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1939 - BEF take up postions


PeterMacD

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1939: The first troops of the British Expeditionary Force arrived to take up positions on the Franco-Belgian frontier.

 

Following the German invasion of Poland in 1939, the British Expeditionary Force was sent to the Franco-Belgian border. By May 1940, when the German attack began, it consisted of ten infantry divisions in three corps, a tank brigade and a RAF detachment of about 500 aircraft. Commanded by General Lord Gort, although constituting only a tenth of the defending Allied force it sustained heavy losses during the German advance and most of the remainder (roughly 330,000 men) were evacuated from Dunkirk in June, leaving much of their equipment behind. However, the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division was left behind at Saint-Valéry-en-Caux, as it was not trapped by the Germans at the time; it surrendered along with elements of the French 10th Army later in June. The short lived second Expeditionary Force commanded by General Alan Brooke was evacuated from Western France during Operation Ariel.

 

 

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I think it was on 17 May that 15th/19th The King's Royal Hussars, 3 Div Recce Regt, were ordered to fight a delaying battle back I think from Brussels to the River Escaut in order to save the rest of 3 Div dug in on the river, and by the end of that day had ceased to exist.

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the death of the 15/19 H happened because the Belgians on our left flank withdrew without permission/letting the regiment know, thus allowing the Germans to outflank us. The supporting motor machine gun regiment failed to appear and the supporting Gunners found our main route/Assche Line was out of their arc. The regiment could not pull back until permission from Brigadier 2nd Armoured Bde was given, which it did not, so there was nothing that Lt Col DS Frazer could do but fight and lose his regiment.

 

Barry.

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