Dutch and Belgian Forces 1940

Pity the Germans had a better idea though.

 

The French did have reserves scheduled to go to Sedan, but because they miscalculated when the Germans would cross the Meuse. The result was the French used up their reserves in piecemeal attacks.

 

Also both they sent their best units to central Belgium and Holland instead of the Ardennes. This is how they got delayed in Zeeland instead of being near Sedan and go not go get there on time because of the rush to Abeville and the Dunkirk trap .
So piecemeal atacks and best units communting , other elite units being at Narvik, and leaders who got their glory from the old school with soldiers charging with bayonets without tank support. Add to this good pilots but with an outdated Airforce and you get the recipe of a disaster.

 

The French did have good planes, but what happened to them is a mystery. It is clear that the airforce command was as behind the times as the army as far as doctrine

 

Not any real useful cooperation. The Dutch and Belgians were both hoping that they could avoid being drawn into the conflict by staying neutral, therefore didn't allow BEF or French forces in to prepare positions

 

The French did have some good aircraft, but the Luftwaffe had got its tails up and swept all before it.


Fighters
M.S. 406
VG-33

Light Bombers
Potez 630
M.B. 170

Medium Bomber
MB.210

The Allies were hit by an Army which fought in such a way that anything they did to stop it simply failed, old fashioned tactics, lack of communication and piece meal attacks, did help the Germans, the German spearheads were just too fast and concentrated.

Yan.

 

the Dewoitine 152 was a good match too but it was ready too lat eand only a few dozen were engaged. Nontheless the Luftwaffe suffered extreme severe losses and those aircrafts would be dearly missed when needed during the BoB.
Others that comes to mind was the Curtiss fighter.


I have figures for the Dutch Airforce too:

On May 10th 1940 they were divided into 2 regiments:

1 regiment : 10 Fokker cx + 4 Fokker CV +12 Fokker TV + 24 Fokker DXXI + 25 Fokker G.I.A (total 75)
2 regiment : 12 Douglas + 31 fokker CV + 17 Koolhoven FK51 + 1 fOKKER cx + 9 Fokker DXXI (total 60)

instruction planes : 76 (of whom 31 war planes but mostly unweaponed)

Marine : 53 aircraft

others : 3 Fokker C-IX and 56 diverse.

Source : Icare Magazine

 

I have this on both the Dutch and Belgian Air Forces in 1940.

Dutch Air force

Monoplanes

[FONT=&amp]17 x Douglas 8A-3N Fighters (11 x Operational)[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]36 x Fokker D-XXI Fighters (29 x Operational)[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]62 x Fokker[/FONT][FONT=&amp] G-1 Twin Engine Fighters (33 x Operational)[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]14 x Fokker T-V Medium Bombers (14 x Operational)[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Biplanes[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]16 x Fokker C-X Light Biplanes (16 x Operational)[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]31 x Fokker C-V Light Biplanes (31 x Operational) [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]7 x Fokker D-XVII Biplanes (7 x Operational) [/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]18 x Koolhoven FK-51 Biplanes (18 x Operational)[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Belgian Air force[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]Monoplanes[/FONT]

15 x Hawker Hurricanes
16 x Fairey Battles (light Bombers)
38 x Renard R31 (Recce)
12 x Koolhoven FK56s (Trainers)
23 x Morane Saulnier MS 230/236 (Trainers)

[FONT=&amp]Biplanes[/FONT]

[FONT=&amp]43 x Fairy Fox II [/FONT](Including; Fighters, Trainers & Recce)
[FONT=&amp]13 x Fairy Fox III [/FONT](Fighters)
[FONT=&amp]48 x Fairy Fox IIIC [/FONT](47 x Fighters & 1 x Trainer)
[FONT=&amp]4 x Fairy Fox IIIS [/FONT](all Trainers)
[FONT=&amp]85 x Fairy Fox VI [/FONT](81 x Fighters & 4 x Trainers)
[FONT=&amp]2 x Fairy Fox VII [/FONT](Fighters)
[FONT=&amp]15 x Fairy Fox VIII [/FONT](all Fighters)
34 x Fiat CR.42 (Fighters)
22 x Gloster Gladiators (Fighters)
153 x Berguet XIX A2/B2s (Light Bomber)

Just hope it’s correct.

Yan.

 

Figures for Holland are about the same from both sources, except yours do not mention the "miscanceleous" ones and your make a disctinction between those wich are operational or not.

For Belgium I will check later, but your sources look very similar to mine. (Icare as well)

 

Thank You Skipper.

