Hmm... that would entail either a huge number of Storchs or a huge number of round trips per plane over quite some time, wouldn't it?
A Blunted Sickle
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Hmm... that would entail either a huge number of Storchs or a huge number of round trips per plane over quite some time, wouldn't it?
It's all OTL, although the numbers are my extrapolation. 200 Storch aircraft were used, inserting 2 companies of 3rd Battalion, Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment. Payload is 400kg including fuel and the normal crew was 2, so inserting 300 troops seems about right.
That's sort of what's happening - Brooke has what is essentially an independent command, reporting to Paris and London rather than Gort. However, given that it all happened in March/April we're some distance from a fourth Corps - so it makes more sense to leave Gort in charge for the time being.
10th May 1940
By mid-morning the German attack on the Valkenburg Air Force Base in Holland was starting to bog down, quite literally in the case of the first wave of Ju-52s which were sinking into the marshy surface and could not be moved. This led to the second wave of aircraft being unable to land on the airfield and so directed into the dunes along the sea shore.
By lunchtime, the Dutch had a battery of 120mm howitzers firing on the airfield, and even managed an attack from around a dozen Fokker C-V and C-X bombers. This was followed in the early afternoon by a counterattack which recaptured the airfield and confined the remaining German forces to the dunes and the village of Valkenburg, which would not be retaken today. 60 Ju-52s (around 15% of the entire German inventory) were captured or destroyed on this airfield alone.
At around 9am General Student landed with his staff at Waalhaven and was informed of the situation. Apart from the destruction of the Moerdijk bridge, the operation had gone exactly as planned, although the Dordrecht and Rotterdam bridges were seeing heavy Dutch counterattacks. Given the overall operational plan (for the Panzers to advance into Fortress Holland via the Moerdijk and Dordrecht bridges), Student decides to commit those additional forces flying in to Waalhaven to reinforce the Dordrecht bridgehead, with instructions to assist the forces trying to capture the North end of what remained of the Moerdijk bridge if necessary. The forces in Rotterdam are instructed to hold as long as possible then withdraw if necessary.
The Dutch response to the invasion only starts showing a semblance of cohesion around lunchtime – before then the magnitude and speed of the disaster have been too great for them to react to, and what actions there have been (such as at Valkenburg or Ypenburg) have been the actions of local commanders taking the initiative, rather than planned operations.
Now, however, the high command starts to react to events and give orders. There are reports of Paratroopers in Dordrecht, Rotterdam and the Hague, although it seems likely the attacks on the Hague are a diversionary force as they are told those airfields are likely to be retaken soon. Therefore it appears that the Germans are trying to lay down a carpet of paratroopers for their ground forces to advance along, in order to bypass the defensive lines of Fortress Holland.
They therefore send instructions to the Light Division (their main mobile reserve) and to the 8th Infantry Division, both currently in reserve, to recapture the bridges at Dordrecht. It is recognised that this leaves Rotterdam highly vulnerable to attack from the paratroopers at Waalhaven, but they are believed to be a secondary threat compared to the risk of the German ground forces advancing through Moerdijk and Dordrecht.
At 6pm, the first forces of the Light Division crossed the bridge at Alblasserdam (which strangely enough was not shown on German maps), racing for Dordrecht. General Student did not hear of the existence of this bridge until 7.30pm, when he sent two companies of infantry and anti-tank and artillery platoons to the bridge in an attempt to deny it to the Dutch. These would be spotted and engaged by the Dutch around 1km from the bridge, enabling reinforcements to keep flowing over it.
By mid-morning the German attack on the Valkenburg Air Force Base in Holland was starting to bog down, quite literally in the case of the first wave of Ju-52s which were sinking into the marshy surface and could not be moved. This led to the second wave of aircraft being unable to land on the airfield and so directed into the dunes along the sea shore.
By lunchtime, the Dutch had a battery of 120mm howitzers firing on the airfield, and even managed an attack from around a dozen Fokker C-V and C-X bombers. This was followed in the early afternoon by a counterattack which recaptured the airfield and confined the remaining German forces to the dunes and the village of Valkenburg, which would not be retaken today. 60 Ju-52s (around 15% of the entire German inventory) were captured or destroyed on this airfield alone.
At around 9am General Student landed with his staff at Waalhaven and was informed of the situation. Apart from the destruction of the Moerdijk bridge, the operation had gone exactly as planned, although the Dordrecht and Rotterdam bridges were seeing heavy Dutch counterattacks. Given the overall operational plan (for the Panzers to advance into Fortress Holland via the Moerdijk and Dordrecht bridges), Student decides to commit those additional forces flying in to Waalhaven to reinforce the Dordrecht bridgehead, with instructions to assist the forces trying to capture the North end of what remained of the Moerdijk bridge if necessary. The forces in Rotterdam are instructed to hold as long as possible then withdraw if necessary.
