Episode Four: The Fall of Sedan - Hitler's Invasion of the West
Вставка
- Опубліковано 18 тра 2024
- #sedan #hitler #battleoffrance
‘The Fall of Sedan’ is the fourth episode of our new series - Hitler’s Invasion of the West. Crossing the border into France, Alex and Lawrence head for the important city of Sedan to learn more about the German breakthrough here in May 1940. For it was here that Guderian’s three Panzer Divisions having circumnavigated the arduous terrain of the Ardennes region, burst out onto the unsuspecting French forces, crossed the River Meuse, and broke-out towards the English Channel.
We will be exploring the fierce fighting which raged at the edge of the Ardennes around Maison Forte (Mf10) de St Menges on the 12th May 1940. As outnumbered and outgunned, five brave French men of the 10th A/T Battery, 78th Artillery Regiment fought ferociously to try and hold up the vanguard of the 1st Panzer Division’s advance. All of them bravely gave their lives trying to defend France. The building now stands as a permanent memorial to them.
Heading up to the heights overlooking Sedan, we discuss the terrific aerial bombardment by the Luftwaffe to support Guderian’s troops attempt to cross the River Meuse on 13th May. We also visit a few of the crossing points, including one near the Sedan Railway Station, not far from where a small group spearheaded by Feldwebel Walter Rubarth successfully managed to reach the opposite banks of the Meuse and set to work, which proved so crucial into turning the initial failures into a triumphant success in the 10th Panzer Division’s sector.
We also pay our respects to the RAF, as it was not only those of the French defenders slugging it out on the ground that were risking all to stem the German onslaught, but men, both French and British who were losing their lives in the skies high above Sedan. On 14th May out of the 71 British bombers which took off to attack the German bridgehead at Sedan, 40 would never return.
Our final afternoon stop sees us heading to the tiny French village of Stonne, just 20km south of Sedan as we look to discover more about the Verdun-style fighting that took place here during the ensuing days. On 15th to the 17th May alone the village changed hands no fewer than 17 times.
Teaming up with the various Tourism Boards and the EuroTunnel, the WW2 Nation Team hit the road again last October as we set out to explore some of the historical sites connected with Hitler’s Blitzkrieg campaign in the West during the Summer of 1940.
Special thanks to Infinite Pixel, The Map Archive, After The Battle, Pen & Sword, the Tourism Boards, the EuroTunnel and many others for their kind help with this Series.
----Follow Us----
✩ Website - ww2nation.com
✩ Facebook - / ww2nation ✩ Twitter - / ww2nation
✩ Instagram - / ww2nationhq
----IMPORTANT----
We all have a great passion for WW2 history and are determined to learn as much as we can about this time in history and share our experiences with you, the WW2 Community. We are on a journey of discovery and exploring this period of history from all sides. Those with sympathetic views towards the Nazi regime or hold any type of extreme views are not welcome here on WW2 Nation.
----CREDITS----
Music:
Path to Greatness - Cody Martin (Instrumental) Rising Storm - Cody Martin (Instrumental)
Agape - Joachim Heinrich
The Ways of Royalty - Cody Martin (Instrumental) And He Arose - Joachim Heinrich
Images:
Sedan Tourism Board After The Battle
Pen & Sword
The Map Archive Wikipedia - Bundesarchive
Nice video.
Thanks 🍻
Rudolf de Lang thanks Rudolf.
Thanks for the another video
You revive the rust pages of bloody history. love your videos.
Parviz thank you.
Powerful and well done episode. I could see the remembrance and thanks you both had in your eyes and in your voices. Thank you for paying your respects as well. I hope more people view and subscribe to your channel.
Really enjoying this series!
Thanks Chris.
Thanks so much ! Great content..
Great work guys! 👏 👏 👏
Gustavo C. Silva thank you.
Wow this was very interesting! From Los Angeles, California, I can't wait to see all your episodes! Cheers!
Excellent presentation, so informative, Thank you.
Keith Gordon thanks Keith, glad you found it of interest.
Well done chaps. Another very enjoyable video.
Ross Corbett Thanks Ross. 👍
THANKS for focussing on these subjects and honouring them so well Gents!
Cracking effort very interesting information
Stephen Giles thank you for watching. We are glad you found it of interest.
Brilliant video, love your channel. Thank you for creating and sharing.
Thank you so informative
Nice videoooooooOOOO 📹
Greetings from Spain!
Recently discovered your channel, loving the content. Look forward to more👍
Like wat you are doing, well told story, i have been in Stonne a few times, own a house in a nearby town, nice toe see it in your perspective.
Very nice and Interesting video about the war. Keep on the good work.
Thomas Olsson thanks Thomas glad you enjoyed it.
Really enjoyed the video. Interesting!
Robert-Jan Bodar thanks.
Super piece on the French effort guys, you are doing a great service. I've only just stumbled across your site and this video (nearly 2 years later !) thanks to a recent tweet by Ben Mayne. The French line soldiers put up amazing resistance against terrible odds, and their story has not been brought to a universal audience until now in my view. Having been let down by a generation of octogenarian & sclerotic generals in the higher echelons of command, who should have been put out to pasture, once the guns of WW1 fell silent, I am delighted you have sought to bring their story to light, through your channel. Bravo R
Well done lads 👌 as always cracking little insight and tease. Hopefully one day will be there with you Law thanks again 👏
Thanks Stu.
It's the first time i see this video and I love that my city has its own nice videos like this. Sedan is a nice city, I was born there and I love it. Thank you
Merci d'avoir fait cette vidéo, signé : un sedanais
Well done fellas. Really enjoying these videos and the message particularly at the end of this video stood out to me. Heroic work you're doing sharing this content
Bryan Fusfield thanks Bryan, much appreciated. We hope you find the next few coming up in this series of interest also.
Excellent account of the breakthrough at Sedan and the fighting at Stonne. I'm reading Karl-Heinz Frieser's book "The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West" and this helped to place a lot of things in context. I particularly liked the account of our brave airmen making their attacks on the Meuse Bridges (mostly Fairey Battles and Blenheims I think). This took me back to the mid 1970s when I used to make 1/35 scale Tamiya AFVs and I remember when the 20mm FlakVierling on the 8 tonne tractor was released, the advert in Military Modelling said that this weapon and others like it, inflicted heavy losses on the allied air forces that attacked the bridges. Indeed a Black Day for the RAF. Well done and keep up the good work.
Really enjoy your videos, can’t wait for more content keep up the good work!
💛💚💙💜 Just subscribed and meant to do so for some time now. You are appreciated!
Love your stuff. What happened to the other guy from earlier videos?
There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt
Funny enough is that the German victory over France in 1940 proved to be Germans downfall in the end...That is because if the Germans had not defeated the French the German army would never gone into the Soviet Union.
The Soviets in 1941 were even in a worse state than the French in 1940...However the Russians had the space and the time to recover from the initial Blitzkrieg and in the end the Soviets,the Russians had prevailed.
Yes the French lost 100,000 people in their war against the Germans.However the Soviets lost over 20 million people in their war against the Nazis...It is ironic that many of the German soldiers who marched in Paris in 1940 froze to death in Stalingrad 2 to 3 years later.