In 1940, under the original Allied Dyle Plan, the 7th Army of France which contained 3 Motorized Infantry Divisions, 3 Elite Infantry Divisions, and a Light Mechanized Divisions was to act as a strategic reserve for France. General Maurice Gamelin modified the plan to have the 7th Army race to Breda in order to keep the Dutch from surrendering, but at the cost of greatly lengthening the front and committing the 7th Army.
The 7th Army was supposed to one of the better trained formations the French had in 1940. They had excellent weapons and training to defeat tanks and they also had good morale. In contrast, the Germans at Sedan faced a lot reserve divisions that were decently equipped with anti tank guns, but were composed of conscripts that weren't the best of the French Army and wanted to live more than anything else.
A lot of people claim that the original Dyle Plan could have worked because it would keep the 7th Army available as a reserve to counter the German attack. In OTL, the French command reaction was rather sluggish and continuously thought that the attack through the Ardennes was a spoiler attack while the main one would go through the Belgian plains when it was actually the opposite. Even when the commander of the 1st Army Group realized the gravity of the situation, Gamelin took a while to process it.
If the 7th army stood as a strategic reserve, it would be unlikely to act at Sedan since the French high command did not realize the importance of the Battle until after it. However, some suggest it could attack north of the bulge by May 18th 1940. The German infantry didn't catch up to the Panzers yet.
But would the original Dyle Plan have worked? All the French plans expected the Germans to attack through the Belgian Plains rather than the Ardennes. The Breda variant had no significant reserves. The original Dyle Plan did have the 7th Army valuable. But in OTL, the French (this includes the 7th Army which turned around after it was realized Breda was a waste of time) and the BEF couldn't hold onto the Channel Ports and needed to be evacuated at Dunkirk. If the 7th Army was available as a reserve, the most they could muster for a May 18th counterattack would be those 7 divisions, the British 5th Infantry Division, the 1st tank brigade, and elements of the British 50th and French 3rd. If the entire Allied Army couldn't hold onto the channel ports after Sedan OTL, how would keeping 7 divisions (even the crème of the French Army) available save the day?
The 7th Army was supposed to one of the better trained formations the French had in 1940. They had excellent weapons and training to defeat tanks and they also had good morale. In contrast, the Germans at Sedan faced a lot reserve divisions that were decently equipped with anti tank guns, but were composed of conscripts that weren't the best of the French Army and wanted to live more than anything else.
A lot of people claim that the original Dyle Plan could have worked because it would keep the 7th Army available as a reserve to counter the German attack. In OTL, the French command reaction was rather sluggish and continuously thought that the attack through the Ardennes was a spoiler attack while the main one would go through the Belgian plains when it was actually the opposite. Even when the commander of the 1st Army Group realized the gravity of the situation, Gamelin took a while to process it.
If the 7th army stood as a strategic reserve, it would be unlikely to act at Sedan since the French high command did not realize the importance of the Battle until after it. However, some suggest it could attack north of the bulge by May 18th 1940. The German infantry didn't catch up to the Panzers yet.
But would the original Dyle Plan have worked? All the French plans expected the Germans to attack through the Belgian Plains rather than the Ardennes. The Breda variant had no significant reserves. The original Dyle Plan did have the 7th Army valuable. But in OTL, the French (this includes the 7th Army which turned around after it was realized Breda was a waste of time) and the BEF couldn't hold onto the Channel Ports and needed to be evacuated at Dunkirk. If the 7th Army was available as a reserve, the most they could muster for a May 18th counterattack would be those 7 divisions, the British 5th Infantry Division, the 1st tank brigade, and elements of the British 50th and French 3rd. If the entire Allied Army couldn't hold onto the channel ports after Sedan OTL, how would keeping 7 divisions (even the crème of the French Army) available save the day?