More successful Defence of Arras

[Alratan]

In May 1940, during the Battle of France, an initially successful British counter attack was famously repulsed after Rommel ordering his 88mm and 105mm guns be used in a direct fire mode to knock out the British Matildas, which were too heavily armoured for the conventional German anti-tank techniques.

Let's say this didn't happen. Rommel is wounded or caught out of communication at a critical time, and the attack continues. Now, I doubt this will sustainable that much further due to the logistics, but IOTL the attack hit the German staff's confidence hard. Severe damage to the 7th Panzer Division would shake them further. This could well lead to greater German hesitance, and draw out the campaign in France. On the other hand, it could also lead to British over-confidence, and the later encirclement and destruction of the BEF.

What are people's thoughts?

 

[Riain]

The 88s were already provided with AP ammunition so someone else would have ordered them to be turned onto the Matildas.

If the attack had gone in with the planned 2 divisions 74 Brit and 60 French tanks instead of the actual 2 btns and 74 Brit tanks then it may have been a decisive counter-stroke. It may have slowed the Germans enough to allow the Allies to escape along the coast from the unclosed encirclement.

 

[Alratan]

The 88s were already provided with AP ammunition so someone else would have ordered them to be turned onto the Matildas.

I agree that at some point someone will, but in the specific instance I'm not sure. Despite the potential bias, I think it's instructive to see what Rommel said himself:

It was an extremely tight spot, for there were also several enemy tanks very close to Wailly on its northern side. The crew of a howitzer battery, some distance away, now left their guns, swept along by the retreating infantry.
With Most's help, I brought every available gun into action at top speed against the tanks. Every gun, both anti-tank and anti-aircraft, was ordered to open rapid fire immediately and I personally gave each gun its target. With the enemy tanks so perilously close, only rapid fire from every gun could save the situation. We ran from gun to gun. The objections of gun commanders that the range was still too great to engage the tanks effectively, were overruled. All I cared about was to halt the enemy tanks by heavy gunfire. Soon we succeeded in putting the leading enemy tanks out of action. About 150 yards west of our small wood a British captain climbed out of a heavy tank and walked unsteadily towards us with his hands up. We had killed his driver. Over by the howitzer battery also despite a range of 1,200 to 1,500 yards the rapid fire of our anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns succeeded in bringing the enemy to a halt and forcing some of them to turn away.

If Rommel gets taken out by a stray shot (as Most was shortly afterwards whilst standing close to Rommel) before he can rally/overrule the gun commanders, then I suspect the attack will punch through and take out the guns and maul the rest of the division.

If the attack had gone in with the planned 2 divisions 74 Brit and 60 French tanks instead of the actual 2 btns and 74 Brit tanks then it may have been a decisive counter-stroke. It may have slowed the Germans enough to allow the Allies to escape along the coast from the unclosed encirclement.

Yes, but I think that solving the communications issues plaguing the Allies requires a substantially more serious PoD.