0527_03: The Green Devils - PzC 12 France '40

The Battle of Vinkt, 27 May 1940: By May 27th the Belgian Army was collapsing under the stress of Heeresgruppe B's Lys River offensive. While some elements of the Belgian Army fought with courage and determination in the climactic battles of Belgium's Eighteen Day War, many did not. On May 25th the 4e division d'infanterie surrendered en masse to Generalmajor Kriebel's 56. Infanterie-Division with hardly a shot fired. This shameful spectacle opened an eight kilometer gap in the Belgian lines and threatened the positions of the 2e division de chasseurs ardennais, which up to this point had been holding its own against the German attackers. The Belgian VIIe CA would have to improvise a defense behind the Lys River. The 5e division d'infanterie refused its right flank while the 1re division de chasseurs ardennais took up defensive positions around Vinkt. The professional chasseurs ardennais, dubbed "the Green Devils" by Erwin Rommel after the fight at Chabrehez on May 10th, were Belgium's elite soldiers and they were determined to hold their ground even as the rest of the Belgian Army melted away... [Size: Small]