Battle of Hannut

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Battle of Hannut
Part of The Second World War
Date 12 May 1940–14 May 1940
Location Hannut, Belgium
Result German tactical victory
Belligerents
France
Belgium
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands		 Germany
Commanders
General Gabriel Bougrain
General Langlois		 General Hans-Jürgen Stumpff (3rd Panzer Division)
Generalleutnant Johann Joachim Stever (4th Panzer Division)
Strength
2d DLM: 400 officers, 10,000 men, 300 Tanks
3d DLM: some 400 officers,10,000 men, 300 Tanks[1]		 3rd Panzer Division: 400 officers, 13,187 men, 343 Tanks, 48 Artillery Guns,
4th Panzer Division: 335 officers, 12,005 men, 331 Tanks, 60 Artillery Guns[2]
Casualties and losses
121 Tanks[3], personnel: unknown 49 Tanks totally destroyed (111 Tanks were damaged but were recovered and repaired), personnel: approx. 60 Killed, 80 wounded[4]
v • d • e
Western Front (World War II)

The Battle of Hannut was a World War Two battle fought during the French Campaign and took place on 12 May - 14 May 1940 at Hannut in Belgium. It was considered to be the largest tank battle at the time, only to be surpassed by the countless other engagements during the North African Campaign and on the German-Soviet front. The Germans succeeded in tying down substantial Allied forces that were removed from the path of the decisive blow through the Ardennes. However the Germans failed in neutralising the French First Army, which was then able to delay the Wehrmacht and enable the British Expeditionary Force to escape from Dunkirk.

Contents

[edit] Background

The Allied supreme Commander General Maurice Gamelin committed his First Army Group, under General Gaston Billotte, and it’s strongest Army, the French First Army with fully mechanized Cavalry Corps, to advance into Belgium to support the large but lightly equipped Belgian Army. Gamelin expected the German attack to break the Belgian defence quickly, and sought to establish a front centred on Gembloux to check what Gamelin foresaw as the main enemy effort. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg had remained neutral until the German invasion of those countries (Fall Gelb). The German plan for this sector called for an attack by airborne and shock troops to open the way through the Dutch and Belgian defences for the 4th Panzer Division. Once this breach was made, General Erich Hoepners XVI Army Corps, and Army Group B would assume control of the 4th Panzer Division. With 3d Panzer and 20th Motorized Infantry Divisions. Hoepner's mission was to seize the area of the intended Allied front around Gembloux and draw the modern Allied forces, like the French First Army, away from the main thrust through the Ardennes gap, which would enable the Wehrmacht to encircle them in a giant Pincer movement.

[edit] The Battle

[edit] 12 May

On 12 May From the 4th Panzer raced to seize their first objective, Hannut, reaching the area that morning. General Hoepner, commander of the German Sixth Army ordered the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions (3PD and 4PD) to concentrate on and secure Hannut to secure the Sixth Army's flank. Noting his lack of fuel and his divisions artillery and infantry support that had not yet caught up with the Panzers, which made an immediate assault on Hannut risky, General Stever request an air-drop of fuel. That morning the 4PD made contact with a French Armoured force of some 25 tanks. The 4PD knocked out seven of the French tanks for no losses while the Divisions 35 Panzer Regiment advancing toward Hannut ran into fierce resistance. The French armour was deployed under cover and during the battle counter-attacked several times. The engagement ended with the French retreating. The 4PD destroyed nine enemy tanks for the loss of five. The 4PD continued toward Crehen and encircled the French 2d Cuirassiers. However 2d DLMs Somua S-35s breached the German line and the French units broke out, suffering heavy losses in the process. The right flank of the 4PD was now dangerously exposed.

The 3PD moved up to cover this threat. At 4:30 pm The Sixth Army requested air reconnaissance. The Luftwaffe reported French armour at Orp and motorised units at Gembloux. Hoepner ordered the 3PD to attack to prevent the Allies organising an effective defence. Coming under intense artillery fire from French strong points at Wansin and Thisnes the German force fell back. The French again counter-attacked and both forces armour engaged in a fire-fight. The result was a stalemate, and both retreated to their starting points.

At 8:00pm Stever spoke to Hoepner, telling him he was certain two French mechanized divisions were before him, one to his front and one behind the Mehaigne river. Both agreed to mount a major offensive the next day. According to the plan the 4PD would concentrate to Gembloux's right and operate jointly with the 3d Panzer.

