Jan/Feb 1940
Impulse: 5 (Axis)
Ground Support
The quick loss of Liege and fortress Eban Emael within a day – Gamelin assumed this would hold for five – meant that the British XI and XIV Motorised Corps had to speed up their arrival in Belgium, and with little time to dig-in even if they beat the Germans to the punch. That this was achieved was testament in large part to the work of the RAF’s No.14 Group and the 2nd Air Regiment of the Belgian Air Force. The British and Belgian fighters put in an heroic effort to ensure that the German Stukas did not enjoy free reign over the approaches to Brussels, but paid a heavy price in so doing.
Even so, the Stukas, aided by Italian bombers, caused some casualties – particularly to XI Corps. Indeed had Antwerp not held on previously, the position would have been almost hopeless, but the plucky Belgian resistance at Antwerp, in the face of concerted German attack, allowed sufficient time for the Belgian I Corps to be reinforced with a British Corps duly delivered by the Royal Navy.
For this next phase of the campaign, the biggest cause for concern for the Allies was the British southern flank. Thanks to the German 1st Army’s previous occupation of ground southeast of Brussels, the right wing of the BEF was anchored on nothing more than fresh air – at least until the timely arrival of the French XIX Motorised Corps. Only the immaculate command and manoeuvring of his 3rd Division by General Montgomery allowed the British to hold this precarious position. 7th Guards Brigade was instrumental in beating off the initial probing by the infantry of LXXI Corps.
With the skies temporarily clear of Allied fighters (the Armee de l’air having pulled back toward the Somme) Luftwaffe bombers from KG1 and 2 were called in to soften up the British infantry. However the RAF, which hadn’t even had a chance to bring over the Advanced Air Striking Force from the UK, bravely deployed these units anyway. Flying from bases in the southeast of England, the crews were tired before getting to Belgium, whereupon they had to deal with the Luftwaffe….
However, the RAF put in a mightily impressive performance, reducing the German fighter strength by 25% and getting some bombers through to harass the enemy attack. The AASF lost a Blenheim, but this was a resounding victory for the RAF.
Two goes at +4/-4 and I clear one bomber and abort a second. Then on a +2/-2 I lose a fighter and a pilot against one bomber.....
