0517_01: Allez De Gaulle ! - PzC 12 France '40

The Battle of Montcornet, 17 May 1940: After breaking through the Meuse defenses from May
13th-15th, the Panzers swept to the west, leaving their southern flank and supply lines vulnerable to
counterattack. The French, however, had few means with which to strike at this appealing target.
The 1re DCr was initially deployed near Charleroi to support the 1re armée, but then was sent
south on May 15th to halt Rommel's breakout from Dinant. The lumbering B1s ran low on fuel, and
while pausing to resupply, were hit hard by the Luftwaffe and then mostly finished off by 5. Panzer-
Division. The 2e DCr had been spread apart by a succession of contradictory orders and
counterorders and was not able to provide and effective resistance, and the 3e DCr was firmly
committed at Stonne. This left the 4e DCr, formed only on May 15th in response to the emergency.
Colonel Charles de Gaulle, now promoted to général de brigade, was appointed to lead this scratch
force. De Gaulle had long been a proponent of mechanized warfare. In his 1934 book "Vers l'armée
de métier" De Gaulle had advocated many of the same principles that Heinz Guderian had espoused
in "Achtung Panzer!" These new ideas did not catch on with the French high command - he was
jokingly dismissed as "Colonel Motors." Now, with the front breached and Panzers flooding into the
Allied rear areas, De Gaulle was given the chance to put his ideas to action. Though 4e DCr was not
fully assembled, De Gaulle ordered the division forward on May 17th... [Size: Small]