Remnants of War: Panzerkampfwagen 17R 730(f)

Source: Paul Cooper on X™

     Situated along the coast of northern Norway near the village of Kongsfjord resides the remains of Veinesodden Batteri (Gun Battery Veinesodden). Built in 1942 by occupying German forces, the battery consisted of five captured World War One era French Canon de 155 L Modèle 1917 155mm howitzers. Each gun was emplaced in an open, circular pit with a center ring to which the entire gun (carriage and all) was mounted, allowing it a 360 degree rotation. The howitzers were capable of lobbing shells out to 11 miles. Bunkers blasted into the bedrock behind the gun positions housed ammunition and billets for the 140 man strong battery unit. 

     The battery was expanded, to include ex-French Renault FT-17 light tanks (which had the German designation of Panzerkampfwagen 17R 730(f)) of which one remains to this day, situated in a position overlooking the sea. Left to rust and be picked over by souvenir hunters and scrappers, little was left. As a side note, the round parts just behind the turret is the clutch and brake assembly. Fortunately, preservationists received permission from the Armed Forces Museum located in Oslo, Norway to preserve and restore the tank. Missing parts were reconstructed by local metal workers and the FT-17 was given an external restoration where it rested. By 2008, the restoration was complete but not long after, scrappers vandalized the tank and removed several of the rear plates. 

     As for the battery, it was abandoned in October 1944. Four of the guns were removed but the fifth gun and other parts of the battery’s emplacements were blown up by the retreating Germans. The remains of the battery, along with the FT-17, can be visited to this day.

Char B1 bis (n° 416) “Hautvillers”: Knocked Out at Stonne

Source: Reddit

     Looking at a map of France, today the village of Stonne is a tiny speck consisting of 2.77 square miles of land area and 39 residents. Yet, between May 15 and May 17, 1940, Stonne was the epicenter of a brutal see-saw battle between an ad-hoc force of French Army troops and the German Army, led by the 10th. Panzer Division along with other elements, to include the crack Infanterie-Regiment "Großdeutschland".

     While Stonne itself had absolutely no military value, the land it was situated on most certainly did. Immediately to the north of Stonne sits Mont-Dieu (God's Mountain) which is heavily wooded with only the D 30 road running through it and into Stonne. The village itself sits atop a 330 meter (1,082 foot) elevation with a very steep drop-off into the thick woods north of the village. To the east of Stonne, near the D 30 road's turn into the village, is Le Pain de Sucre (Sugarloaf) which is a conical shaped hill some 335 meters (1,099 feet) high.“Zuckerhut“ (also meaning Sugarloaf), as the point was called in German, offered an excellent observation point. The French realized that the area around Stonne was a natural obstacle to check the German advance further south and so they quickly fortified the area with pillboxes and set up barriers to slow down German troops.

     During the Battle of Stonne, the village exchanged hands seventeen times. The initial day saw elements of the 3e Division d'Infanterie Motorisée already positioned in Stonne but by 0800 hours, Stonne was in German hands, led by 1. Bataillon, Infanterie-Regiment "Großdeutschland". In the course of the day's combat, Char B1 bis tanks belonging to 3e Compagnie, 49e Bataillon de Chars, would see action against the Germans and the knocked out tank shown here was one of them. The tank, n° 416 and named “Hautvillers“, was commanded by Sous-lieutenant Jacques Klein and driven by Caporal-chef Emile Chanel. The names of the radio operator and assistant driver (who was usually a mechanic) that completed the crew are not known. The tank was received by the unit on March 25, 1940. 

