2438
SUPPLEMENT TO THE LONDON GAZETTE, 22 MAY, 1946
Cavalry Divisions. The whole of this force ance. This spirit was also shared by the higher
was completely sundered from the X Corps commanders; beginning on the 8th June, the
on its right by the penetration of the German Tenth French Army Headquarters literally
ceased to function for 48 hours; it had lost all
tanks.
7. Meanwhile, owing to the threat developing touch, and its X Corps was broken and in full
to the British base at Rouen, General Sir Henry retreat.
n. The Germans had on the Qth June
Karslake, G.O.C. the Lines of Communication,
had scraped together an improvised force for reached the line of the Seine and had established
its local defence. This force comprised nine bridgeheads at several points. The 3rd
infantry battalions of a sort; they consisted Armoured Brigade and Beauman's fragmentary
partly of second line Territorial units sent out units were withdrawn to reorganize, and the 2nd
to France for pioneer duties and partly 01 Armoured Brigade, which had been refitting at
composite units made up from miscellaneous Louviers, was put in to support General de la
reinforcements at the base. They had no war Laurencie's III Corps which was trying to hold
equipment except rifles and a few odd Bren the Seine crossings south of Rouen. It was now
guns and anti-tank weapons, which they had apparent that the German armoured units and
never fired before. They were without artillery, air force were being employed elsewhere, while
means of transport and signal equipment. They three army corps were detached to drive southwest towards Alengon with a view to separatwere placed under the command of Brigadier
Beauman, in charge of the North District, Lines ing the Tenth French Army from the Armee de
of Communication.
Very unfortunately this Paris.
heterogeneous collection of untrained and ill12. It was at this critical juncture that the
equipped units was given the title of a Division. 52nd Division was hastily sent put to France.
The French were thus misled into thinking that Its leading brigade, the I57th, under an able
it was a fighting formation, complete with and cool-headed commander, Brigadier Sir John
artillery and ancillary services.
Beauman's Laurie, was rushed up and placed under the
so-called Division had been given the task orders of the Tenth French Army. On the
of -holding a back line along the rivers Bethune night of I2th/i3th June it took over the right
and Andelle covering Rouen, and had done sector of the.Ill Corps front east of Conches,
good work in organizing the defence of this in a very exposed position, with a gap of eight
position.
miles on its right, and two newly arrived French
c
8. While the German armoured attack was at battalions on its left west of Evreux.
its height on the afternoon of the 7th June,
As none of the 52nd Divisional Artillery had
General Weygand personally visited Tenth yet arrived, the I57th Brigade was given the
Army Headquarters east of Rouen and im- support of some French batteries.
pressed on General Altmayer, and on General
13. On I4th June the Germans renewed their
Evans commanding the British Armoured Divi- pressure on the Tenth French Army front, but
sion, the necessity for holding the German most of their tanks and aircraft appeared to
attack on the Seine at all costs as this was have been diverted on a south-easterly axis
" the decisive battle of the war."
towards Paris. A fairly sharp infantry attack
It was now becoming obvious that to enable developed on the left flank of the I57th Infantry
the IX Corps to fall back in good order to the Brigade, which suffered some 50 casualties, and
line of the Lower Seine, a cover position would the French infantry on their left, as well-as
have to be held along the river Andelle, some the French artillery supporting them, retired
12 miles east of Rouen. General Evans, there- hastily, leaving the brigade in the lurch. As a
fore, at once ordered his 3rd Armoured Brigade result of this pressure the Tenth French Army
(in fact reduced to some four weak squadrons of withdrew south-west a distance of 30 miles to
30 tanks in all) to stiffen up the right flank of the wooded area north-west of Mortagne. As
Beauman's defensive line.'
the Armee de Paris was retiring almost due
9. On .the 8th June the German armoured south on the Loire, this divergence of the lines
drive continued on the axis Amiens-Rouen, and of retreat of the two armies created a gap of
succeeded in penetrating the weak British some 30 miles on the right flank of the Tenth
defences on. the watershed between the rivers Army.
Andelle and Bethune, west of Forges-Les-Eaux.
14. In conformity with this withdrawal the
Beauman's ill-equipped units, with the British" 157th
Brigade moved back and took up a front
tanks supporting them, fell back to the line of eight
astride the Mortagne-Verneuil
of the Seine. That night German armoured road, withmiles
the
French
Corps on its
units penetrated into Rouen, and the French right. On the night ofCavalry
the
I4th/I5th
Tenth Army lost all touch from then onward placed by General Brooke in command Iofwas
all
with its IX Corps in the Rouen-Dieppe cul-de- the British troops operating with the Tenth
sac.
French Army, and was ordered to withdraw
10. The 5ist Division was thus completely them towards Cherbourg for re-embarkation,
cut off from its proper line of retirement via whilst still co-operating, so far as possible, with
Rouen. This was mainly due to the failure or the French withdrawal. It had been my ininability of the French High Command to with- tention to leave the i-57th Brigade in the line
draw their left wing while there'was still time until mid-day on the igth before withdrawing
and space" for'this'manoeuvre. Throughout all it, in order to allow General Altmayer to rethese operations it was becoming'clear that the adjust his front. I notified General Altmayer'
French High Command was issuing " die in the of this intention on the i6th, and he apprelast ditch " orders, which their troops had no ciated the respite granted him.
intention of carrying out. From this time
15. On the i6th June, however, the German
onwards, "until the final evacuation of the motorized columns had already followed up
B.E-F.
. . on 'the i8th, it was obvious
- — that the
— swiftly the French withdrawal, and the I57th
spirit of the French Army was crushed and that Brigade was attacked all day. The French units
it had little intention of offering serious resist- on its right and left retired without making any