Une entrevue a lieu dans la maison d'un tisserand sur le bord de la route[23]. The heavier tanks were handed over to Army Group A as it required the best machines to conduct the critical operation at Sedan. La France a certes réalisé la révolution industrielle, mais les stratèges militaires n'ont pas su intégrer les évolutions du modernisme. The Regiment retreated. La Bataille de Sedan, laquelle s'est déroulée, lors de la guerre franco-prussienne, le 1er septembre 1870, est racontée par Guillaume Ier (1811-1890), roi de Prusse, dans une lettre du 3 septembre 1870 adressée à son épouse, la reine Augusta de Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach. Les Bavarois, nettement plus nombreux et surtout appuyés par une artillerie moderne et très efficace, ont repris le village. Découvrez enfin tout ce qu’il faut savoir sur la bataille de Sedan en moins d’une heure ! Les obus allemands tombent, éclatent et font des vides. It transpired that the French had concentrated their own armour there to mount another attack on the Sedan bridgeheads. Cette succession de commandants en chef est à l'origine d'ordres, de contrordres et de tergiversations sur la stratégie. Both divisions were short of anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, a critical short-coming. Après délibération, les vainqueurs acceptent la reddition de l'armée française et demandent à l'empereur de désigner un de ses officiers pour traiter de la capitulation. The French had prepared, to an extent, for a German breakthrough at Sedan, and accordingly placed X Corps available for a counter-attack. Download this Antique Illustration Of Bataille De Sedan By Gardette photo now. Several Panzers were knocked out. Cet endroit bordé par une boucle du fleuve Meuse et un canal, et d'une superficie de plusieurs centaines d'hectares, devient alors une véritable prison à ciel ouvert, pouvant être facilement gardé par les armées des États allemands. Ultimately the failure of the French to hold it meant the final failure to eliminate the Sedan bridgeheads. At about 19:00 on 13 May, a report by a French artillery observer was passed on incorrectly. Les « marsouins » reprennent le village dès la tombée de la nuit et repoussent même les Bavarois jusqu'au pont, tant la contre-attaque est énergique. Aujourd'hui, dans de nombreuses villes allemandes, des rues de Sedan (Sedan Strasse) rappellent cette victoire. Its capture would enable a German advance into the undefended depths of France and to the English Channel, into the rear of the Allied mobile forces advancing into Belgium. On 20 May, five days after consolidating their bridgeheads, the German Army reached the Channel. However, one crucial disadvantage of the French tanks, considered as a very broad whole, was their low endurance. The artillery falling on the 2nd Panzer Division's eastern flank was stopped. One of these tanks, commanded by Pierre Billotte, proved invulnerable to German anti-tank fire and took 140 hits, and knocked out 13 German tanks (two PzKpfw IV and eleven PzKpfw III) and a number of anti-tank guns. Assault Engineers and 1st Panzer Division neutralised the guns at Bellevue Castle, and cleared the bunker positions along the Meuse River from the rear. [23], The French Army authorised fresh attempts to increase the strength of the fortifications in the autumn of 1939, but severe winter weather prevented the pouring of concrete and the delivery of the necessary materials. The terrain included heavily wooded areas, and the units left behind convinced General Charles Huntziger, commander of the French Second Army, that they would be able to hold Bulson, and the Germans would not be able to exploit their tactical victory at Sedan on 14 May. Several batteries were stuck in traffic in the Ardennes and he could not rely on the artillery batteries of his Panzer Divisions only. On 15 May, the battle began. General der Flieger Hugo Sperrle, commander of Luftflotte 3, had planned a conventional method of a brief bombardment before the ground forces moved in. In an open field engagement, Guderian's armour stood little chance. Un article de Wikipédia, l'encyclopédie libre. With the IV Corps now supporting the German defence and counter-attacks, the town was captured for the 17th and final time at 17:45 on 17 May. Mac-Mahon avait été blessé durant les affrontements et le commandement fut assuré par Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot. This was the reason a significant number of French generals insisted on strengthening this sector, while ignoring Sedan. Le 1er septembre 1870 se joue l’avenir du Second Empire. S'opposèrent à l'issue de cette dernière l'armée française (l'Armée de Châlons), forte de 120 000 hommes et de 560 canons commandée par l'empereur Napoléon III, et l'armée prussienne sous le commandement du futur Kaiser (Guillaume I de Prusse), forte de 200 000 hommes et de 780 canons. It was to occupy the Bulson position on the Chéhéry–Bulson–Haraucourt axis and strike at the Meuse bridgeheads. 