     At approximately 1000 hours,“Hautvillers“ had been advancing north towards Stonne over the ground between the D 30 and D 24 roads. A Panzerkampfwagen IV, belonging to Panzer-Regiment 8, spotted the French tank and took it under fire. The Pz.IV's gunner, one Karl Koch, was able to hit “Hautvillers“ three to four times. The results of the successful engagement saw “Hautvillers“ turret jammed, the 47mm gun fitted to it bent, the right side track severed, and a non-penetrating hit on the armor near Caporal-chef Chanel's station. The spalling of the armor on the interior by the strike caused superficial injuries to Chanel and triggered a fire in the tank's electrical system. With such crippling hits, the crew abandoned the tank though all four men would later be captured by German troops. Given the photograph, it is clear the fire consumed the tank, probably causing an ammunition detonation which blew apart much of the upper hull, causing the turret to fall inward. This particular photograph was likely taken well after the battle as much of the debris following the tank's demise is no longer seen laying on the ground. Based on the many photographs taken of the tank by German soldiers, the location of the wreck may be at the intersection of Route de la Berlière (D 24) and Rue du Paquis which is located just outside Stonne proper.

     While German forces ultimately won the Battle of Stonne, the area would not be completely pacified until May 25, 1940.

Char B1 (n° 227) “Bordeaux”: Mine Victim near Mareuil-Caubert

     Char B1 “Bordeaux” (n ° 227), following its construction, was delivered to the 510e RCC (Régiment de Chars de Combat) stationed near Nancy, France in 1938. By September 1939, “Bordeaux” was transferred to the 15e BCC, 1ère Compagnie (Bataillon de Chars de Combat; 1st. Company, Combat Tank Battalion). Once again, this time on May 18, 1940, the tank was with the 348e Compagnie Autonome de Chars de Combat (CACC; Autonomous Company of Combat Tanks) under the command of Second Lieutenant Fournier. His crew consisted of driver Sergeant Chief Rivoal, gunner/assistant driver Corporal Jacquet, and radioman Corporal Marchand. 

     On June 4, 1940, “Bordeaux” was one of many French tanks assembled to push towards Mont de Caubert, a spur of land near Mareuil-Caubert, in the closing actions of the Battle for Abbeville. With almost no intelligence on German forces in the area, French and British forces jumped off at 3am, not wishing to wait for French armor which had not made the assembly area by the time the attack was to commence. In time, French tanks arrived and advanced but ran into a minefield off the Blangy–Abbeville Road. It was also a kill zone for German anti-tank guns and artillery. 

     “Bordeaux” was one of the tanks that had struck a mine, blowing off its left track. Given the circumstances, repair was impossible and Fournier ordered the abandonment of the tank. In all, 30 Char B1 tanks and some 120 other tanks (of various makes) took part in the combat. When it was over, only 6 of the Char B1 survived and some 60 other tanks made it through the battle which was a victory for German forces, the Allies being unable to dislodge the enemy from Mareuil-Caubert and the surrounding area.

Char B1 (n° 269) “Tonnerre”: Standing Their Ground in Hannapes

 

     The remains of Char B1 (n° 269) "Tonnerre" lay abandoned along Rue d'Etreux in Hannapes, France. The tank, built by FCM, was delivered to the 508e RCC (Régiment de Chars de Combat) early in 1939. Later, in September 1939, the tank was transferred to the 2e Compagnie, 8e BCC (Bataillon de Chars de Combat). By mid-May 1940, the 14e RCC had been deployed to the Aisne region of France with orders to defend bridges which crossed the Oise River. One of these bridges was along Rue d' Etreux in the Aisne commune Hannapes. It was defended by the 13e RI (Régiment d’Infanterie) and elements of an artillery unit. "Tonnerre" was detached from the 8e BCC and provided to the 14e RCC to bolster the defender's strength in defense of the bridge. On May 18, 1940, elements from the German XIX Army Corps pushed on Hannapes and the situation quickly became untenable due to overwhelming German forces and the French units had no option but to retreat. The crew of "Tonnerre", however, refused to withdraw and stood their ground. "Tonnerre" was quickly surrounded by the Germans and brought under anti-tank gun fire at close range which knocked the tank out for good. However, before succumbing, the crew inflicted significant damage to the Germans who had the misfortune to have run up against the tank. Amazingly, despite the heavy damage to the tank, the crew was able to escape without serious injury and they sought to make their way back to the French lines. This would not happen as the French were unable to hold back the might of the XIX Army Corps and with much of the area quickly occupied by German forces, the crew were ultimately captured on May 23, 1940 in the vicinity of Tupigny.