The Germans again attacked during the night, testing the French defences. The French strongpoint at Wansin fought all night against German riflemen, finally withdrawing in the early hours of 13 May. The 3d DLMs front remained, with positions near Tirlemont, Jandrenouille and Merdorp. The 2d DLM held its original front. The only breach occurred at Winson, the 2d DLMs junction with 3d DLM. Hoepner had failed to take his objective.

[edit] 13 May

To the south-east of the plain, German forces began their assault over the Meuse River: the Wehrmacht's principal effort. To the north, General Hoepner launched spoiling attacks and tied down the powerful French First Army, so that it could not intervene.

Hoepner believed the newly arrived 3PD had only weak enemy forces before it; the 4PDs on the other hand, he believed, faced strong French mechanized forces at Hannut and Thisnes-which the French had in fact already abandoned-and possibly a second French mechanized division south of the Mehaigne.

The Luftwaffe struck in the late morning to soften the enemy defences. The 3PD advanced on Thorembais. The 4th Panzer was to move in parallel on Perwez, against an expected strong Belgian anti-tank line. XVI Army Corps thus fell back on the Sixth Army's instruction to push immediately on Gembloux.

The French the 12th Cuirassiers and to the south the 3d Battalion of the 11th Dragoons, fought off waves of German infantry supported by armoured vehicles. The German 18th Infantry Division infiltrated their positions. French command planned to counter-attack with tanks from the 1st Cuirassiers unit to restore their lines, but dropped those plans due to developments on the rest of the 3d DLM's front. In the afternoon the French command ordered a retreat, and the Allied force escaped as the German infantry was being slow in following up their success. The 2d DLM was positioned just south of the planned axis of Hoepner's attack. In the early morning the 2d DLM sent some 30 Somua S-35s from the Mehaigne to the line Merdorp-Crehen to relieve the pressure on the 3d DLM. The attack was repulsed by heavy enemy tank and antitank fire near Crehen with crippling losses. General Bougrain, commanding the 2d DLM, signalled enemy infiltrations and attacks by armoured cars over the Mehaigne river at Moha and Wanze, just north of Huy, attacks which threatened to cut off the large Belgian garrison in Huy. Bougrain diverted his tank reserves to try and retrieve the situation. At 3pm a French reconnaissance aircraft reported large concentrations of German armour south-east of Crehen. The 2d DLM no longer had reserves available to intervene.

Bougrain's Dragoons and motorized infantry were strung out in a series isolated strongpoints and vulnerable to infiltration. Bougrain refused the offer of the Belgian III Corps, retreating through his front from the Liege area, to reinforce his troops on the Mehaigne river.

The German command remained concerned of the apparent potential of the 2d DLM to interfere with its main attack. It gathered elements of the 35th, 61st, and 269th Infantry Divisions and four other units equipped with armoured vehicles. These forces infiltrated French strong points north of Huy and drew the attention of Bougrain's armour allowing Hoepner to concentrate against Prioux's front west of Hannut.

The German forces attacked; the 3PD on the north facing Marilles and Orp, the 4PD facing Thisnes and Merdorp. After heavy fighting the German Divisions forced elements across the Mehaigne. Near Orp, large concentrations of Allied and German armour clashed. The Panzers were concentrated and numerically superior while the French operated in small groups. The 3PD was flanked and attacked in the rear but this was repulsed by elements of its 3rd Panzer Brigade. At 4pm German infantry had secured Orp.

As French morale started to waver, the 3d DLM noted about one hundred Panzers before Orp and Marille. Colonel Dodart des Loges, commanding the northern sector of the 3d DLM front, ordered a retreat, As the remaining dragoons withdrew, their Hotchkiss H35 tanks together with two Hotchkiss squadrons from the 1st Cuirassiers counterattacked. The French pushed the German armour back to the stream. Losses were about even, the French claiming six Panzers for the loss of four[5]. Colonel de Vernejoul commanding the 1st Cuirassiers dispatched 36 Somua S-35s to halt German armour advancing fro Orp to Jandrain. German armoured forces then surprised the French as they attacked. An equal number of Panzers attacked from cover defeating the French attack.

