0527_04: The Offensive Resumes - PzC 12 France '40

The Canal Line, 27 May 1940: By the evening of May 23rd G.A. 1's situation seemed irretrievable. The entirety of Germany's armored force was rushing around the northern army group's exposed flank. Boulogne and Calais were invested and the Panzers were within 15 km of Dunkerque. Concerned by alarming reports of high breakdown rates and fatique among the Panzertruppen, Gerd von Runstedt issued a temporary "close-up" order to the German motorized forces swinging around the Allied flank. The Panzers were to halt on the south and west banks of the Aa and the La Bassée Canal (Canal de l'Aire) to provide time for rest and recovery and for the infantry to catch up. Hitler confirmed Runstedt's decision the following morning and kept the halt order in force for the next three days. Hitler's decision to hold the Panzers in place provided the Allies a much-needed reprieve from the armored onslaught. The British III Corps and some French elements were shifted to the west to provide for the defense of the Allied rear. Though the situation had improved since May 23rd, G.A. 1's position was still precarious. The 2nd Infantry Division was badly stretched across a wide front from La Bassée to Saint-Venant. To the north the Allies had lost hold of the Canal Line as far north as Gravelines. With insufficient manpower to establish a linear defense, individual companies and battalions of the 44th and 48th Divisions occupied strongpoints in French towns and villages from Hazebrouck to north of Cassel. The Secteur fortifié des Flandres, commanding a scratch force consisting of the remnants of 21e DI, training battalions, and coastal defense troops, extended the defense to the sea. Hitler rescinded his halt order on May 26th and the next morning the Panzers jumped into action...[Size: Medium]