Stonne () is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in the Ardennes department in northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

History

Stonne is a small village, consisting of only a handful of farmsteads, that was heavily contested during the invasion of France in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The village changed hands 17 times over the course of three days of fighting between 15 May and 17 May 1940. Operations near the town involved 90,000 German troops and 300 German tanks, opposed by 42,500 French soldiers and 130 French tanks. The Germans lost 26,500 men (wounded and killed) and 24 tanks, while the French lost 7,500 men (wounded and killed) and 33 tanks. On 13–14 May 1940, German tanks crossed the Meuse river under the command of General Heinz Guderian. The town of Stonne and the woody hills of Mont-Dieu were the single area where it was possible to try to stop this German advance. On the night of 13 May, the French moved various elements to this area to attack the Germans; * elements from the 3rd Motorized Infantry Division (DIM: Division d'Infanterie Motorisée) ** 1st battalion of the 67th Infantry Regiment ** 10th and 11th companies of the 51st Infantry Regiment * elements of the 3rd DCR (Division Cuirassée) ** 1st company of the 45th Tank Battalion (BCC: Bataillon de Chars de Combat) ( Hotchkiss H-39 tanks) ** 3rd company of the 49th Tank Battalion (BCC: Renault B1bis tanks) * 2nd company of the 4th Tank Battalion (BCC:

FCM-36 The FCM 36 or ''Char léger Modèle 1936 FCM'', was a light infantry tank that was designed for the French Army prior to World War II. It had a crew of two and was equipped with a short 37 mm main armament and a 7.5 mm coaxial machine g ...

infantry support tanks). They faced the 10th Panzer Division, Panzer Regiment 8, Infantry Regiment 69, Infantry Regiment "Grossdeutschland", and elements of the 43rd Assault Engineer Battalion. The town switched sides 17 times in the course of the Battle of Stonne: :15 May ::0800 German ::0900 French ::0930 German ::1030 French ::1045 German ::1200 French ::1730 German :16 May ::0730 French ::1700 German :16–17 May night ::Stonne remained unoccupied :17 May ::0900 German ::1100 French ::1430 German ::1500 French ::1630 German ::1700 French ::1745 German At first the French tanks were used in an infantry support and defensive role. On the morning of 16 May a counter-attack was led by the French tanks. The 3rd company of the 41st Tank Battalion (B1 bis tanks) went into attack without infantry support. They met Panzer Regiment 8. A single B1bis tank (Lieutenant Bilotte's "Eure") pushed into the town itself, into the German defences, and then withdrew after attacking a German column and reportedly destroying two PanzerKampfwagen IV tanks, 11 PanzerKampfwagen IIIs and two

PaK 36 The Pak 36 (''Panzerabwehrkanone 36'') is a 3.7 cm / 37mm caliber German anti-tank gun used during the Second World War. It was the main anti-tank weapon of Wehrmacht ''Panzerjäger'' units until 1942. Developed by '' Rheinmetall'' in 19 ...

anti-tank guns single-handedly. After 16 May, the 10th Panzer Division withdrew to be replaced by the

16th 16 (sixteen) is the natural number following 15 and preceding 17. 16 is a composite number, and a square number, being 42 = 4 × 4. It is the smallest number with exactly five divisors, its proper divisors being , , and . In English speech, ...

and 24th Infantry Divisions. The Infantry Regiment Grossdeutschland had already lost 570 men and 12 guns at Stonne, while the French had lost about 33 tanks and the Germans about 24 tanks. The majority of casualties suffered by Grossdeutschland in the 1940 campaign were lost at Stonne. Stonne was totally occupied only on 25 May, as pockets of resistance continued to hold out. The Germans failed to clear the Mont-Dieu woods which were bypassed. The French infantry lost many men, for example the 1st battalion of the 67th Infantry Regiment had 362 officers, NCOs and soldiers killed and wounded. One of the 51st Regiment's companies finished the battle with only 5 sergeants and 30 soldiers.

Population

History

Population

See also