The Char B1 heavy tank, No.326, and named “Dordogne” was originally assigned to the replacement battalion of the 41st. BCC ((Bataillon de Chars de Combat) on January 6, 1940. However, by May 10, 1940, the tank was transferred to the 2nd. Compagnie, 28th. BCC. The tank was commanded by Lieutenant Marcel Cousin, the driver was Adjutant-Chef (Chief Warrant Officer) Colombo, the radio operator was Sergeant Magne, and the gunner was Corporal Savrey. The 28th. BCC was part of the 1st. DCR (Divisions Cuirassées de Reserve) and on May 15, the unit was deployed to the north of Flavion, Belgium.
On the morning of May 16, the German Panzer Regiment 25 ran into the 3rd. Compagnie of the 28th. BCC at approximately 8:30am. Soon, all three companies of the 28th. BCC were engaged with the German regiment. The German tankmen were unprepared to see their rounds bouncing off the thick armor of the B1 tanks, let alone the number of French heavy tanks encountered. As it turned out, Panzer Regiment 25 was not informed by Luftwaffe intelligence assets of the true strength of the French in the area. The German commanders decided that combat had to commence at close range in order to have a chance at eliminating the French tanks. Using the terrain to as much advantage as possible to mask their movements, Panzer Regiment 25 sought to flank the 28th. BCC and around 9:30am, the 2nd. Compagnie shifted from their position in order to stop the German advance. Unfortunately, the sporadic supply situation saw many of the company's tanks run out of fuel. The B1 tanks were struck dozens of times by German fire which put many of the tanks out of action. Those B1 tanks with fuel began to retreat but soon, the crews knew they wouldn't get far. So, instead, they used the last of their fuel to turn the tanks to bring the 75mm hull mounted gun to bear on the enemy. Once fuel was expended, the commanders used the turret mounted 47mm gun to continue the fight, often until the electric batteries died leaving only hand cranks to turn the turret. The combat was joined by Panzer Regiment 31 around 12:00pm and they too received a bloody nose by the tanks of the 28th. BCC. The German tanks began to run out of ammunition and their supply trains were still too far behind to offer any swift replenishment. By 2:00pm, the 28th. BCC still held their positions despite the punishment the unit received. At 6pm, the order was given to withdraw and what tanks of the 28th. BCC were still mobile and had enough fuel, commenced to retreat to either Beaumont or Chastre. Those tanks which could not retreat remained where they were, giving battle until they had nothing left. Abandoned tanks were blown up and their crews continued to fight on foot for a time before retreating from the field. All told, only three of the 28th. BCC tanks made it out of the battle.
“Dordogne”, assuming the dates are correct, survived the battle but this would not last and on May 18, 1940, the tank was knocked out in combat with elements of the 2nd. Panzer Division near Montfaucon. The crew survived the hit and was taken prisoner by the Germans. Lt. Cousin suffered severe injuries and had his left arm amputated as a result of those wounds.
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