At the same time, the French high command also knew that its plan could no longer be realized. Therefore, the 1st Army Group was ordered to secure the largest possible landing site in the Dunkirk and Calais areas.
In view of the fact that the armored group is currently alone and deep, Hit? After thinking for a long time, Le decided to issue an order to Guderian to stop the pursuit through Rundstedt. Under the circumstances, this was a reasonable decision. The German armored divisions now need rest and replenishment - half of Kleist's tanks are no longer operational, and 30% of Hoth's tanks have been damaged. Only the SS armored division has basically maintained an 80% intact rate because there has been no major battle.
Moreover, the main force of the French army south of the Aisne and Somme rivers was still intact and had not been defeated, so a pause was necessary. In addition, as Major Ellis pointed out, the German authorities were of the same view as the British Army and Navy, believing that a large-scale retreat from the Channel beaches was actually impossible.
At this time, the armored cluster had arrived at the French port of Abbeville and important cities in northern France. The capital of the Somme Province was also the world-famous university city Amiens. Amiens is 116 kilometers away from the capital Paris. With a population of about 150,000, it is an important strategic center and the center of the French textile industry since the 16th century, with access to all parts of northern France.
Since Guderian's 19th Armored Corps had participated in all the battles since entering France and was very exhausted, with 30% of its tanks and armored vehicles already unusable, the battle to capture Amiens was led by the parties that also belonged to the Armored Group. The 1st Guards Panzer Corps was in charge, while Guderian's 19th Panzer Corps was in charge of capturing Abbeville. After a brief consideration, Paul & Hausser approved Guderian's plan.
The reason why Guderian did this was not at all out of fear of losing his troops, but purely out of tactical considerations. As an armed force formed by Lin Wei himself, the SS was deeply loved by Hit? Le's trust. Therefore, the individual strength and attached weapons are much higher than those of the ordinary National Defense Forces. Moreover, although Guderian knew that Amiens' geographical location was very important, in Guderian's eyes now, capturing Abbeville, a port near the English Channel, was even more important. Because in that way, the British and French coalition forces withdrawing from Belgium will be further compressed into a small area, creating good conditions for the next combat operation.
Because of this, after good discussions between the two, they quickly reached a consensus on the next combat operation. Guderian led the 19th Armored Corps' 1st, 3rd, and 10th Armored Divisions. In addition, the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment of the Wehrmacht, later known as the best division in the world, went to attack Abbeville, while Paul Hausser led the Gendarmerie Division and the Imperial Division to attack Amiens.
The battle in Amiens went very smoothly under the command of Paul Hausser. Although Amiens is an important city and textile center in northern France, but now that France itself is unable to protect itself, the troops staying here are obviously It is not a main force, but a temporary reserve force with little experience.
Even before Paul & Hausser completed some routine procedures, including air force bombing, artillery shelling, and tank advance, the defenders of Amiens surrendered. Even the gendarmerie division thought that there would be street fighting like in Warsaw. None of this happened. It was also the day that Paul and Hausser captured Amiens. The three divisions of Prince Eugen, Viking, and Police, which started from the front of the Maginot Line, finally arrived here and joined Paul and Hausser. .
Compared with Paul Hausser's ease, the situation faced by Guderian was much more complicated. Just like before, Guderian believed that as soon as his armored forces appeared, victory would be achieved immediately. The situation since entering France seemed This is also proven. But here, Guderian's armored forces have lost their former power. If it is just a seaport city that is not suitable for armored warfare, Guderian has many ways to deal with it, because Paul & Hausser's situation in Amiens is the same.
The problem does not only arise here, but because at the beginning, the resistance in the port of Abbeville seemed vulnerable. Guderian's 19th Armored Corps immediately made significant progress and seemed to be able to take it in one go. Abbeville.
When the British and French allied forces abandoned their positions and retreated to the waterlogged areas near the strait ports and set up defensive positions there, Guderian's armored group rushed forward. Unexpectedly, when a cluster of German tanks drove into the waterlogged position, the Allies suddenly attacked with artillery fire. They poured a large amount of gasoline and alcohol into the standing water. As soon as the artillery shells and incendiary bombs hit the water, they burst into flames, and the flames engulfed the German tanks. Some drivers panicked and rushed around in the flames; some drivers were burned unconscious and the tanks stopped in the flames and allowed to burn; some tanks could not suck in air in the flames and their engines stopped rotating. The attack of the German armored forces failed in the flames.
