On May 28, 1940, a two Char B1 tank element from 1ère Compagnie, 47e BCC (Bataillon de Chars de Combat) was a part of the combat known as the Battle of Abbeville which commenced on May 27, 1940 to June 4, 1940. The two tanks which made up the element were “Rivoli” (n° 490) and “Crouy” (n° 404). “Rivoli” was received by the 1st. Company on May 10, 1940 and not long after, was rolling into combat. The tank was commanded by Lieutenant Gazelle with the remainder of the crew being Sergent Miard (driver), Chassseur Guillot (gunner), and Chassseur Riedinger (radio operator). Without any infantry support, the two tanks along with other 47e BCC tanks proceeded towards the village of Huppy along the Doudelainville-Poultières-Huppy Road. No enemy was seen until machine-gun fire and strikes from 37mm anti-tank guns began to rattle off “Rivoli’s” armor. Lt. Gazelle steered his tank towards the direction of the enemy fire and began to fire the co-axial 7.5mm Châtellerault M1931 machine-gun but in short order, it jammed. Another B1, “Jeanne d’Arc”(“Joan of Arc”; n° 425), crushed a German PaK 36 37mm anti-tank gun position by running it over. Gazelle ordered the hull-mounted 75mm ABS SA 35 howitzer into action and he himself manned the turret mounted 47mm SA 34 gun. In short order, the Germans were routed, fleeing in the face of what appeared to be unstoppable tanks. At the time, Gazelle did not know it but his tanks had engaged two battalions from Infanterie-Regiment 217 (IR 217) who had nothing heavier than the ineffective PaK 36 with which to attempt to stop the B1 tanks and thus crumbled and fled when the only anti-armor weapons they had were seemingly useless.
As “Rivoli” continued on towards Huppy, Gazelle lost sight of “Crouy” as the tanks continued to be involved in mopping up pockets of resistance by the remains of IR 217. Around this time, Miard informed Gazelle that the oil for the complex Neader transmission was almost at zero which meant a leak. Gazelle ordered the tank to a halt and shut the engine down. Quickly, the crew attempted to locate the leak in an attempt to repair it for without the Neader transmission, the tank would become difficult to steer and also the aiming mechanism for the 75mm howitzer was tied into the transmission. Unfortunately, the leak could not be found and so not wanting to be a sitting target, Gazelle decided to risk making for Huppy. “Rivoli” arrived at a rally point north-east of Doudelainville and here, the leak was found as well as another leak near the engine’s carburetor. The issue with the co-axial machine-gun was also fixed, the stoppage having been caused by a round which swelled in the breech, preventing extraction. Repairs were effected and the tank went back into action but on June 5, 1940, “Rivoli” was abandoned due to further engine problems somewhere between Milly-sur-Thérain and the Vauroux.
As for “Crouy”, its remains were discovered near Croisettes, having been hit twice by 105mm shells, likely from a German 10.5 cm leFH 18 howitzer using direct fire. The commander, Lt. Bauche, was killed when the first round struck the tank’s turret. The driver, Sergent Rouille, was killed when the second shell crushed the driver’s side hull. The remainder of the crew, Chassseur Baumont and Chassseur Nacre, were severely injured. The other mentioned tank, “Jeanne d’Arc”, in just two hours of combat, was hit some 90 times and once its main guns were put out of action from the hail of anti-tank rounds, the tank simply ran through enemy positions. In all, “Jeanne d’Arc” destroyed 12 anti-tank guns and two German armored cars before the Char B1 was struck near Croisettes by a large caliber anti-tank round (at the time, believed to have been from a German 8.8cm gun) which set the engine on fire. The crew was able to abandon the vehicle with only minor wounds.
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