FREE FALL GELB 1940 2: 2: AIRBORNE ASSAULT ON THE LOW COUNTRIES PDF

Doug Dildy | 96 pages | 20 Jan 2015 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781472802743 | English | Oxford, United Kingdom Fall Gelb (2): Airborne assault on the Low Countries by Douglas C. Dildy

Good introduction to a surprisingly little-written about campaign in English at least. Covers most of the areas of interest and is particularly good on the campaign in the Netherlands and the first mass use of the paratrooper arm. Fall Gelb 2 : Airborne assault on the Low Countries. Douglas C. The assault was audacious; it relied on speed, feinting and manoeuvre as much as superior force, and in the end these qualities were to prove decisive to German success. Featuring vivid illustrations, illuminative bird's eye views and maps, this book charts the unfolding of an unprecedented 'lightning war', which saw the first ever airborne assault at a strategic level, and the largest clash of armour to date. Never in the history of warfare had the clash between such large, powerful, and apparently equal forces been decided so swiftly and conclusively. Doug has authored several campaign studies as well as several articles covering the Dutch, Danish and Norwegian air arms' defence against the German invasions of for notable US aviation history magazines. He is a regular contributor to the amateur modelling magazine Small Air Forces Observer. Peter Dennis was born in Inspired by contemporary magazines such as Look and Learn he studied illustration at Liverpool Art College. Peter has since contributed to hundreds of books, predominantly on historical subjects, including many Osprey Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries. Fall Gelb (2) : Airborne assault on the Low Countries - -

After the Franco-British counter-attack at the Battle of Arras Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries 21 May, German units were held ready to resist a resumption of the attack on 22 May. An attack by part of XIX Corps was not ordered until p. The Guards had time to dig in around the port before the 2nd Panzer Divisionwhich Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries been delayed by French troops at Samerattacked the perimeter held by the Irish Guards at around p. The Welsh Guards front was attacked at p. At dawn on 23 May, the German attacks resumed, eventually pushing the defenders back into the town. Royal Navy ships shot their way into and out of the harbour; French and British destroyers bombarded German positions as wounded and non- combatants were embarked and a navy demolition party landed. During a lull in the afternoon of 23 May, the Luftwaffe bombed the harbour, despite being intercepted by RAF fighters. At p. The French defenders above the lower town could not be contacted and only in the morning of 24 May did General Lanquetot realise that the British had gone. The French and the remaining British troops held out until 25 May and then surrendered. Guderian wrote that the halt order and the retention of considerable forces to guard against Allied counter-attacks, forfeited an opportunity quickly to capture the Channel Ports and destroy the Allied forces in northern France and Belgium. An advance on Dunkirk began on 23 May but the next day was halted until 27 May; Dunkirk was not captured until 4 June, by when, most of the BEF and many French and Belgian troops had escaped. Boulogne is at the mouth of the fast-flowing River Lianewhich meanders through a valley. The rolling hills make for hidden approaches to the port and offer commanding high ground to an attacker, particularly the Mont St. Lambert ridge. Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries leave for BEF troops began in December, Boulogne came into use for communication and for troop movements. Within a few days, the Germans achieved a breakthrough against the centre of the French front near Sedan and drove westwards down the valley of the River Somme. As the BEF withdrew through Belgium into northern France, fewer supply troops were needed as the lines of communication shortened. The defence of Boulogne was the responsibility of the French Navy Marine Nationalewhich had a garrison of 1, men in the 19th- century forts of the port, commanded by Capitaine de Vaisseau Dutfoy de Mont de Benque. The Channel Ports became the only means of supply and if necessary, evacuation, for the Allies. Dutfoy ordered his men to disable the coastal artillery in the forts and to head for the harbour for evacuation; the orders were amplified by other officers. Dutfoy left for Dunkirk in the early hours and discipline broke down, a naval store was broken into and the looters drank the contents. Poher decamped at a. Some of Dutfoy's men contacted Vice-Admiral Marcel Leclercthe deputy commander of Dunkirk, who ordered the remaining guns to be preserved for the defence of the town. On a visit to Boulogne early on 22 May, Leclerc ordered the sailors to fight it out and wait for relief by the French and British armies. A detachment of Royal Marines arrived in Boulogne in the early morning of 21 May. Further British reinforcements, including a regiment of cruiser tankswere expected from Calais on the following day. Fox-Pitt deployed his men on the high ground outside the town, liaising