In just one attack, nearly a hundred tanks were burned to scrap metal. More importantly, many excellent tank crews cannot be trained in a short time. Guderian certainly knew the hardships involved, so This result was enough to make Guderian feel stunned. But the hugeness did not make Guderian lose his ability to judge. He still knew what he was here to do. Capturing Abbeville was Guderian's goal.
So Guderian, after making a slight adjustment and waiting for the fire to extinguish, immediately prepared for the second attack. For this attack, Guderian was afraid that the artillery fire would be out of reach of the artillery. The artillery fire from the British and French forces would pose a threat to the armored forces. Therefore, a special request was made for continued strikes by the Air Force's Stuka dive bomber wing.
In order to strike unexpectedly, Guderian sent the armored troops of the 10th Armored Division to detour from the beach that was not suitable for combat. This was not a decision made by Guderian in a fit of enthusiasm, but after careful consideration. In An's view, the unfavorable conditions can be overcome. The dense woods of the Ardennes Forest are not suitable for the march of armored troops, but didn't he come here too
Sure enough, the abnormal behavior of the 10th Armored Division achieved unexpected results. When the armored forces commanded by Guderian attacked from the front, the 10th Armored Division suddenly bypassed the edge of the English Channel, allowing the defenders of Abbeville to attack. Big mess. It was quickly compressed into the harbor.
If it were an insignificant battle, the British and French forces surrounded in the port would not mind surrendering gracefully, but that is not possible now. The British and French forces have fallen into a deep siege. Army Group B in the east, under the command of General Bock, General von Reichenau of the Sixth Army and General von Kuchler of the Eighteenth Army were like giant pliers, tightly clamping the necks of the British and French forces. Now, the German armored group represented by Guderian is attacking rapidly from the south, with overwhelming momentum along the way, trying to completely tie the already strong noose around the necks of the British and French forces into a dead knot.
They must save themselves. Even if they are all killed in Abbeville, they must buy time for their comrades. Such was the sentiment of the troops now still holding out in the port of Abbeville.
The withdrawal of the British and French forces into the port gave Guderian a headache, because if there were any taboos in armored combat, it was to avoid street fighting. When Germany sent volunteers to fight in Spain, daily battle reports were sent back in a steady stream. The brutal offensive and defensive battles between Germany and Madrid made Guderian smell a strong smell of blood from the battle reports at that time. Therefore, subconsciously, we avoid the possibility of armored street fighting.
"It's a stupid choice for an armored group to enter urban areas to fight! So what's the way to avoid it? By the way, why did I forget about them?" Guderian said to himself. Guderian, who had regained his composure, immediately ordered, "Invite Colonel von Stockhausen here immediately!"
"Okay, General!" The guard at the door disappeared immediately after hearing Guderian's words.
"With their participation, things will be much easier to handle!" Guderian said happily.
If Lin Wei were here, he would definitely be exclaimed, because when it comes to Colonel von Stockhausen, he is just a little-known ordinary commander, but when it comes to his troops, it is huge Famous because it's Hit? A model unit specially built by Le. The soldiers of this regiment have an armband on their right arm, and the words "Greater Germany" written on the armband! It is the Grossdeutsche Panzer Division of the Wehrmacht, which will be known as the number one division in the world in the future.
On April 12, 1939, Hit? Le personally ordered the Berlin Garrison to be renamed the "Greater Deutschland" Infantry Regiment. On June 14 of the same year, at a military parade in Berlin, the "Greater Deutschland" Infantry Regiment was officially announced. On September 1, 1939, Germany attacked Poland. , the outbreak of World War II. At this time, the soldiers of the regiment believed that their unit, which bore the title of national honor, had the responsibility to participate in the first battle. The Supreme Command originally planned to airdrop it to Poland for combat on September 6, but this plan was canceled because the Soviet army sent troops to eastern Poland.
throughout the subsequent campaign. The Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment remained in the homeland for organization and training. On September 15, the soldiers of the regiment received a green armband embroidered with the words "Grossdeutschland" in Gothic letters. This is a supreme honor for the German army, because only elite troops are eligible to wear it in German history. Armband. But they were dissatisfied because the armband was the same color as the postman's. In order to distinguish themselves from the SS, the officers and soldiers wore their armbands on their right arms. On October 1, the High Command ordered the regiment to assign a company to take charge of security work in Berlin. On the 25th, the "Iron Helmet" logo began to be officially adopted on the vehicles of the Grossdeutschland Regiment.
Subsequently, a lot of equipment and weapons were gradually added to the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment, making the strength of the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment far superior to that of ordinary infantry regiments. At this time, Hit? Le also slowly realized that it was time for the Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment to participate in actual combat. The first battle was on the Western Front.