Thursday 16 May 1940

Germans crossing the Meuse on 16 May 1940 (Schmidt, Federal Archive).

Western Front: The Allied line is in disarray on 16 May 1940 in both France and Belgium. Paris is still safe - for the moment - but the Belgian government packs up and moves to Ostend.

Following a disastrous meeting with British Prime Minister Churchill (see below), French Prime Minister Paul Reynaud replaces General Gamelin with General Weygand - who is unfamiliar with the condition of the campaign and must fly up from Syria.

The Wehrmacht is moving with lightning speed. The Blitzkrieg is at its height, with the Luftwaffe blazing a trail for fast mobile forces. The speed of the panzers is preventing a coherent Allies response. Nobody really knows where the front is from hour to hour, and this prevents effective counter-measures. French attempts to counter-attack are hampered by refugees clogging the roads, an inability to know precisely where the Germans are, and roads littered with the destruction already caused by the German panzers, artillery, and Luftwaffe.

In France, "Fast Heinz" Guderian is now 60 miles west of Sedan, at Montcornet and around St. Quentin. General Hoth has his XV Panzer Corps, led by Erwin Rommel's 7th Panzer Division, a little further north in the Avesnes-sur-Helpe/Cambrai vicinity. As part of his move forward, Rommel's panzers serendipitously cut through the French 5th Motorised Infantry Division which is conveniently bivouacked on both sides of the very road that Rommel is using. Rommel destroys the French unit, leaving it with just 3 tanks as it retreats in disarray.

Raadhuisstraat, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 16 May 1940. The Wehrmacht arrives in strength. “Thousands of citizens of Amsterdam lined the roads to watch the impressive panzer vehicles, motorcycle brigades, army vehicles and so forth, that filed past in perfectly disciplined columns.”

On Army Group A's left flank, the battle on the Stonne Plateau continues. The village of Stonne changes hands repeatedly, but the French counterattack makes no lasting gains. To the Wehrmacht, this battle is meaningless, but it protects the flank of the panzer forces moving quickly westward. The further they go, however, the more vulnerable their flanks become to other attacks - if the French can find the troops to mount them. The Battle of Stonne Plateau also reveals that the French tanks are quite capable and a match for the best German tanks, the Panzer IV medium tanks. A French Char B1 Bis tank destroys 2 Panzer IVs and 11 Panzer IIs while shrugging off dozens of standard German anti-tank hits.
The strategic implication of the Rommel/Guderian advance is that the Wehrmacht could separate the BEF and some French forces from the heart of France. By advancing independently on parallel lines, they provide each other with flank protection. This part of the campaign is known as "The Dash to the Channel." The dash is to Abbeville, which effectively would seal off Allied forces farther north.

The Germans are also waging a campaign against the Maginot Line. Around mid-day, the artillery of the 71st Infantry Division begins shelling the town of Villy and a fortress of the Line that overlooks it called La Ferté.

In Belgium, the Allies retreat from the Dyle Line to a new line on the Scheldt River, which was their jumping-off point before springing forward to the Dyle Line. This effectively abandons Belgium to the Wehrmacht.
The German 6th Army under Reinhardt disperses the Belgian K-W Line.

At Gembloux, the day's battle ends in a tactical stalemate, but a strategic victory for the Germans. The French line is never pierced and they batter the attacking Germans, but the deteriorating situation west of Sedan imperils the Allied lines of communication. At dusk, the French are ordered back to the French border to protect their own flanks. The failure to finish off the French today, though, has huge negative consequences in the coming weeks for the Germans.

Map noting German advances in France and the Low Countries between 10 and 16 May 1940. (US Military Academy).

Battle of the Atlantic: The French send their destroyers Fougueux, Frondeur, Cyclone, and Siroco to bombard the Germans in the vicinity of Walcheren and South Beveland.

The Royal Navy sends the carrier Furious to Norway to ferry Gladiator and Hurricane fighters.

German raider Widder meets supply ship Nordmark to refuel.

Troop convoy US 2 from Australia brings the 17th Infantry Brigade to Egypt.

Convoy OA 149 departs from Southend, Convoy OB 149 departs from Liverpool, Convoy OG 30F forms at Gibraltar, and Convoy HX 43 departs from Halifax.

European Air Operations: France sends 26 of its brand new LeO 451 second-generation bombers against the panzers refueling at Montcornet. They lose four of their number.

The RAF moves its bases from near the Meuse closer to Paris, near Troyes at Anglure.

P/O Kenneth NT "Hawkeye" Lee was rushed with No 501 Squadron RAF to Bétheniville on 10 May 1940 and accounted for 3 enemy aircraft in the next 3 days. Forced to retreat to Anglure on 16 May and to Le Mans on 2 June, the 24-year-old pilot destroyed two more. On exhausting his ammunition while attacking a Heinkel He 111 on 10 June, he turned away when his Hurricane Mk I blew up and bailed out, hitting the tailplane. Injured in the hand and leg, he was evacuated to Britain 10 days later from Saint-Malo.

Narvik: The Luftwaffe continues its gradual reinforcement of General Dietl's troops at Narvik, dropping another 76 paratroopers (Fallschirmjaeger) of the 1st Fallschirmjaeger Regiment.