I see the Belgians also used the Fairey Battle Light Bomber, the RAF sent these Aircraft to bomb the bridges over the Albert Canal and later to destroy German pontoon bridges at Sedan, the Fairey Battles suffered heavily in both attacks.


Yan.

 

Yes I have quite a few pictures of crashed Fairey Battles. The French also suffered losses in the Benelux.

 

Yes Skipper, Armée de l'Air lost eleven out of a force of eighteen Breguet 639s on May 11[SUP]th[/SUP].

Yan.

 

Granted but they did not loose these in vain since the GC 1/4 destroyed 17 German aircraft the same day north of Antwerp

 

between the bomber losses of the battle of France and the BoB, the transport losses in Holland and later in Crete, the Germans ended up shutting down their bomber training school in 1942 because of the shortage of bomber pilots.

 

Hi Skipper, could you help me with a question concerning the Bataillon de Chars de Combat, I thought that Chars referred to the Char B1 bis heavy tank, and each Battalion contained 34 of them, but I have seen the same Battalion (Bataillon de Chars de Combat) equipped with 45 x Hotchkiss-39s, so does the term Bataillon de Chars de Combat mean ‘’Armoured Battalion’’.



Bataillon de Chars de Combat (BCC)
[FONT=&quot]1 x Command Char B1bis tank and 3 x Char B1bis reserve tanks [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3 x Companies with; 1 x command Char B1bis tank and 3 x platoons of 3 x Char B1bis tanks per Coy.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Or [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bataillon de Chars de Combat (BCC)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 x Command H-39 tank [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]1 x Compagnie d'échelon (reserve cie) with 6 x H-39 tanks [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]3 x Companies with; 1 x command H-39 tank and 4 x platoons of 3 x H-39 tanks per Coy

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]One last question for you all, does anyone know the Armour of the White M.1917/18 Armoured Car, it may have been a dated Vehicle but it did serve in the French Colonies till 1941.

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]This is what I have so far;

[/FONT]

[FONT=&quot]White M.1917/18 Armoured Car.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Total Built; 230[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Crew; 4[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Weight; 6.0t[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Armament; 1 x 37mm L/21 SA-18 Gun + 1 x 8mm mle 1918 Hotchkiss MG.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Ammunition Carried; 198 x 37mm + 5.500 x MG[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Armour.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Turret Front;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Turret Sides;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Turret Rear;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Turret Top;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hull Front; 8mm[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hull Sides;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hull Rear;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hull Roof;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Road Speed; 45 kph (27 mph)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Cross Country Speed;[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
Thanks for any help,[/FONT]
Yan.

 

I believe "char de combat" is referred too as "tank" . the disticntion would be "char leger" and "char lourd" rahter than armoured vehicle .

The BCC were divided into heavy and old models bataillons.

for the R35 H35, H39, Renault R40, FCM36

each bataillon = 45 tanks divided into 3 companies times ( 4 sections of 3 tanks ) + 8 lead tanks and one command tank 36 + 8 + 1 = 45 .


the older BCC had 63 tanks (45 in the colonies)
3 companies of 4 sections of 4 chars, + 1 for each company leader , + 11 reserve.

Bataillons de Chars de Combat ( BCC )

 

Thank you Skipper.
I am sorry to bother you with the Armoured car data, I have been trying for years now to pin down and record all of the data concerning French Armoured Cars, I have done much, but alas not completed the work.


These are the ones lacking data;


Berliet VUDB (Cross country speed)
White M.1917/18 (Armour data & Cross country speed)
AMC P-16 (Cross country speed & Cross country speed)
Laffly S-15 TOE AMD (Armour data & Cross country speed)
Laffly AMD 50AM (Armour data & Cross country speed)

Info on these vehicles is very rare, even more rare is the TO&E of a Yugoslav Infantry Company 1941, I have been trying to find the components of this unit for 12 years (amount of men, how many to a squad, how many squads, support squads and Company HQ), it is like searching for the Holy Grail.

Yan.

 

-The Lafly S-15 TOE had one single REIBBEL gun on a chassis.

Laffly 50 AMD -1 c 37- gun + 1 8 mm machine gun

P16 : -1 canon 37mm SA16 + 1 7.5mm machine gun


More here

http://www.atf40.fr/ATF40/mai40/francais3.html

 

Thank you Skipper, I will endeavour to search through your link for any info I have missing.


Yan.

 

The Dutch Army in 1940 had only one tank, a french Renault