliation of firepower and mobility and immediately seized the imagination of commanders and commentators concerned about the constraints of ordinary infantry. The developments of technology and tactics in the interwar years were realized in the German blitzkrieg in World War II and beyond. Yet the account of armor on the battlefield is a tale of limitations and defeats as well as of potential and achievements. Tank Warfare examines the traditional narrative of armored warfare while at the same time challenging it, and Black suggests that tanks were no “silver bullet” on the battlefield. Instead, their success was based on their inclusion in the general mix of weaponry available to commanders and the context in which they were used. “An excellent overview of the subject.” —Alaric Searle, author of Armoured Warfare: A Military, Political and Global History

The War in France and Flanders

Author: Lionel Frederic Ellis

Publisher:

Published: 1953

Total Pages: 514

ISBN-13:

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Søgeord: British Expeditionary Force, i Frankrig, 1940;Escaut; Arras, 1940; Kanalhavnene, 1940; English Channel, 1940; Calais, 1940; Evakueringen fra Dunkirk;Bethune, 1940; Ypres, 1940; Belgisk Overgiovelse, maj 1940; Saar, 1940; Somme, 1940; Bresle; St. Valery; Boulogne; Canal Line; Amiens; Le Havre; Maaastricht, 1940; Dyle Line; Yser, 1940;General Georges;Barratt, A.S.;General Weygand;Ramsey, B.H.;Blanchard;Chateau Castreau-Konferencen;Dill, J.; Ironside, E.;Hazebrouck; Rouen; Reynaud, Paul;Abbeville; Meuse; British Tanks; War Office;

The Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal 1940

Author: Jerry Murland

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2020-02-19

Total Pages: 227

ISBN-13: 1473852587

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This WWII history and battlefield guide explores the significant yet lesser-known WWII combat along the Ypres-Comines Canal during the Battle of France. Known in some accounts as the Battle of Wijtschaete, the confrontation along the Ypres-Comines Canal in 1940 is too often overlooked despite its significance. The sacrifice of the battalions on the canal was vital to the all-important retreat to Dunkirk. The four-day conflict likely saved the British Expeditionary Force from almost complete destruction. Although there was fighting north of Ypres along the Canal Van Ieper Naar De Ijzer, the actual Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal took place to the south. Three British brigades were pitted against three German divisions along the disused canal which runs from Comines in the south to Ypres in the north. Military historian Jerry Murland covers the order of battle of the British and German units engaged in the fighting. With more than 150 historic and modern photographs, ten maps, visits to eight CWGC Cemeteries, plus three car tours and two walking itineraries, this volume is an essential companion for exploring the area. Visitors will no doubt wish to combine a visit to the First World War sites around Ypres with the fighting along the canal in 1940, recognizing many places that were fought over in both wars.

Bolt Action: Germany Strikes!

Author: Warlord Games

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2015-07-20

Total Pages: 105

ISBN-13: 1472813626

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In 1939, Germany shattered the peace of Europe with a lightning-fast strike against Poland. The next year, it captured Denmark and Norway, before launching its famous Blitzkrieg against France, Belgium and The Netherlands. In less than two years of fighting, Nazi Germany became the master of mainland Europe. This new Theatre Book for Bolt Action allows players to command armies of German tanks driving across the continent or to lead the desperate defense of the outgunned Allied armies. New scenarios, special rules and units give players everything they need to recreate the devastating battles and campaigns of the early war in Europe, including the fall of Poland, the breaking of the Maginot Line and the dramatic retreat to Dunkirk.

The Battle of Flanders, 1940

Author: Ian Hay

Publisher:

Published: 1941

Total Pages: 72

ISBN-13:

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The BEF in France 1939-1940

Author: John Grehan

Publisher: Pen and Sword

Published: 2014-07-09

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1783462116

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The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) was the British force in Europe from 1939_1940 during the Second World War. Commanded by General Lord Gort, the BEF constituted one-tenth of the defending Allied force.??The British Expeditionary Force was started in 1938 in readiness for a perceived threat of war after Germany annexed Austria in March 1938 and the claims on the Sudetenland, which led to the invasion of Czechoslovakia in March 1939. After the French and British had promised to defend Poland, the German invasion of that country began and war was declared on 3 September 1939.??The BEF was sent to France in September 1939 and deployed mainly along the BelgianFrench border during the so-called Phoney War leading up to May 1940. The BEF did not commence hostilities until the invasion of France on 10 May 1940. After the commencement of battle, they were driven back through Belgium and north-western France, forcing their eventual evacuation from several ports along the French northern coastline in Operations Dynamo, Ariel and Cycle. The most notable evacuation was from the Dunkirk region and from this the phrase Dunkirk Spirit was coined.