Anglo/French Relations: Winston Churchill flies to Paris to consult with Prime Minister Paul Reynaud, Defense Minister Daladier and General Gamelin. In his memoirs, Churchill recalls that he asked Gamelin at this meeting, first in English and then in French, “Where is the strategic reserve?” (“Où est la masse de manoeuvre?”). Gamelin simply replied, “Aucune!” ("There is none"). This led Reynaud to replace Gamelin with Weygand.

Churchill also notes: "In the garden of the Quai d'Orsay I see venerable officials burning secret documents. Already evacuation of Paris is being prepared." It is a common scene in European capitals recently.

Anglo/American Relations: President Roosevelt responds to Prime Minister Churchill's shopping list of 14 May. He notes that he will require "specific authorization of the Congress" for some of the requests and that he will keep the US fleet at Hawaii "at least for the time being."

US Government: President Roosevelt addresses a joint session of Congress. He establishes a target of 50,000 military aircraft a year. This appears from all experience to be an unreachable goal. He requests a total of $900,000,000 appropriation to fund this project. His individual requests include $546 million for the Army, $250 million for the Navy/Marine Corps, and $100 million for the Executive branch to handle contingencies. These are all unheard-of amounts of money.

Ireland: The Irish government, which has been maintaining strict neutrality, requests arms from the British government to equip the Irish Army.

Holocaust: In Occupied (rump) Poland, Gauleiter Hans Frank orders arrest and execution of Polish political, professional and religious leaders.

China: At the Battle of Tsaoyang-Ichang, the commander of the Chinese 33rd Army Group of the Chinese 5th War Area, General Chang Tze-Chung, is killed in action as his troops recapture Tsaoyang.

Germans crossing the Meuse, 16 May 1940 (Ang, Federal Archive).

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2020

Monday 13 May 1940

The SS crosses the Meuse near Mook on 13 May 1940.

Western Front: It is a good day for German Generals who lead from the front.

On the morning of 13 May 1940, General Erwin Rommel's 7th "Ghost" Panzer Division is the first Wehrmacht unit across the Meuse near Dinant. He personally finds a weir and lock gate across the river that his troops can use to establish a bridgehead, and sends over motorcycle troops. His troops spend the rest of the day slowly expanding the bridgehead against scattered French opposition. Taking the broadest view, Rommel's troops threaten to separate the BEF from France if they eventually reach the coast at Abbeville.

The other German formations further south are also across during the day. Generals Guderian and Reinhardt make crossings at Sedan and Monthermé, respectively. Guderian's crossing by XIX Corps includes portions of 1st Panzer Division, 2nd Panzer Division, 10th Panzer Division, and (SS) Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland. This part of Panzer Group Kleist's breakout threatens a penetration into good tank country in the French heartland and is a serious breach of the Allied line. Guderian's men take a more traditional approach than Rommel's, with their initial crossing in rubber boats. There are still some French holdouts in Sedan, but many are beginning to surrender as the Luftwaffe launches mass raids at them (1000 bombers, including Stukas, engage in hours of bombing). Guderian is the first General firmly on French territory, and he gains the nickname "Fast Heinz."

This is true Blitzkrieg stuff, with the Stukas blasting holes through the French lines for the German troops to capitalize on. All of the German bridgeheads quickly put up pontoon bridges by evening. Tanks are able to cross and help expand the slender German footholds. French General Huntzinger has brave words about the penetrations: "That will just mean we take more prisoners."

However, the nearby French troops are not nearly as sanguine. The French troops begin to panic - in fact, the situation is known as the "Panic of Bulson" due to French troops fleeing a portion of the line on Bulson ridge 10 km (6.2 miles) behind the river. Any French chance to pierce the German bridgehead or even contain it is lost within the opening hours due to this panic and slow reflexes by the Supreme Allied Headquarters.

Northeast of Namur, Belgium, the French 2nd and 3rd Light Mechanized Divisions fight the 3rd and 4th Panzer Divisions of the German XVI Corps of the 6th Army. There is fierce fighting with many destroyed tanks throughout the day. The French tanks line up in a long line to cover the Gembloux gap, a strategy that fails. The Germans prevail through sheer numbers. While many German tanks are disabled, the Wehrmacht retains possession of the battlefield and many of them can be repaired; the French, however, incur staggering tank losses (roughly 105 tanks lost), with all complete write-offs. The French retreat to a defensive position at Gembloux.

The Germans take Liege.

German ground troops link with the paratroopers holding the bridges at Moerdijk, a rare success for the airborne troops. The 9th Panzer Division of 18th Army breaks into "Fortress Holland" and is approaching Rotterdam from the south. The 22nd Flieger Division holds key bridges in the city. The Germans are approaching the Nieuwe Maas River.

At the Afsluitdijk in the far north, German troops advance after 62 Luftwaffe planes bomb Fort Kornwerderzand, losing four of their number. The assault fails completely, with heavy German casualties.

