Guderian: Panzer General by Macksey Kenneth

Author:Macksey, Kenneth [Macksey, Kenneth]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: HISTORY / Military / World War II
ISBN: 9781526713360
Publisher: Frontline Books
Published: 2017-07-30T07:00:00+00:00

The Drive to the English Channel

Guderian thrust forward on the 16th with only 1st and 2nd Panzer Divisions, leaving 10th Panzer Division and Grossdeutschland Regiment to the south of Sedan as insurance against interference from the south and in deference to Kleist’s anxiety. The French again repeatedly attacked the hinge at Stonne and caused losses to the arriving German infantry. But they made no progress. The rest of XIX Corps shot ahead and by nightfall was 40 miles distant at Dercy on the Serre at the same moment as a battlegroup from XXXXI Corps arrived at Guise on the Oise and began the process of mopping up the stalled tanks of 2nd DCR. Conveniently overlooking Kleist’s twenty-four hour time limit, Guderian blandly sent out radio orders that evening to continue the advance next day, orders which were monitored by Kleist’s headquarters and which, at once, brought down a peremptory counter-order along with instructions for Guderian to report to Kleist next morning. At 0700 hours on the 17th Kleist stepped from his aircraft at XIX Corps Headquarters and, without ado, roundly accused Guderian of deliberately disobeying orders. Guderian at once tendered his resignation. Neither could be credited with much common sense at that moment, but both were on edge – Kleist to a far greater extent than Guderian could have known. For Kleist was not much more in favour of a halt than Guderian.

The uncertainty was germinated by Rundstedt. Again his War Diary reflected tremors of doubt, for after it recorded, on the 16th, that the commanders of the motorised formations were convinced they could push on over the Oise ‘… especially Generals Guderian and Kleist’, it went on: ‘But looking at operations as a whole the risk involved does not seem to be justified. The extended flank between La Fere and Rethel is too sensitive, especially in the Laon area … If the spearheads of the attack are temporarily halted it will be possible to effect a certain stiffening of the threatened flank within twenty-four hours’. It is apparent that Kleist did not bother to explain Rundstedt’s underlying anxieties to Guderian – their relationship was already too far strained. But Rundstedt was shaken when Guderian’s report of resignation arrived. Things had gone too far when a favourite of Hitler did that! He sent him a curt order to remain in his post and await a plenipotentiary – no less than the Twelfth Army Commander, Generaloberst List. List arrived in the afternoon, swiftly declined Guderian’s resignation and with the authority of the Army Group Commander told him to begin a ‘reconnaissance in force’, leaving Corps HQ where it was. In effect this gave Guderian a free hand, one which he made all the freer by laying cable to his tactical headquarters so that his orders could no longer be monitored by superior officers. List confirms these events as well as Guderian’s request to be peacemaker on his own behalf with Kleist.

Between resignation and reinstatement Guderian sat down to pour out his troubles in a letter to Gretel.

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