with Lanquetot who organised the French troops in the town. The Irish Guards held the right flank to the south-west from the river at St. The 2nd Panzer Division formed two columns, one to circle round the town and attack from the north. The southern column made contact first in the early afternoon of 22 May, against the headquarters company of the French 48th Infantry Regiment, the only troops of the 21st Division who were between the Germans and Boulogne. The French clerks, drivers and signallers set up two 75 mm field guns and two 25 mm anti-tank guns to cover the cross-roads at Nesleswhere they delayed the Germans for almost two hours, until they were outflanked. The Irish knocked out the leading German tank and repulsed later attacks despite the Germans overrunning one of their forward platoons. In the early hours, the Germans attacked the Welsh Guards positions along the coast from the north-east as they began to envelop the town but were forced back each time. Only a few troops of the 21st Infantry Division were able take up its blocking positions near Desvres before the German advance reached them. The possibility of reinforcement from Calais was thwarted by the appearance of German armour at the northern perimeter. Fox-Pitt realised that he would have to defend the port with only the two Guards battalions and the assorted French and British troops already there. The men of the AMPC force were rushed into the gap between the two Guards battalions and another were sent to reinforce the Welsh Guards. The anti-aircraft gunners guarding the southern roads destroyed two German tanks with their 3. The Germans began a pincer attack on the positions of the Welsh and Irish Guards Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries by a. Fox-Pitt received orders from Vimy to hold Boulogne at all costs, as his radio contact with England had been lost earlier in the day. The commander of the 2nd Panzer Division found that the British and French in Boulogne were "fighting tenaciously for every inch of ground" and could not tell if the British were evacuating or reinforcing the port. Frondeur was hit and disabled by Stuka dive bombers of I. With German artillery having the advantage of observed fire to sweep the docks, he sent a message to London saying "situation grave". Fox-Pitt decided to continue with the AMPC evacuation while the Guards conducted a fighting withdrawal to the harbour but communication with the British troops on the perimeter was only possible by dispatch rider. The bridges held by the Guards were demolished by the Royal Engineers before the Irish Guards barricaded the streets with vehicles and withdrew to the harbour. Armed only with rifles, the pioneers had hoped to obstruct the Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries with makeshift roadblock barricades and claimed to have destroyed one tank by igniting petrol under it. Dean used his reserves to relieve two forward posts which had become isolated, resulting in fierce hand-to-hand fighting. With Germans in positions overlooking the harbour the Guards and the ships engaged in a duel with the German artillery. German tanks advancing towards the quayside were knocked out by the 4. Fires broke out on the ship but it was reversed out and made way for Venomous and Wild Swan which also departed in reverse, Venomous steering with its engines as the rudder had jammed. On clearing the harbour, the captain signalled that there were still British troops requiring evacuation and Vimiera was sent back, arriving in Boulogne at a. The quayside was deserted but when the captain called out by loud hailer many men appeared from hiding; the crew managed to squeeze them aboard. When Vimiera arrived at Dover at a. The companies split into smaller groups and tried a break-out to the north-east. When he discovered the disaster that had befallen his division, he organised the defence of the town as best he could. German attacks on the town at p. The French Navy continued its fire support but Fougueux and Chacal were damaged by the Luftwaffe ; Chacal was sunk the next day by Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries artillery. During the night, about French soldiers tried to break out towards Dunkirk but failed. At dawn on 25 May, the Germans attempted an escalade using grenades and flamethrowerssupported by 88 mm guns and at a. When the sheds came under German fire, Lewis moved the group into the Gare Maritime harbour railway station Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries had sandbag barricades built. On the evening of 24 May, under fire from tanks and machine-guns, they repulsed a German party which approached the quay in a boat. Without food, short of ammunition and with no hope of evacuation, the force surrendered at p. In the British Official History Lionel Ellis wrote that the battle showed "how easily misunderstandings may arise between allies in such a confused situation". Lanquetot signalled that the British were withdrawing precipitately, perhaps unaware of how fiercely the withdrawal was being contested. On the morning of 24 May, when Lanquetot discovered that the British had gone there were French complaints about British "desertion". Allegations that the British had deserted the French may have influenced Churchill to order the garrison at Calais to fight to the finish during the siege. Keeping the 10th Panzer Division in reserve during the attacks on Boulogne and Calais meant that the Aa Canal linethe western perimeter of the Dunkirk defences, could not be attacked simultaneously. Without the delay, the preparations of the 20th Guards Brigade in Boulogne might also have been interrupted. The long, exposed flank of Army Group Athe uncertain German hold on Amiens and Abbeville and Allied possession of Arras, meant that the advantageous situation enjoyed by the Germans on 22 May could have changed to the benefit of the Allies. The German delay was not excessive, since it was not Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries if the Allied counter-attack at Arras was over. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Redirected from Battle of Boulogne Battle Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries the port and town of Boulogne-sur-Mer during Battle of France. Main article: Boulogne-sur-Mer. See also: Siege of Calais. Canton Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries showing Saner and Desvres to the south-east of Boulogne. Guderian during the Battle of France. Modern map of Boulogne and vicinity commune FR insee code A pre-war photograph of the Gare Maritime at Boulogne, showing the quay used by British destroyers during the evacuation. A gate in the medieval town walls, defended by parties of the 21st Infantry Division. Aa and connecting waterways, to the west of Dunkirk. World War II portal. Baker, A. Battle Honours of the British and Commonwealth Armies. London: Ian Allan. Bond, B. Barnsley: Leo Cooper. Churchill, W. Their Finest Hour. The Second World War. Boston, MS: Mariner Books. Cooper, M. Corum, James Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas. Dildy, Douglas London: Osprey. Ellis, Major L. Fall Gelb (2) - Airborne Assault on the Low Countries - Campaign Series - Noble Knight Games The battle lasted from 10 May until the surrender of the main Dutch forces on 14 May. Dutch troops in the province of Zealand continued to resist the Wehrmacht until 17 May when Germany completed its occupation of the whole country. The Battle of the Netherlands saw some of the earliest mass paratroop drops, to occupy tactical points and assist the advance of ground troops. The German Luftwaffe used paratroopers in the capture of several airfields in the vicinity of Rotterdam and The Haguehelping to quickly overrun the country and immobilise Dutch forces. After the devastating bombing of Rotterdam by the Luftwaffe on 14 May, the Germans threatened to bomb other Dutch cities if the Dutch forces refused to surrender. The General Staff knew it could not stop the bombers and ordered the Dutch Army to cease hostilities. The last occupied parts of the Netherlands were liberated in The United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany infollowing the German invasion of Polandbut no major land operations occurred in Western Europe during the period known as the Phoney War in the winter of — During this time, the British and French built up their forces in expectation of a long war, and the Germans together with the Soviets completed their conquest of Poland. The Dutch were ill-prepared to resist such an invasion. When Hitler came to power, the Dutch had begun to re-arm, but more slowly than France or Belgium; only in did the defence budget start to be gradually increased. Partly this was caused by a wish not to antagonise a vital trade partner, [12] even to the point of repressing criticism of Nazi policies; [13] partly it was made inevitable by a policy of strict budgetary limits with which the conservative Dutch governments tried in vain to fight the Great Depressionwhich hit Dutch society particularly hard. International tensions grew in the late s. Crises were caused by the German occupation of the Rhineland in ; the Anschluss and Sudeten crisis of ; and the German Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries of Bohemia and Moravia and the Italian invasion of Albania in the spring of These events forced the Dutch government to exercise greater vigilance, but they limited their reaction as much as they could. The most important measure was a partial mobilisation ofmen in April After the German invasion of Poland in September and the ensuing outbreak Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries the Second World War, the Netherlands hoped to remain neutral, as they had done during the First World War 25 years earlier. To ensure this neutrality, the Dutch army was mobilised from 24 August and entrenched. The strategic position of the Low Countries, located between France and Germany on the uncovered flanks of their fortification lines, made the area a logical route for an offensive by either side. In a 20 January radio speech, Winston Churchill tried to convince them not to wait for an inevitable German attack, but to join the Anglo-French Entente. The French supreme command considered violating the neutrality of the Low Countries if they had not joined the Anglo-French coalition before the planned large Entente offensive in the summer ofbut the French Cabinet, fearing a negative public reaction, vetoed the idea. They started to fully prepare for war, both