The Dutch response to the invasion only starts showing a semblance of cohesion around lunchtime – before then the magnitude and speed of the disaster have been too great for them to react to, and what actions there have been (such as at Valkenburg or Ypenburg) have been the actions of local commanders taking the initiative, rather than planned operations.
Now, however, the high command starts to react to events and give orders. There are reports of Paratroopers in Dordrecht, Rotterdam and the Hague, although it seems likely the attacks on the Hague are a diversionary force as they are told those airfields are likely to be retaken soon. Therefore it appears that the Germans are trying to lay down a carpet of paratroopers for their ground forces to advance along, in order to bypass the defensive lines of Fortress Holland.
They therefore send instructions to the Light Division (their main mobile reserve) and to the 8th Infantry Division, both currently in reserve, to recapture the bridges at Dordrecht. It is recognised that this leaves Rotterdam highly vulnerable to attack from the paratroopers at Waalhaven, but they are believed to be a secondary threat compared to the risk of the German ground forces advancing through Moerdijk and Dordrecht.
At 6pm, the first forces of the Light Division crossed the bridge at Alblasserdam (which strangely enough was not shown on German maps), racing for Dordrecht. General Student did not hear of the existence of this bridge until 7.30pm, when he sent two companies of infantry and anti-tank and artillery platoons to the bridge in an attempt to deny it to the Dutch. These would be spotted and engaged by the Dutch around 1km from the bridge, enabling reinforcements to keep flowing over it.
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Germans might have to resort to terror bombing tactics earlier than in OTL if things continue this way...And if butterflies keep flapping around in southern Belgium, larger parts of the Dutch forces might have a chance to slip away from their homeland and something close to (P.I.B.) might thus be former much earlier than in OTL.
Those numbers are OTL - the majority of the airbourne operation was a fiasco. It succeeded because the Dutch were slow to react OTL (having just retreated from the Peel-Raam line) and the Panzers arrived at the Moerdijk bridge just in time. Here neither of those are happening, so now the initial landings are over things are starting to go rather worse for the Germans.
So far Belgium is totally OTL, with things rapidly getting worse for the Belgians than OTL without the French to pull their chestnuts out of the fire. So far as the area within Fortress Holland goes, that's going to depend on the results of the Battle of France - the attempt to take it by coup de main basically failed when the Moerdijk bridge was demolished, the airbourne landings aren't going well and using the Panzers is a diversion from the main effort of taking France and Belgium. Long term their position is untenable without outside help though.
Which was a problem they had throughout the war. The Luftwaffe had no dedicated transport arm as such, so when they needed an airlift they raided the training schools for planes and pilots.
Training really was the neglected step child of the Luftwaffe.
11th May 1940
The German forces around the north end of the remains of the Moerdijk Bridge launch a dawn attack with the assistance of some forces from Dordrecht and capture it. All Dutch forces on the island of Dordrecht are now either PoWs or in hiding.
The Light Division is slowly pushing forward towards the Dordrecht bridges in the face of stiff German opposition. While they greatly outnumber their opponents, the German troops are much better trained and led. Additionally, since they are attacking into one of their own towns the Dutch troops are proving reluctant to open fire without clearly identified German targets, and are not using their artillery at all.
Further north of them, the 8th Division is crossing the Alblasserdam bridge when the Germans attack with half a battalion of Fallschirmjaeger troops flown in overnight (the German airlift had stopped during the day on the 10th based on a report that “all” Dutch airfields were untenable, but was resumed into Waalhaven in the early evening). The Germans manage to push the 8th Division back to within sight of the bridge, but in the end the intervention of Dutch artillery proves decisive and the attack is abandoned with heavy casualties on both sides. The 8th Division then abandon their advance towards Dordrecht and dig in around the Alblasserdam Bridge.
In London, the Belgian ambassador delivers a protest to the Foreign Secretary that British and French troops have entered his country without invitation, and insists that they leave immediately. This request is politely declined by Lord Halifax, who states that the British and French forces have only entered Belgium in response to German aggression.
Meanwhile, in Belgium itself the Anglo-French forces are reasonably well established along the Eschaut/Scheldt line. Around half the troops are actually in position, with the rest anticipated within the next 48 hours. Defensive works are in progress, and expected to be substantially complete by the 15th.