At Grebbeberg, the Germans shift their axis of attack to the north of the main hill. The Dutch are hampered by the withdrawal of support aircraft to fight the German penetrations across the Meuse to the south. Attacking first, the Dutch make some gains, but the Germans begin their own preparatory bombardment for an attack, and this, combined with rampant confusion and much friendly fire, destroys the Dutch attack. The Germans seize upon the confusion, mount attacks all along the line, and in the end, the entire Dutch line falls. In the process, Obersturmbannführer (Lieutenant Colonel) Hilmar Wäckerle and his battalion of the SS brigade, who had impetuously advanced through the Dutch lines on the 12th and then been surrounded in a factory, are relieved.

The Allies, ensconced on the Dyle Line, have taken some prisoners. Some 900 German POWs are transported to Britain aboard Dutch ship Phrontis.

The BEF receives reinforcements, as the British 2nd Battalion of Irish Guards Regiment arrives at Hook of Holland.

Rommel's troops cross the Meuse. That building in the background is still there. You can recognize that it is near Dinant by the steep bluffs.

European Air Operations: New French fighters appear over the front. Dewoitine D-520 fighters, which match any other fighters in the world, engage Bf 109s over the Meuse front and have a great debut, destroying four Luftwaffe planes without loss to themselves.

RAF bomber command switches to tactical missions, attacking bridges and roads around the German breakouts near Maastricht and Eindhoven.

Battle of the Atlantic: German raider Widder continues its journey along the Norwegian coast. British submarine HMS Clyde spots Widder but is unable to damage it.

Dutch submarines HNLMS O-23 (P-23) ( Lt. Commander Gerard Koudijs) and HNLMS O-24 (P-24) (Lt. Commander Gerardus B. M. van Erkel) are commissioned.

Norway: It is twilight throughout the night in Narvik. The Allies advance on Narvik from Harstad. Norwegian 6th Infantry Brigade leads the assault on Narvik. The Wehrmacht troops in Narvik are heavily outnumbered, one regiment facing several divisions, but are well-led and have advantages of terrain.

British cruisers HMS Aurora and HMS Effingham bombard Bjerkvik early in the morning. At 01:00, the French land the Foreign Legion and light tanks at Bjerkvik and Øyjord (13th Demi-Brigade Legion Etranger). This position can be used for landings across the Rombaksfjord, and also offers the chance to cut the main Narvik rail line to Sweden. The French take 36 casualties, and the local citizens also suffer.

British No. 2 Independent Company arrives in Bodo.

British Government: While introducing his new war cabinet in a radio broadcast, Winston Churchill fires off one of his best lines: "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat." The aim is:

Victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be, for without victory, there is no survival.

His new Minister of Labour and National Service is Ernest Bevin, appropriately a Labour politician in Churchill's coalition government.

War Crimes: The Battle of Grebbeberg is fiercely fought, and there have been potential war crimes on both sides. Obersturmbannführer Wäckerle, in a desperate situation (he could not foresee the fall of the Dutch defenses so quickly), uses Dutch prisoners as human shields to break out. He also orders his men to don Dutch uniforms - though they forget to put on Dutch boots, which gives them away. The real Dutch units recognize the deception and fire on the escaping SS men, whose breakout fails. Wäckerle himself is badly wounded and evacuated once his troops are rescued.

Holland: Several members of the royal family, including Queen Wilhelmina (aboard HMS Hereward), and part of the Dutch government (HMS Windsor) arrive in London.

Canada: Robert Manion, whose leadership of the Conservative Party has been disastrous and who even was defeated in his own seat, formally resigns as leader of the party.

British Homefront: The British government interns all Germans and Austrians in England as possible saboteurs.

China: US gunboat USS Tutuila (PR 4), stranded on a reef in the Yangtze River near Chungking, escapes from its predicament.

May 1940

May 1, 1940: British Leave Åndalsnes
May 2, 1940: British Depart Namsos
May 3, 1940: Many Norwegians Surrendering
May 4, 1940: Bader Returns
May 5, 1940: HMS Seal Survives
May 6, 1940: Allies Focus on Narvik
May 7, 1940: In The Name of God, Go!
May 8, 1940: Exit Chamberlain
May 9, 1940: Enter Churchill
May 10, 1940: Fall Gelb
May 11, 1940: Eben Emael Surrenders
May 12, 1940: Germans at Sedan
May 13, 1940: Rommel at Work
May 14, 1940: German Breakout in France
May 15, 1940: Holland Surrenders
May 16, 1940: Dash to the Channel
May 17, 1940: Germans Take Brussels
May 18, 1940: Germans Take Antwerp
May 19, 1940: Failed French Counterattack
May 20, 1940: Panzers on the Coast
May 21, 1940: Battle of Arras
May 22, 1940: Attacking Channel Ports
May 23, 1940: British Evacuate Boulogne
May 24, 1940: Hitler's Stop Order
May 25, 1940: Belgian Defenses Creaking
May 26, 1940: Operation Dynamo
May 27, 1940: King Leopold Surrenders 
May 28, 1940: The Allies Take Narvik
May 29, 1940: Lille Falls
May 30, 1940: Operation Fish
May 31, 1940: Peak Day for Dynamo

2019