mentally and physically. Dutch border troops were put on greater alert. On 10 April Britain and France repeated their request that the Dutch enter the war on their side, but were again refused. In the Netherlands, all the objective conditions were present for a successful defence: a dense population, wealthy, young, disciplined and well-educated; a geography favouring the defender; and a strong technological and industrial base including an armaments industry. However, these Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries not been exploited: while the Wehrmacht at the time still had Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries shortcomings in equipment and training, the Dutch army, Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries comparison, was far less prepared for war. Germany had a modern army with tanks and dive bombers such as the Junkers Ju 87 Stukawhile the Netherlands had an army whose armoured forces comprised only 39 armoured cars and five tankettesand an air force in large part consisting of biplanes. The Dutch government's attitude towards war was reflected in the state of the country's armed forces, which had not significantly expanded their equipment since before the First World War, [36] and were inadequately armed even by the standards of All other infantry combat unit troops were raised as light infantry battalions that were dispersed all over the territory to delay enemy movement. Modern large fortresses like the Belgian stronghold of Eben Emael were nonexistent; the only modern fortification complex was that at Kornwerderzandguarding the Afsluitdijk. Total Dutch forces equalled 48 regiments of infantry as well as 22 infantry battalions for strategic border defence. In comparison, Belgium, despite a smaller and more aged male population, fielded 22 full divisions and the equivalent of 30 divisions when smaller units were included. After Septemberdesperate efforts were made to improve the situation, but with very little result. Germany, for obvious reasons, delayed its deliveries; France was hesitant to equip an army that would not unequivocally take its side. The one abundant source of readily available weaponry, the Soviet Unionwas inaccessible because the Dutch, contrary to most other nations, did not recognise the communist regime. An attempt in to procure Soviet armour captured by Finland failed. On 10 May, the most conspicuous deficiency of the Dutch Army lay in its shortage of armour. Most artillery was horse-drawn. The Dutch Infantry used about 2, 7. Many of these were fitted in the pillboxes; each battalion had a heavy machine gun company of twelve. The Dutch infantry squads were equipped with an organic light machine gun, the M. Most Dutch infantry were equipped with the Geweer M. This lack of firepower seriously impaired the fighting performance of the Dutch infantry. Despite the Netherlands being the seat of Philipsone of Europe's largest producers of radio equipment, the Dutch army mostly used telephone connections; only the Artillery had been equipped with the modest number of radio sets. The Dutch air forcewhich was not an independent arm of the Dutch armed forces, but part of the Army, [44] on 10 May operated a fleet of aircraft: 28 Fokker G. XXI and seven Fokker D. Vfifteen Fokker C. X and 35 Fokker C. V light bombers, twelve Douglas DB-8 dive bombers used as fighters [55] and seventeen Koolhoven FK reconnaissance aircraft—thus 74 of the aircraft were biplanes. Of these aircraft were operational. XXI, six Fokker D. Ia single Fokker T. V and seven Fokker C. V, along with several training aeroplanes. Another forty operational aircraft served with the Marineluchtvaartdienst naval air service along with about an equal number of reserve and training craft. Not only was the Dutch Army poorly equipped, it was also poorly trained. There had especially been little experience gained in the handling of larger units above the battalion level. From untilthe Dutch Army did not hold summer field manoeuvres in order to conserve military funding. Before the war only a minority of young men eligible to serve in the military had actually been conscripted. Untilthose who were enlisted only served for 24 weeks, just enough to receive basic infantry training. Inthere were only professional officers Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries. It was incapable of staging an offensive, even at division level, while executing manoeuvre warfare was far beyond its capacities. German generals and tacticians along with Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries himself had an Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries low opinion of the Dutch military and expected that the core region of Holland proper could be conquered in about three to five days. In the 17th century, the Dutch Republic had devised a defensive system called the Hollandic Water Linewhich during the Franco-Dutch War protected all major cities in the west, by flooding part of the countryside. In the early 19th century this line was shifted somewhat to the east, beyond Utrechtand Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries modernised with fortresses. This new position was called the New Hollandic Water Line. The line was reinforced with new pillboxes in as the fortifications