     The soldier posing with the wreckage of "Tonnerre" holds the position of Hauptwachtmeister which is equivalent to the U.S. Army position of First Sergeant. This can be determined by the two rings of silver tress around his feldbluse's sleeves which had the nickname of "kolbenringe", or "piston rings". Another sign of this position would be the meldetasche (reporting pouch) that would be tucked into the front of the feldbluse. The pouch contained forms, duty rosters, and other documents needed for the position but in this photograph, he is not carrying it in the usual position. The Hauptwachtmeister was better known to troops as the "Spieß" ("Spear") or less commonly as the "Mutter der Kompanie" (Company Mother). This soldier belonged to a cavalry unit as denoted by the spurs on his boots and given the lack of equipment outside of the pistol holster and what could be a map case, this photograph was likely taken sometime after the action. It should be noted that the duty of the Hauptwachtmeister was solely at the squadron level for cavalry and was a position more of administration than combat and so such appointed men were not usually deployed into combat with the squadron.

Char B1 (n° 257) “Bourrasque”: The French Tank Terror

German soldiers pose beside "Bourrasque" after the crew surrendered to elements of Panzer-Abteilung I near Mortiers. (Author's Collection)

     The brief story of the Saint-Chamond constructed Char B1 “Bourrasque” (n° 257) practically steps out of a Hollywood war film. Originally, the tank was delivered to the 508e RCC (Régiment de Chars de Combat) early in 1939 but by September 1939, the tank had been transferred to the 15e BCC (Bataillon de Chars de Combat) and assigned to 1ère Compagnie. In charge of “Bourrasque” was Lieutenant Sauret and his crew consisted of Sergent Seguin (driver), Caporal Gentner (gunner), and Chasseur Mogrédien (radio operator). 

     On May 16, 1940, the day before what would become the Battle of Montcornet, four tanks plus “Bourrasque” were gathered together at a rally point. Each of them had some battle damage, some worse than others but the common problem all the tanks had was a lack of fuel. It was decided that two of the tanks (“Martinique” [n° 207] and “L’Aquitaine” [n° 213]) would have their fuel and ammunition removed and distributed to the other tanks and then the two tanks would be scuttled. “Bourrasque” would tow the remaining two tanks (“Toulon” [n° 235] and “Tempête” [n° 267]) towards the jump-off point in order to preserve as much fuel as possible. On March 17, the attack on Montcornet commenced at 4:14am and as the tanks moved towards the Germans, at around 6am, a German truck laden with infantry blundered into the path of the tanks. The alert French commanders quickly brought the 47mm turret guns into action and destroyed the truck and the surviving German soldiers scattered and fled in the face of the tanks’ machine-gun fire. The tanks continued on but soon “Bourrasque” was nearly empty of fuel and the convoy stopped. It was decided that the fuel tanks of “Toulon” and “Tempête” would be drained and transferred to “Bourrasque” and the tank would travel towards Pargny where it was believed resupply could be had. 

     “Bourrasque” reached Pargny but the hoped for fuel was nowhere to be found and so Lt. Sauret kept driving south in search of any French refueling point. On the way, the tank ran into motorcycle elements (likely Kradschützen-Battalion 1) of Kampfgruppe Nedwig which had been advancing on Mortiers. Lt. Sauret ordered the tank to drive right into and through the motorcycle column, firing every gun the tank had into the panicked German troops who were thrown into complete disarray. Word of a lone French tank reached the 1st. Panzer Division and the unit dispatched a full battalion of anti-tank gun and armor assets from Panzer-Abteilung I to deal with “Bourrasque”. 

     The Germans caught up with “Bourrasque” outside of Mortiers and took it under fire. Repeated hits by PaK 36 37mm guns and even the short barrel 7.5 cm KwK 37 L/24 guns of Panzer III medium tanks failed to stop “Bourrasque” but both ammunition and fuel finally ran out for the French tank and at 11:15am on May 17, 1940, Lt. Sauret and his crew surrendered to the troops of Panzer-Abteilung I.