75 Wing RAF lost 14–18 Battles and No. Pour la bataille qui a eu lieu entre le 13 mai et le 15 mai 1940, voir, Ordre de bataille (L'ensemble des unités citées sont faites prisonnière). [58], In the central sector, at Gaulier, the Germans began moving 3.7 cm Pak 36 light infantry field artillery across the Meuse to provide support to infantry across the river. Outre les nombreux lieux de mémoire disséminés autour de Sedan, les conséquences vont être très importantes pour l'ancienne Principauté de Sedan, protestante et indépendante, à cette époque très prospère économiquement mais engoncée dans ses remparts[26]. This allowed an attacker coming from the north to use the good road routes through the Fleigneux–Saint-Menges–Glaire axis to enter Sedan from the north. Panzerkorps rolled into Sedan. Some of the bunkers lacked rear doors, making them vulnerable to infiltration by infantry. English: The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War on 1 September 1870. To Guderian, this was madness and would throw away the victory at Sedan and allow the enemy time to recover and reorganise its still formidable armoured units. Il semble que Mac-Mahon tergiverse. Consequently, it arrived late at Donchery, after the 1st and 10th Panzer Divisions had initiated their assaults across the Meuse. Selon le témoignage du général Lebrun, les militaires bavarois, durement éprouvés à Bazeilles, se distinguent par leur cruauté et les humiliations qu'ils imposent aux soldats français. Die tapferen Leute)[18],[19]. Le roi Guillaume de Prusse et son état-major ainsi que son chancelier Otto von Bismarck sont présents, ils vont assister à la bataille depuis une colline près de Frénois, un village au sud-ouest de Sedan. Néanmoins les marsouins excellent dans le combat de rues : ils repoussent par deux fois les Bavarois du village. Le 4 septembre, malgré l'opposition du corps législatif et sous la pression des Parisiens en colère, Léon Gambetta annonce la déchéance de l'empereur. Un gouvernement de défense nationale est instauré, composé de 11 députés de Paris. In collaboration, II. Les troupes françaises comptent une armée d'environ 120 000 hommes[8] répartis en quatre corps d'armée (1er, 5e, 7e et 12e), relativement liés entre eux dans l'espace de Sedan. For the first few days the German air arm would be used mostly in support of Army Group B. Les 83 000 officiers et soldats français rescapés seront ensuite internés en Allemagne. [46], The planned aerial assault would last for eight hours, from 08:00-16:00. The idea of a single massed strike was abandoned, and the German air units were to attack in small formations but constantly, through the day. The 10th Panzer sent its 1st Battalion, 69th Infantry Regiment to support the hard-pressed Großdeutschland. The 43rd Assault Engineer Battalion and the 8th Company, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Panzer Regiment arrived and pushed the French back to the town of Chémery-sur-Bar, some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) south west of Bulson, and due south of Connage. Cela ne va pas sans mal : des commandants, faute de cartes, se trompent de direction, des régiments hésitent à se déplacer sous les tirs d’artillerie, d’autres trouvent la route bloquée par des chariots. [9] Loerzer called 14 May "the day of the fighter". They had almost no Regular officers and they had not been broken-in to war conditions by being in contact with the enemy. Mac-Mahon reprend l'option d'aller sur Metz et de passer la Meuse vers le secteur de Stenay, mais à force de tergiverser sous la pression des autorités et sous l'action combinée des deux armées des princes allemands, la situation de son corps d'armée se fragilise. [68] Lead elements of the 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions had reached the ridge just minutes before, having travelled 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) in less time. He also felt that a regrouping period in front of Sedan would delay the assault for 24 hours and allow the French to bring up reinforcements. [21], The French assessments were less credible in the light of military exercises carried out in 1938. "Leute" signifie "gens, hommes", et par conséquent, dans ce contexte, "soldats" ou "hommes". [8] The 10th Panzer Division, under