This offensive was the principle effort of the 3d DLM to check the 3PD. The 2d DLM launched raids against the still vulnerable flanks of the 4PD, and some small groups of French tanks broke through but were quickly dealt with by the 654th Anti-tank battalion. Apart from these isolated and sporadic raids the 2d DLM did not make any further attempts to attack the 4PDs flank.

In the afternoon the 4PD began an assault on Medorp. As the French artillery opened fire and German artillery responded, the French pushed armour into the abandoned town and skillfully changed position making the Panzers struggle to strike their targets. The German tanks decided to bypass the town around its left flank, but this exposed the German infantry who were forced to give ground against encroaching French armour. The Panzers quickly did a u-turn and engaged the French in the open. Initially the French held the advantage due to their superior armour and firepower, but German tactics of schwerpunkt, concentrating their armour on the vital point, began to tell. Small groups of French infantry infiltrated and attacked from the rear but German infantry crushed any resistance.

At this point the 3PD and 4PD were advancing to Jandrain. Outside the town a bitter tank battle took place. The Panzers prevailed through numbers and reported 22 French Somua S-35s totally destroyed. The German forces secured the area and town. German forces reported taking 400 prisoners, and capturing four and five tanks[6]. The French forces, the 2d and 3d DLM began a general retreat westward. The Panzer Divisions, no longer fearing an attack to their flanks, advanced and engaged the remnants of the enemy in the evening. The 3d Panzer Brigade claimed a tally for the day of 54 French tanks knocked out, 36 by the 5th Panzer Regiment, 18 by its sister unit; 3rd Panzer Regiment. Its own losses were listed as "slight". The 6th Panzer regiment reported a provisional loss total of only two tanks[7]. The Germans suffered many more tanks disabled, but as the battlefield was secured a great many were repaired. The remainder of the 3d DLM was in line behind the Belgian antitank obstacle on the front Beauvechain-La Bruyere-Pietrebais-Incourt-Perwez. The next morning the 2d DLM fell back into line south of Perwez.

[edit] 14 May

The German attack on Perwez came in the morning of the 14 May. General Stumpff's 3PD was to engage the new Allied line near Gembloux, whilst General Stever and the 4PD were to break through its centre at Perwez. The 4PD engaged French Armour, which resisted heavily in wooded areas around Perwez. After hard fighting the French defences were destroyed with the help of German infantry. The 3PD was halted due to fierce resistance from 2 DLM. Bitter fighting resulted and the appearance of large numbers of French tanks panicked the German Command into thinking a major counter-attack was developing, when in fact they were just rearguard actions. Both sides suffered significant losses in armour, but as night fell the 2d DLM halted rearguard actions. The German Command regained its composure. The Allied forces had gained themselves time to reorganise their forces in response to another major German assault on 15 May.

[edit] Aftermath

The German plan failed to forestall the French First Army at Gembloux, despite their victory over the 3d DLM. Still, Hoepner's advance to the Belgian plain tied down the Cavalry Corps and part of the French First Army while the decisive German assault succeeded across the Meuse to the south-east. The Germans had hoped that Hoepner's panzers and their neighbouring corps would tie down and neutralize the threat of the First Army. However on 15 May, forces of the First Army, properly settled into position, checked the Panzerwaffe which gained them time and space to manoeuvre. In the end it was the First Army which, sacrificing itself, held up the bulk of those Panzers which had broken through to the Southeast, enabling the British Expeditionary Force and other French units to escape from Dunkirk.


[edit] References

  1. ^ Gunsburg 1992, p. 210.
  2. ^ Gunsburg 1992, p. 210.
  3. ^ Gunsburg 1992, p. 236.
  4. ^ Gunsburg 1992, p. 237.
  5. ^ Gunsberg 1992, p. 230.
  6. ^ Gunsberg 1992, p. 233.
  7. ^ Gunsberg 1992, p. 236.
  • Jeffrey A. Gunsburg, 'The Battle of the Belgian Plain, 12-14 May 1940: The First Great Tank Battle', The Journal of Military History, Vol. 56, No. 2. (Apr., 1992), pp. 207-244
  • Prigent, John. Panzerwaffe: The Campaigns in the West 1940, Vol. 1. London. Ian Allan Publishing. 2008 ISBN 978-071103-240-8
  • Taylor, A.J.P. and Mayer, S.L., eds. A History Of World War Two. London: Octopus Books, 1974. ISBN 0-70640-399-1.