were outdated. The line was located at the extreme eastern edge of the area lying below sea level. This allowed the ground before the fortifications to be easily inundated with a few feet of water, too shallow for boats, but deep enough to turn the soil into an impassable quagmire. The area west of the New Hollandic Water Line was called Fortress Holland Dutch: Vesting Holland ; German: Festung Hollandthe eastern flank of which was also covered by Lake IJssel and the southern flank protected by the lower course of three broad parallel rivers: two effluents of the Rhineand the Meuse or Maas. It functioned as a National Redoubtwhich was expected to hold out a prolonged period of time, [68] in the most optimistic predictions as much as three months without any allied assistance, [69] even though the size of the attacking German force was strongly overestimated. In it was understood such an attitude posed an invitation to invade and made it impossible to negotiate with the Entente about a common defence. Proposals by German diplomats that the Dutch government would secretly assent to an advance into the country were rejected. This second main defensive position had a northern part formed by the Grebbelinie Grebbe linelocated at the foothills of the Utrechtse Heuvelrugan Ice Age moraine between Lake IJssel and the Lower Rhine. In the south the intention was to delay the Germans as much as possible to cover a French advance. First Army Corps was a strategic reserve in the Fortress Holland, the southern perimeter of which was manned by another ten battalions and the eastern by six battalions. In front of this Main Defence Line was the IJssel-Maasliniea covering line along the rivers IJssel and Maas, connected by positions in the Betuweagain with pillboxes and lightly occupied by a screen of fourteen "border battalions". Late in General Van Voorst tot Voorst, reviving plans he had already worked out in[75] proposed to make use of the excellent defensive opportunities these rivers offered. He proposed a shift to a more mobile strategy by fighting a delaying battle at the plausible crossing sites near Arnhem and Gennep to force the German divisions to spend much of their offensive power before they had reached the MDL, and ideally even defeat them. The latter wanted the army to first offer heavy resistance at the Grebbe Line and Peel-Raam Position, and then fall back to the Fortress Holland. Reijnders had already been denied full military authority in the defence zones; [77] the conflict about strategy further undermined his political position. Winkelman who decided that in the north the Grebbe Line would be the main defence line where the decisive battle was to be waged, [80] partly because it would there be easier to break out with a counteroffensive if the conditions were favourable. During the Phoney War the Netherlands officially adhered to a policy of strict neutrality. Given its obvious strategic importance, Belgium, though in principle neutral, had already made quite detailed arrangements for co-ordination with Entente troops. This made it difficult for the Dutch to have these plans changed again to suit their wishes. The Dutch desired the Belgians to connect their defences to the Peel-Raam Position, that Reijnders refused to abandon without a fight. When Winkelman took over command, he intensified the negotiations, proposing on 21 February that Belgium would man a connecting line with the Peel-Raam Position along the Belgian part of the Zuid-Willemsvaart. Repeated Belgian requests to reconsider the Orange Position were refused by Winkelman. Therefore, the Belgians decided to withdraw, in the event of an invasion, all their troops to their main defence line, the Albert Canal. This created a dangerous gap forty kilometres wide. But he did not dare to stretch his supply lines that far unless the Belgians and Dutch would take the allied side before the German attack. When both nations refused, Gamelin made it clear that he would occupy a connecting position near Breda. In secret, Winkelman decided on 30 March [90] to abandon the Peel-Raam Position Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries at the onset of Fall Gelb 1940 2: 2: Airborne Assault on the Low Countries German attack and withdraw his Third Army Corps to the Linge to cover the southern flank of the Grebbe Line, leaving only a covering force behind. After the German attack on Denmark and Norway in Aprilwhen the Germans used large numbers of airborne troopsthe Dutch command became worried about the possibility they too could become the victim of such a strategic assault. To repulse an attack, five infantry battalions were positioned at the main ports and airbases, such as The Hague airfield of Ypenburg and the Rotterdam airfield of Waalhaven. In addition to the Dutch Army and the German 18th Armya third force, not all that much smaller than either, would operate on Dutch soil: the French 7th Army. It had its own objectives within the larger French strategy, and French planning had long considered the possibility of operations in Dutch territory. The coastal regions of Zealand and Holland were difficult to negotiate because of their many waterways. However, both the French and the Germans saw the possibility of a surprise flanking attack in this region.