Rank and File
A Clerk’s War
1st October to 3rd October 1939
With events building to a climax, I have returned to my habit of being one of the first staff in the Reichskanzlei. So I was probably one of the first people in the Reich to know that our Fallschirmjagers were to go into action. All over the building the “early birds” were telling newcomers that the order had gone from OKH itself: the 1st Fallschirmjagers were to board their Ju 52 transports at Antwerp aerodrome and prepare for immediate combat.
I have to admit that I have a strange fascination in this newest of all methods of fighting. To leap out of an airplane from thousands of metres, parachute to the ground and, taking an enemy by surprise, seize key positions. It seems quite magical to an old foot soldier like me. But like most things in the army, I suspect that the soldiers would tell you a much different story. The reality is more that, if your ageing rust-bucket of a transport plane survives being shot down by enemy fighters, you are then hit by anti-aircraft fire over the target, you are helpless as you drift down completely exposed and when you land, you are outgunned and outnumbered by the enemy.
Still, everyone who heard the news was more excited by what this meant: our first airborne attack would be the capture of Paris! I did notice some of the Luftwaffe and Heer officers (mainly those with front-line experience) looking concerned, so maybe I was not the only one to avoid being so swept up by enthusiasm as to forget or overlook the risks. I hope that those young boys are not heading to disaster: so many things could go wrong.
As if to confirm my worst fears, the first news of enemy action this Saturday involved fighters of the Armee de l’Air. Basset and his two Groupes de Chasseurs attacked Udet’s Stukas over Nemours early in the morning. The air battle was brief and the Ju 87Gs completed their mission with only light losses, but I had to wonder what would happen if the fighters intercepted the lumbering “Tante Jus” with their precious cargo.
I need not have worried. 1st Fallschirmjager took off as planned just before dawn, and was soon over Paris, having not seen a single enemy plane. (I wondered if the early bombing raids by the Luftwaffe may have been a ploy to draw off the fighters). When the parachutists hit the ground, they met virtually no resistance. We had believed the city to be held by a full division, but we discovered from prisoners that the 7eme Division that had been given the responsibility had actually been evacuated from the front as it was unable to continue fighting. Its men were exhausted, and more importantly, their morale was non-existent. At the first shots, they fled, leaving the economic and cultural centre of France in our hands.
1st Fallschirmjager Division leaves its Ju 52 transports over Paris
Our luck continued, as there was no counter-attack. I suppose the French were not sure what had happened, but a determined attack would have placed our lightly armed if highly trained Fallshirmjagers under pressure. It would be some time before sizeable reinforcements with heavy weapons could cross the Seine, and we were very vulnerable. But as the hours passed and no attack came, everyone in Berlin began to relax.
Fallschirmjagers are quickly in action
Late in the afternoon Basset and his fighters returned, but they had missed their opportunity for a free run at defenceless targets. They successfully intercepted Sperrle’s Heinkels, though the French pilots may have been surprised to find several hundred Messerchmitt Bf 109G fighters flying escort. Our Gustavs were a match for the mixed fighter groups, and Sperrle’s bombers were untouched as they continued to support Guderian’s attack on Verdun.
As dusk fell on a momentous day, the French quietly abandoned Nemours, leaving 96 dead behind. Bergmann was quick to claim victory, but anyone could see that the surrender of the province was linked to the fall of Paris. With his left flank open, Hutton has wisely withdrawn his men before he was trapped.
On the 2nd, a new motorised division (14.Infanterie (mot)) was deployed in Bitburg. Although we have taken Paris, the French and their allies still have hundreds of thousands of men under arms, and nobody thinks that they will give up easily. We must keep them off balance and in retreat, and every soldier will be required. And if he has motor transport, he is twice as valuable!
The arrival of a new motorised division in recently occupied Bitburg is an occasion for some public celebration: Ministers Frick and Goebbels are very conscious of keeping the population enthused
As I expected, I also received orders (direct from Minister Frick) that I and the nominated members of my team had been seconded to the Office of the Fuhrer, and would be expected to fly to Paris at dawn on Tuesday (the 4th of October). My staff were very excited, as for most it would be their first trip outside Germany. I was more relaxed: I have had enough of foreign adventures.