the command of Generalleutnant Ferdinand Schaal, had 44 Panzer I, 113 Panzer II, 58 Panzer III, 32 Panzer IV and 18 Sd.Kfz. [76][77], Contributing to their problems, the French lacked mobile tanks and offensively-intended tanks. A second group, consisting of the 2d Light Cavalry Division and 3d Tank Division reinforced Flavigny. Le roi de Prusse n'arrive sur les lieux que dans l'après-midi. Poursuivi et harcelé par les IIIe et IVe armées, Mac-Mahon décide alors de se réfugier, au moins quelques jours, aux alentours de la ville de Sedan, citadelle située non loin de la frontière belge. In some cases, Infantry regiments were made up of several different companies from several different battalions from different regiments. La bataille de Sedan a eu lieu le 1er septembre 1870, durant la guerre franco-prussienne. Guderian's decision to strike north west left the 10th Panzer Division protecting the bridgehead alone. The 2nd Panzer Division was forced to attack without artillery support. [23] This estimate was to prove only three hours too late. He spent hours reconnoitring the terrain, sometimes trying to contain and reason with fleeing, routing scores of French infantrymen and artillerymen of the 55th and 71st Infantry Divisions, and travelling around the area to various regimental headquarters, looking for his Corps commander, General Gransard (who was deliberately reconnoitring the terrain, for some time, at that relative point in time), for an order to attack, and, in the meantime, extemporarily assessing and conferring with some local command personnel. [48], The Luftwaffe's target was the Marfee heights which lay behind Sedan to the south east. [16] The Germans noted the particular weakness between the chassis and turret of the French tanks, which were vulnerable to their fire. Le 3 août 1875, la place forte de Sedan est déclassée par les députés au vu du rapport du maire de Sedan. The speed of the German tanks also enabled them to offset their inferiority in combat power to the French tanks. The French infantry were slow in their advance, which meant the armour outran them. Skip to main content.sg. [38] Although the two divisions had 174 artillery pieces, more than the German forces opposing them, they had to share that force between them. La bataille tourne au désastre, car l'armée prussienne du prince héritier Frédéric de Prusse traverse la Meuse à Donchery, au sud-ouest de Sedan, afin de réaliser la jonction avec les corps armées du prince Albert de Saxe venus de Beaumont après la bataille. [63] GB I/34 and II/34 could muster eight aircraft out of 22 Amiot 143s, I/38 seven out of 12, and II/38 six out of 11. The French had nearly 300 tanks, with 138 main battle tanks consisting of Hotchkiss and Char B1-Bis. Cependant le stratège français a sous-estimé l'importance des forces allemandes, leur rapidité et leur tactique d'ensemble. However, after the war, it was discovered that none of the bunkers had been destroyed by direct hits. 76 Wing RAF lost 11 Battles. However, the French commanders, already deeply schooled and versed in the rather staunchly defensively-focused broad, generalized doctrine of methodological warfare, were located far to the rear, which meant they lacked a real-time picture of the battle. Fliegerkorps had developed the concept of the rolling raid with Guderian. [18], Nevertheless, while Kleist accepted the folly of the Flize detour, he insisted the offensive concentration point should be made west of the Ardennes Canal. El resultat va ser la captura de l'emperador Napoleó III amb el seu exèrcit i va decidir a la pràctica la guerra a favor de Prússia i els seus aliats, tot i que la lluita va continuar sota un nou govern francès. Guderian decided to push for the Channel, even if it meant ignoring the High Command and Hitler himself. Le 2 septembre, jour de la capitulation française, devint fête nationale (jour de Sedan, « Sedantag ») dans l'Empire allemand et fut célébré jusqu'en 1918. [55] The last bunker to surrender did so at 22:40 hours on 13 May. La Bataille de Sedan : 1er novembre 1870 Orario : 11 nov. 2020 06:00 PM Amsterdam, Berlin, Rome, Stockholm, Vienne[…] Lire la suite. Only 24 guns remained and they did not arrive on the battlefield until 17:00. Its capture would give the Germans a base from which to take the Meuse bridges and cross the river. Le 2 septembre, vers 8 heures, l'empereur quitte Sedan car il veut s'entretenir avec le roi de Prusse. Une somme de cinq milliards de francs or est demandée à titre de dommages de guerre. For these reasons, Guderian had decided the outcome depended on the quality of air support, acting as flying