There are shortages of everything (as is perhaps to be expected), with the most serious being of artillery shells. Right now the BEF have enough for around 12 hours of combat, while 7th Army have only 12 shells per gun on average. While more are coming in by road, a proper resolution of the system is waiting on the Belgian railway system. The Belgian railwaymen are helping as much as they can, but the changes required to achieve this will take 2-3 days to organise.
Nine Fairey Battles of the Belgian Air Force attack the captured bridges over the Albert Canal, losing six aircraft. Further south in the Ardennes, the AASF launches an attack against a German troop column. The results are inconclusive, and only one of the eight aircraft survives to return to base.
The German forces around the north end of the remains of the Moerdijk Bridge launch a dawn attack with the assistance of some forces from Dordrecht and capture it. All Dutch forces on the island of Dordrecht are now either PoWs or in hiding.
The Light Division is slowly pushing forward towards the Dordrecht bridges in the face of stiff German opposition. While they greatly outnumber their opponents, the German troops are much better trained and led. Additionally, since they are attacking into one of their own towns the Dutch troops are proving reluctant to open fire without clearly identified German targets, and are not using their artillery at all.
Further north of them, the 8th Division is crossing the Alblasserdam bridge when the Germans attack with half a battalion of Fallschirmjaeger troops flown in overnight (the German airlift had stopped during the day on the 10th based on a report that “all” Dutch airfields were untenable, but was resumed into Waalhaven in the early evening). The Germans manage to push the 8th Division back to within sight of the bridge, but in the end the intervention of Dutch artillery proves decisive and the attack is abandoned with heavy casualties on both sides. The 8th Division then abandon their advance towards Dordrecht and dig in around the Alblasserdam Bridge.
In London, the Belgian ambassador delivers a protest to the Foreign Secretary that British and French troops have entered his country without invitation, and insists that they leave immediately. This request is politely declined by Lord Halifax, who states that the British and French forces have only entered Belgium in response to German aggression.
Meanwhile, in Belgium itself the Anglo-French forces are reasonably well established along the Eschaut/Scheldt line. Around half the troops are actually in position, with the rest anticipated within the next 48 hours. Defensive works are in progress, and expected to be substantially complete by the 15th.
There are shortages of everything (as is perhaps to be expected), with the most serious being of artillery shells. Right now the BEF have enough for around 12 hours of combat, while 7th Army have only 12 shells per gun on average. While more are coming in by road, a proper resolution of the system is waiting on the Belgian railway system. The Belgian railwaymen are helping as much as they can, but the changes required to achieve this will take 2-3 days to organise.
Nine Fairey Battles of the Belgian Air Force attack the captured bridges over the Albert Canal, losing six aircraft. Further south in the Ardennes, the AASF launches an attack against a German troop column. The results are inconclusive, and only one of the eight aircraft survives to return to base.
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11th May 1940
Over the course of the day, the situation of the German troops at Waalhaven is steadily deteriorating. RAF Wellingtons dropped 60 tonnes of bombs on the airfield overnight, and the Dutch now have a battery of heavy artillery pieces shelling the airfield. By the end of the day there are over 40 wrecked Ju-52 transports on the field, and aircraft operations are becoming increasingly hazardous as craters and wreckage take up an increasing amount of the available space.
Around The Hague, the last pockets of German resistance (mainly in the dunes) are eliminated by last light. A few individuals are still on the loose, but no formed units are still operational. Meanwhile the force holding the bridges across the Maas in Rotterdam is coming under increasing pressure, not having received any reinforcements due to the events at Alblasserdam. The Marines and Engineers in the city are slowly storming the various houses that the Fallschirmjaegers are holed up in, using explosives to from “mouse-holes” through the walls and so avoid doors and windows. By the end of the day the northern side of the bridgehead has been retaken, and the German troops are confined to four buildings on the south side. They can still deny the Dutch use of the bridge, but are running low on ammunition and most of the remaining troops are wounded.
Further east, the first German recce troops reach the edge of the Water Line around Utrecht. They attempt a quick attack on it in the hope that it is lightly held like the other defensive lines they have encountered to date, but are stopped dead and withdraw.
The first Canadian troops arrive in Vlissingen at around 11pm aboard 2 RN destroyers. After unloading, they withdraw and are back in Harwich by first light. While around half march off to take up their defensive positions, the rest go to some nearby warehouses and start unpacking their artillery and anti-aircraft guns which have been stored there since the middle of April.
