Hannut Belgium, May 12-14 1940?

[Alkiviadis]

Anyone out there working on a scenario/op on The Battle of Hannut (alternately known as "The Battle of Gembloux Gap" in Belgium 1940? 2 French light mech divisions under General Prioux stopped Hoepner's panzers cold. There was heavy fighting all along the a line running from Tirlemont thru Hannut to Huy, with the heaviest fighting in the center at Hannut. The 3rd & 4th Pz Divs were bled white with a loss of around 150 panzers. The French 2nd & 3rd DLM lost around 105 tanks. Somuas & H-39s against Pz1, 2s, 3s, & short 4s. A meeting engagement between 2 DLMs & 2 Pz Divisions....sounds tasty to me.

[Hans]

I have it on my 'to do' list with the note, "Pioux's cavalry Corps and Hoepner's XVI Panzer Corps meet in Northern Belgium." Also noted heavy German airpower use and wide range of tanks on both sides. Probably use as a basis for 2-3 smaller scenarios, to big overall for one CMAK (IMHO).

Unfortunately I don't have a detailed source for it as yet.

I recommend you go for it!

[McAuliffe]

Cannot help you with informaton on the confrontation, but if you're looking for detailed topomap go here :
NGI.be (http://www.ngi.be/FR/FR-infoshop.htm)

Fill in the name of the location- e.g. Hannut -in the box visualiser une localité and click GO

A separate window will pop up with the name of the location in hyperlink. Click the hyperlink and the map will be retrieved of the area. Zoom in to 1:20.000 -25.000 at your convenience.

[Alkiviadis]

Perhaps some of the French members of the community would have easier access to any AARs, I would think it was a battle heavily studied by the French Army after the war.

[Hans]

Originally posted by McAuliffe:
Cannot help you with informaton on the confrontation, but if you're looking for detailed topomap go here :
NGI.be (http://www.ngi.be/FR/FR-infoshop.htm)

Fill in the name of the location- e.g. Hannut -in the box visualiser une localité and click GO

A separate window will pop up with the name of the location in hyperlink. Click the hyperlink and the map will be retrieved of the area. Zoom in to 1:20.000 -25.000 at your convenience. didn't seem to be working when I tried it, will try later

[Hans]

Originally posted by Alkiviadis:
Perhaps some of the French members of the community would have easier access to any AARs, I would think it was a battle heavily studied by the French Army after the war. I would suspect so, I would think St. Cyr wouold have have done a study of it and all French battles of WWII.

We may need to find someone now in the French Army who would have access to the materials used to train army officers.

I presume the material exists but in book form and in French

[McAuliffe]

Guess you should better address a Morrocon national, as more then 2.000 Tiralleurs Marocains died in order to stop the Germans in their tracks and even pushed them back. All in vain since south of Namur, Rommel had already beaten the French. Not the most glorious episode in the French military annals.

[HarryInk]

Thanks v. much for the topographic map site. Ace.

[Hans]

Ah it worked this time, please tell me there is a similar site for France?