Before the Battle for France commences, it seems as though there will be a brief but unofficial pause. Very little happened on the 2nd, a couple of small battles continued but most units appear to be catching their breath. The Luftwaffe must have been pushing its crews to the limit in the build up to the airborne attack on Paris. On Sunday not one combat flight was flown, and on Monday the 3rd I received notice of only five bombing missions, despite the whole front erupting as the Heer moved to crush French resistance.
Maintenance for aircraft (like these hard-working Stukas) and rest for pilots is the Luftwaffe’s priority for at least one day
No less than five separate battles began during the day, as 13 divisions moved into contact with the enemy.
General Dietrich was the first to attack, sending his troops into Longuyon. From Arlon, 2nd Panzer and 13 and 29.Infanterie (motorised) drove forward, while from Neufchateau 2nd Leichte Panzer swung into action. His opponent, General Doyen, has a mixed French and British force totalling nearly 34,500 men. Numbers are evenly matched, and our Panzers can expect a more spirited defence than they have encountered in the drive through Belgium.
In Chaumont, General Ludke’s 58.Infanterie will also have a fight on their hands, as they take on General Giraud’s two infantry divisions. Our intelligence, however, is that the French units have lost much of their heavy equipment and their communications have broken down, and that the defence will be brittle. OKH would be surprised if they last two days.
General Gain in Gamaches is not expected to last anything like two days. His 19eme Division is under attack from Eicke’s 28.Infanterie which is flushed with victory and should make short work of the disorganised and demoralised French. Eicke will push the front line further down the coast, hoping to capture any port capable of handling British reinforcements (or evacuating retreating units).
On the other side of Paris to the retreating General Hutton, General Slim faces a relentless foe as he struggles to hold Vernon. General von Amann has his own 17.Infanterie, but attacking with him from Beauvais are Engelbrecht’s feared 4th Gebirgsjagers, veterans of innumerable hard-fought battles. As if that were not enough, von Kuchler’s “Falkenberg” division, renowned for its determination to win at all costs, is forcing its way forward from Clermont. Against 30,000 experienced and confident soldiers, Slim has 16,000 men, what remains of the 2nd and 56th Infantry Divisions. Von Amann aims to be on the banks of the Seine within 24 hours.
The final battle of the day was also the biggest in terms of total soldiers involved. Just under 75,000 men will clash in Montmedy, as Generals Model and Conde determine who will control the province. Model has three divisions in Phillipeville (5th Panzer, 44 and 19.Infanterie Division) and 1st Gebirgjagers in Neufchateau. Conde also has 4 divisions, but in addition he can call on 4eme Armee headquarters to supply a few thousand infantry, even if they are of low quality. The Panzer IIIs of 5th Panzer will find the forest roads of Montmedy difficult terrain, and Conde’s men, although not fresh, are in reasonable shape. This could be bloody affair, and the Luftwaffe will not be able to find targets easily if the French use the available cover wisely.
As I started to pack up what I would need for my flight to Paris tomorrow, General von Amman sent a short note to OKH: he has reached the Seine and there are no Allied troops still fighting north or east of the river. My next report will be from Paris!
Bombing Summary
1st October
Nemours: Udet with 2 x Ju 87G:
43
Verdun: Sperrle with 1 x Bf 109G, 2 x He 111:
43
Nemours: Grauert with 2 x He 111:
71
Verdun: Dorstlng with 2 x Bf 109G, 4 x He 111:
93, 68
Nemours: Udet with 2 x Ju 87G, 2 x He 111:
123
3rd October
Vernon: Dorstling with 1 x Bf 109G, 2 x He 111:
76
Gamache: Sperrle with 1 x Bf 109G, 2 x He 111:
84, 172
Vernon: Grauert with 2 x He 111:
103
Gamache: Sperrle with 1 x Bf 109G, 4 x He 111:
129
Fall Zentrum complete: Paris is ours