artillery. [68], The X Corps' attack involved a strike on the left flank by the 213th Infantry Regiment and 7th Tank Battalion, and on the right flank by the 205th Infantry Regiment and 4th Tank Battalion. [41] The Luftwaffe was two hours late in appearing but the effort made was considerable. The Battle of Sedan or Second Battle of Sedan (12–15 May 1940)[10][13][14] took place in the Second World War during the Battle of France in 1940. [31], Guderian's plan for 13 May was straightforward. At this time, Stonne was held only by the 1st Battalion Großdeutschland supported by only nine of the Regiment's 12 anti-tank artillery guns. [59], French Air Forces under the command of Commandant des Forces (Commander of Forces) Marcel Têtu Aeriennes de Cooperation du Front Nord-Est (Ardennes Cooperation Front North East, or FACNE)[61] rarely supported the British efforts despite substantial reinforcements. That left 2,000 for the defence of the river Meuse. To restrict enemy movements and communications, German fighters swept the area to cut land-lines and strafe fortifications, with some shooting of radio antennae off command posts. This subjected the division to fire from Donchery and the Bellevue Castle's 75mm artillery casemates, located slightly to the east of the town. Mai 1940 by Général Général Yves Lafontaine and Publisher Editions de Fallois. Un photographe, François Willème, a pris des clichés des travaux à la demande d'Auguste Philippoteaux, député-maire de Sedan, et de l'architecte Édouard Depaquit, [26]. 265. [15][16], On 10 May 1940, the Wehrmacht invaded Luxembourg, Netherlands and Belgium. Pour éviter les Prussiens de la IIIe armée, Mac-Mahon décide alors de remonter au nord vers le département des Ardennes pour ensuite se diriger sur Metz. [51] By the time the error was realised, most of the artillerymen and infantrymen had abandoned their heavy equipment. They flew only an average of one sortie per day, including strategic defensive missions. Batallie de Sedan Français, aux armes! The impressive escort was offset by the presence of German fighter units that outnumbered the Allied escort fighters by 3:1. [8] The 2nd Panzer Division, under the command of Generalleutnant (Lieutenant General) Rudolf Veiel, had to hand 45 Panzer I, 115 Panzer II, 59 Panzer III and 32 Panzer IVs. Vers une heure de l’après-midi, Wimpffen donne ses ordres : contre-attaquer vigoureusement du côté de Bazeilles, en direction de Metz. The encirclement destroyed the best units of the French Army, including a prisoner of war total of 40,000 but 139,732 British and 139,037 French troops escaped. Son récit met principalement en avant la dimension humaine et individuelle de la bataille de Sedan, décrivant le comportement des combattants, du côté français comme du côté allemand. L'action combinée des deux armées prussiennes encercle celle de Bazaine dans la citadelle de Metz, le 20 août. Olio/tela, 25 1/6 x 31 1/2 in 64 x 80 cm. À deux heures, sur le plateau d'Illy, sur le flanc nord-ouest de la citadelle de Sedan, les deux armées allemandes ont effectué leur jonction : la boucle est bouclée. Fliegerkorps's total mission count on the Meuse front was 910 compared to II. Throughout the day, large masses of troops and equipment assembled north of the Meuse in preparation for the river crossing. They contained the fortified artillery positions and dominated the approaches to the strategic and operational depths beyond Sedan and the Meuse. Alors, de toutes parts, c’est un flot épouvanté d’hommes, de chevaux, de chariots, de canons, qui reflue vers Sedan, comme si, derrière les vieux remparts se trouvait le salut. [46], The German Generals, in particular Guderian, were relieved that the Luftwaffe had prevented the Allied bombers from knocking out their supply bridges. X Corps, with the 12th and 64th Reconnaissance Battalions, elements of the 71st Infantry Division, 205th Infantry Regiment, the 4th Tank Battalion were also to join the attack. Fantassins, cavaliers, équipages du train, voitures d’ambulance, fourgons de toute sorte se mettent à converger vers le centre de Sedan, se mêlant, s’étouffant, s’écrasant sur les ponts-levis. [71], The Germans suffered a seven-hour delay in getting their armour across the bridge from 01:20-07:30, which could have been disastrous for the Panzer divisions. By this time the Großdeutschland had lost 570 men and were in need of rest and the Panzerjägerkompanie 14 (14th Panzer Anti-tank Company) had lost six of its 12 guns. La Bataille de Sedan. The advance to the Channel trapped 1,700,000 soldiers and expelled the Allies from Western Europe. [52], The central ground assault was to be