In southern Belgium, the German forces are advancing through the Ardennes almost uninterrupted. There has been some minor skirmishing with the Chasseurs Ardennais, but by far the biggest problem has been traffic jams. There have been a few attempts by RAF and AdA bombers to attack the German columns, but they have generally been beaten off with heavy losses. Damaged German vehicles are just shoved off the side of the road and the column continues onwards.
The leading forces will be in spitting distance of Sedan by dusk, while the troops at the back of the queue have not yet left Germany.
Over the course of the day, the situation of the German troops at Waalhaven is steadily deteriorating. RAF Wellingtons dropped 60 tonnes of bombs on the airfield overnight, and the Dutch now have a battery of heavy artillery pieces shelling the airfield. By the end of the day there are over 40 wrecked Ju-52 transports on the field, and aircraft operations are becoming increasingly hazardous as craters and wreckage take up an increasing amount of the available space.
Around The Hague, the last pockets of German resistance (mainly in the dunes) are eliminated by last light. A few individuals are still on the loose, but no formed units are still operational. Meanwhile the force holding the bridges across the Maas in Rotterdam is coming under increasing pressure, not having received any reinforcements due to the events at Alblasserdam. The Marines and Engineers in the city are slowly storming the various houses that the Fallschirmjaegers are holed up in, using explosives to from “mouse-holes” through the walls and so avoid doors and windows. By the end of the day the northern side of the bridgehead has been retaken, and the German troops are confined to four buildings on the south side. They can still deny the Dutch use of the bridge, but are running low on ammunition and most of the remaining troops are wounded.
Further east, the first German recce troops reach the edge of the Water Line around Utrecht. They attempt a quick attack on it in the hope that it is lightly held like the other defensive lines they have encountered to date, but are stopped dead and withdraw.
The first Canadian troops arrive in Vlissingen at around 11pm aboard 2 RN destroyers. After unloading, they withdraw and are back in Harwich by first light. While around half march off to take up their defensive positions, the rest go to some nearby warehouses and start unpacking their artillery and anti-aircraft guns which have been stored there since the middle of April.
In southern Belgium, the German forces are advancing through the Ardennes almost uninterrupted. There has been some minor skirmishing with the Chasseurs Ardennais, but by far the biggest problem has been traffic jams. There have been a few attempts by RAF and AdA bombers to attack the German columns, but they have generally been beaten off with heavy losses. Damaged German vehicles are just shoved off the side of the road and the column continues onwards.
The leading forces will be in spitting distance of Sedan by dusk, while the troops at the back of the queue have not yet left Germany.
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Ah, Sedan... a most infamous name in French history even at this point in time. OTL 1940, the German breakthrough there was the beginning of the end for France. Here, if the French could hold off the Germans a bit longer...?
The breakthrough is going to happen, since the French forces holding the front are actually weaker than OTL (they've also reached it slightly faster, since there were fewer French forces in southern Belgium). However, the French also have a powerful mobile reserve in this timeline, which was completely lacking in the OTL battle.
Archibald
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So true, and you have no idea how the two defeats were similar.
In August 1870 a cavalry battalion under command of General Marguerite led a desperate charge against the prussian army, on a plateau north of Sedan. The battalion was wiped out for nothing.
Exactly 70 years later, on May 13, 1940, a flight of ten Amiot 143 antiquated bombers led a desperate charge, trying to bomb panzers at low level with cumbersome machines flying at 150 miles per hour in a sky filled with Bf-109s and Bf-110s (those pilots were BRAVE). The leader ship piloted by Colonel De Laubier crashed on the very same plateau were Marguerite cavalry had charged decades before.
Some idiocy is unavoidable - as an example it took roughly 2 days from Gamelin giving an order to the Poilous on the front line actually being able to do anything about it.
At the same time, however, the more I read up on the German plan the more I ask myself how the hell they ever got away with it. It really doesn't need much for things to go very, very wrong. In a sense they already have in this timeline - the Germans were relying on the best British and French forces to start the battle by haring off in the wrong direction. Instead the most powerful mobile forces are on either side of the German breakthrough, about 80 miles from Sedan.
One final observation - the route the German forces took from Sedan to the sea was more or less the old WW1 battlefront, just inside the French border. With the abandonment of the Dyle plan, that's only 10-20 miles from the current French front line. To manage the encirclement, they've either got to go a much longer route (remembering the most powerful French reserve is at Amiens - chosen because it's a good road and rail junction incidentally) or fight their way through half the French army piecemeal.
What about incendiaries? Would starting a forest fire hinder the Germans, or just clear out the forest for them?
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