May 10, 1940

Decisive day in World War II

Ravi PERERA

“A perfect modern battle plan is like nothing so much as a score for an orchestral composition, where the various arms and units are the instruments, and the tasks they perform are their respective musical phrases.

Every individual unit must, make its entry precisely at the proper moment, and play its part in the general harmony” Lieutenant-General Sir John Monash, Commander Australian Corps, 1918

When the German Army burst in to Poland on the first day of September 1939 it became evident to the world that before their anxious eyes was unfolding a superlative performance by an army, which had adopted a completely new approach to warfare.

On that day Hitler unleashed his highly trained and motivated soldiers on a relatively inferior but brave Polish Army, with orders that they bring the enemy to heel within the shortest possible time. The real threat to his designs was in the Western front where he faced the formidable French and allied armies.

German attack

The German Army attacking Poland was a couple of million strong and were organised in to several armies. Driving the newly created Panzer divisions into Poland along their long border the Germans were soon in the rear areas of the massed Polish forces thus compelling the Poles to fight on all sides, a hopeless situation for a large army.

Until then it was not thought possible to handle huge armies on such rapid manoeuvres, a feat the Germans achieved that September. This mobility of the attacking forces decided the issue within days, once again proving the vaunted military skills of the Teutons.

The final result was never in doubt, the only question being the length of time the Poles could hold on for in the face of the severe punishment meted out to them.

The Panzer divisions, which had rapidly moved over the flat countryside of Poland, were relentlessly attacking the rear areas hampering the attempts of the Polish army to regroup. The German air force mercilessly bombed the desperate defenders pinning them down. By the 28th of September the battle was virtually over.

Centuries before, Roman legions patrolling the dark uncharted northern forests of Europe became aware of the fierce and robust tribes that inhabited those parts, eventually coming to dread them.

Through the succeeding years as the Germans gradually evolved in to a powerful nation they acquitted themselves very well indeed, becoming leaders in science, technology, literature, philosophy and even music.

But in 1914 in an act confirming an atavistic militarism they ignited the First World War, which engulfed the whole of Europe for four long years.

The powerful cannons of that conflict blew away for good the existing order, which at the time seemed to be everlasting. Only the massive intervention of the Americans tilted the balance against the formidable German army. The universal disorder that followed the unprecedented blood bath led to the creation of both the Communist government in Russia as well as Adolf Hitler in Germany.

The triumph

The quick triumph against the Poles in 1939 highlighted the menace that this capable race, rearmed and belligerent, now posed. Armoured Divisions, capable of rapid mobility and carrying formidable firepower were going to be the cutting edge of their mighty sword.

The thrusting Armour would be ably supported by the devastating air power of the Luftwaffe and deadly accurate artillery.

Like in the earlier war, this formidable military machine could depend on the brilliant leadership provided by its outstanding General Staff. And above all, the German soldier, capable, strong, disciplined and brave was ready to answer the call to arms.

Having vanquished Poland, Hitler had to then deal with France, and the supporting British forces in the West. In training and capability these forces were perhaps on par with the Germans while in equipment even stronger, though not effectively distributed or utilized as the Germans. However in spirit and commitment, as events would reveal, they were far below the Germans.

Most of the German General Staff officers involved in the planning of the impending attack on the Western front had experienced their baptism of fire in the First World War as junior officers.

Despite their recent success in Poland, with methods evolved in the intervening twenty-five years, they were powerfully influenced by that gigantic struggle of their youth when they fought in the muddy plains of Western Europe.

France, an advanced nation with a powerful army was not with Poland. They argued that the way to bring her down was to launch a powerful attack through the low-countries, Holland and Belgium, by passing the Maginot Line, and seizing a large area of the Channel coast.

The plan envisaged destroying the large enemy formations in northern France, including the British forces based there, and eventually making it untenable for the remaining French forces to resist.

Some among the senior planners however were dissatisfied with the limited scope of the plan offered by the army high command. They were of the opinion that the enemy’s potential strengths was the very reason why the Germans should deliver a fatal blow before those strengths could be mobilized and brought to bear on the battlefield.