conducted by the 1st Panzer Division and supported by the Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland and the Sturmpionier-Battalion 43 (43rd Assault Engineer Battalion) as the 1st Panzer only had a single rifle regiment. The FlaK battalions of the 1st, 2nd and 10th Panzer Divisions numbered 303 anti-aircraft guns. Les options pour le commandant de l'armée de Châlons sont celles-ci : soit il prend la direction de Metz, avec la perspective de se voir couper la route par les Saxons et voir aussi l'armée prussienne remonter des environs de Châlons en le prenant à revers, soit il renonce et vient défendre Paris. [8] In total Guderian could muster 60,000 men, 22,000 vehicles, 771 tanks and 141 artillery pieces. Mansoor, Peter R. "The Second Battle of Sedan, May 1940", in the, This page was last edited on 1 February 2021, at 23:28. Not all of these were laid, and some barriers were moved during the bunker construction in the Sedan sector. The shift of operations further north would also disperse concentration (or Schwerpunkt) and disrupt the intense planning of the German tactical units, who had been in training for the Sedan attack and an advance north-west, for months. Once these lightly defended areas were negotiated, Army Group A's XIX. Le roi de Prusse observant les chasseurs d'Afrique depuis son point de vue du village de Frénois se serait exclamé : « Ah, quels braves soldats ! The infantry also succeeded in knocking out most of the casemates in the area using flamethrower teams to destroy the bunkers whose infantry failed to surrender quickly. Guderian reported there was no sign of the enemy. L'armée française, commandée par Napoléon III et Patrice de Mac-Mahon, tentait vainement de lever le siège de Metz, mais elle fut interceptée par l'armée prussienne stationnée en Meuse et fut défaite à la bataille de Beaumont. [79] Only 10 French tanks, out of 40, remained. [41], By nightfall on 12 May, Guderian's XIX. The major efforts were now made by the AASF. The attacks were made in Gruppe (group) strength and against the line of maximum resistance along the enemy gun line. The commander of X Corps' artillery, Colonel Poncelet, had tried to keep his units where they were, but had reluctantly ordered a retreat. It was part of the German Wehrmacht's operational plan codenamed Fall Gelb (Case Yellow) for an offensive through the hilly and forested Ardennes, to encircle the Allied armies in Belgium and north-eastern France. La bataille commence à tourner en faveur des Français. Le commandement des troupes françaises dépend d'abord du maréchal Mac-Mahon. La bataille de Bazeilles a coûté à la France la vie de 2 655 marsouins et bigors et à l'Allemagne celle de près de 5 000 Bavarois[12],[13]. In this innocuous town, a vicious two-day battle took place in which the Germans came face to face with the premier French tank, the Char B1-Bis, for the only time. 265. The 147th Fortress Regiment was the backbone of the 55th Infantry Division and was to occupy the bunker positions on the Meuse. Alain Frèrejean, article publié dans le numéro spécial 58 de la revue, Sur les mouvements des armées dans les jours précédant la bataille de Sedan, voir. Mais il reçoit l'ordre de secourir l'armée du maréchal Bazaine assiégée à Metz par les Ire et IIe armées allemandes. For the Battle of Sedan (1940), see Battle of the Meuse. Privés de leurs réserves, les deux chefs de corps tentent de jeter dans la brèche, pêle-mêle, tout ce qu’ils ont pu rallier, mais en vain. De nombreux civils prennent part aux combats. Mai 2020, quatre-vingtième anniversaire du désastre de Sedan. Mac-Mahon décrète placidement : «  Repos pour toute l’armée demain 1er septembre[10],[11]. The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. The 1st Panzer Division had struggled to advance as quickly as it would have liked, and was jammed on the roads leading out of Gaulier and Sedan. Prime. In the next attacks, they held their positions and fought. [8] It also had 16 Sd.Kfz. The telecommunication cables were destroyed (most had been laid out in the open) through bombing, paralysing the division's communications, and the psychological damage crippled its defensive capacity. [57], The 10th Panzer Division, like the 2nd Panzer Division, had detached its heavy artillery batteries to support neighbouring units. Their analysis concluded that what appeared to be strong fortified positions were just the construction sites of half-built bunkers that were, to all intents and purposes, empty shells. Les forces prussiennes désireuses d’obtenir l’unification de l’Allemagne rencontrent les hommes de Napoléon III dans une vieille place forte.