Manstein, a relatively junior officer then, wrote with chilling professionalism of the proposed plan “I found it humiliating, to say the least, that our generation could not do nothing better than repeat an old recipe, even when this was the product of a man like Schlieffen.

What could possibly be achieved by turning up a war plan our opponents had already rehearsed with us once before and against whose repetition they were bound to have taken full precaution?”

A daring plan

They suggested instead a more daring plan, which envisaged a major offensive through the difficult terrain of the Ardennes. The proponents of this plan argued that the French least expected an attack here and if an initial impetus could be gained there she could be fatally wounded.

When the Germans emerged in France out of the Ardennes forest, while splitting the French forces in two, they would be in the rear of the French forces facing the low-countries for the expected attack there.

To overcome the geographical challenges the Ardennes forest posed they proposed utilizing newly acquired capabilities of the army, including tracked vehicles, predominantly the proven Panzers.

Famed Tank commanders like General Guderian saw the exciting possibilities this somewhat unorthodox idea presented, while the much respected Colonel General Von Rundstedt who was in the highest ranks of the army whole heartedly endorsed it.

It is a testimony to the selfless professionalism and the cold rationality of the German Army that an audacious plan suggested by only a minority of officers came to be endorsed over the former plan, which had been proposed by the hierarchy. Hitler, the evil genius, very open to new ideas in such matters, also became an ardent enthusiast.

The stage was now set for one of the most swift and decisive military victories of the modern era.

While the resourceful German Army was preparing for the attack purposefully, the French side was remarkably complacent. The Chief of her army was the 68-year-old General Maurice Gamelin who epitomized the axiom that no man is in a hurry to conclude that the skills and knowledge he has devoted a lifetime to acquire are obsolete.

He did not think that air power would play a significant role in modern warfare and belittled the importance of radio communication refusing to have a radio in his headquarters fearing it might reveal its location to the enemy. When questioned about the length of time he took to communicate his orders to the frontlines, Gamelin’s casual answer was forty-eight hours.

Had Gamelin an inkling of the catastrophic defeat ahead for France he would not have been that nonchalant. While the French commander was finding comfort in wishful thinking, the Wehrmacht was planning in secrecy a campaign of unprecedented velocity against Gamelin’s weakest flank.

France defeated

The German attack was to be led by the powerful Panzer divisions closely supported by a tireless Luftwaffe. Unlike the French the Germans fully embraced modern technology, using radio communication to coordinate and direct the attack.

Gamelin’s failure to appreciate the huge potential of the air force proved to be just as disastrous as his decision to disperse his armoured strength mostly in an infantry support role, thus leaving the task of countering the powerful thrusts of the German Panzer divisions to formations organized in the mode of the earlier war.

The Wehrmacht on the other hand was determined to cut through France in one strong drive, which would leave the enemy it in a hopeless situation. Much thought was given to the composition of the Panzer divisions and the tactics of the advance.

The number of Panzers in the establishment, the supporting artillery, the infantry component and the all important engineers attached to a divisions were decided primarily on the need for maximum speed and logistical coherence.

Nothing was to interfere with the speed of the advance. When serious resistance was encountered, more often the infantry was sent in to deal with it, while the Panzers kept moving forward to a pre-determined schedule.

The determination of the Germans to gain a decisive ascendancy in the narrow attack frontage of the Ardennes can be assessed from the galaxy of high calibre officers who held command in this sector. Led by Colonel General Rundstedt they included Generals Guderian, Kleist, Reinhardt, Hoth and Rommel.

The attack, which began on May 10, 1940, had achieved most of its goals by the 27th by which day the British had begun evacuating their forces from Dunkirk. The German army in little more than two weeks had more or less defeated France, a major world power at the time.

In comparison, in the First World War despite their super human efforts, the Germans could not take Paris, ending that mighty battle in a bloody and muddy stalemate after four years of fighting.

Having defeated France Hitler was the master of mainland Europe. He had to now decide on invading Britain or to go East to settle the issue with the despised Slavic nation of Russia once and for all. After a half hearted effort at subduing the proud island across the narrow English Channel he turned East, irrevocably, starting the epic struggle that was to determine the fate of the Third Reich.