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Major Schulz succeeded in capturing the village of Stoney and immediately sent a report of the battle to Mantofel, who on his right flank, and Mantofel replied that he had built a defensive line in place, because according to aerial reconnaissance, a large number of French armored units were heading north, and would encounter Hermangolin's regiment as early as this night and as late as tomorrow morning.

Schulz immediately contacted the 2nd Battalion of the Greater German Regiment resting in the village of Burnson and asked them to send someone to take over the French prisoners in the village of Stoney, so that the troops of the Hermann Göring Regiment could be free to deal with the French counterattack, and Major Graeme gladly accepted the task.

While Major Schultz was actively preparing for battle in the village of Stoney, in the town of Floin, on the north bank of the Maas River, the commander of Army Group A, Senior General Rundstedt, stood in the north of the town with his back to the sky, watching the air mass that was mixed up in the sky and could not distinguish each other.

By the time the war dragged on 8 May, the Anglo-French forces had already paid attention to the breakthrough of the 19th Panzer Corps in the Sedan area.

In the Monteme area, 15 kilometers northwest of Sedan and 40 kilometers north of Dinan, the German 41st Panzer Corps and the 15th Panzer Corps also broke through the defensive line of the French 9th Group and successfully crossed the Maas River.

The commander of the First Army, General Björtte, noticed the imminent collapse of the right flank defense line, and immediately made a proposal to the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, Ganmarin, to dispatch all the bombers that could be dispatched to blow up the German pontoon bridges in the Sedan area and prevent the main German army from crossing the river.

In his report to Gammelin, Björtte said: "The bombing campaign of May 9 will determine the course of the war, and for the air forces participating in this operation, their war reports can only write victory or defeat, and there is no casualty figure." ”

At this time, not only Björttem, but even Gunmarin and even Churchill in London turned their attention to the Sedan area.

Björtte's report immediately attracted attention, and the bombing campaign carried out by the British and French air forces was carried out with great efficiency on 9 May. Not only in the air, but Gammelin also drew three reserve panzer divisions from the reserves to counterattack the German bridgehead on the ground.

Beginning at dawn on 9 May, British Blenheim bombers and French Bregette bombers swooped down on Sedan under the escort of fighter jets and bombed the three pontoon bridges on the river in the Sedan area at any cost.

The Luftwaffe responded with the 2nd, 53rd, and 57th Combat Aviation Regiments, and the 76th Destroyer Aviation Regiment, which formed the 3rd Combined Fighter Group to defend the pontoon bridge over the Maas River.

Hundreds of fighters and bombers from both sides were in a mess in the skies over the Sedan area, and British and French bombers rushed to the pontoon bridge despite the German fighters' blockade, trying to increase their hit rate with low-altitude bombing, but they fell into the fire net of German ground anti-aircraft fire.

On the ground, the German air defense units also joined the battle to defend the pontoon bridge, all of the 102nd Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 18th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, the 1st Battalion of the 36th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, the 2nd Battalion of the 38th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment, the 71st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion, the 83rd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion, the 91st Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion, the 92nd Light Anti-aircraft Artillery Battalion and the 7th Air Defense Battalion of the Herman Goering Regiment, a total of 54 88-mm anti-aircraft guns, 81 37-mm and 198 20-mm anti-aircraft guns opened heavy fire on the British and French Air Forces, and one after another Allied bombers were shot down. The coalition pilots, who were lucky enough to evade the fire of the anti-aircraft guns, also dropped their bombs in a panic, and the bombs only set off tall white water columns on the water on both sides of the pontoon bridge, but none of them hit.

Under the heavy air raids, the German vehicles on the three pontoon bridges continued to flow, and the tanks and vehicles of the 1st, 2nd and 10th Panzer Divisions continued to line up to cross the river in an orderly manner.

After watching an air battle in the town of Floin, Rundstedt walked up to a pontoon bridge with a few staff officers, and found Guderian at the midpoint of the pontoon bridge.

Pointing to the fiery scene in the sky, Rundstedt asked Guderian with his usual calm expression: "Has the situation here always been so lively?" ”

"It always has been." Guderian replied.

"At the current pace, your troops will all be able to cross the river today. The Forty-First Panzer Corps is fifteen kilometers northwest of you, and with their current journey, they can basically keep up with you. The 15th Panzer Corps is forty kilometers north of you, a relatively long distance, and the 4th Army is even further behind them. Should you wait here for a few days, when they are on the same page as you, and your right wing is secured, before you start moving south. Rundstedt asked.

Guderian knew that, according to the plan, the Kleist Panzer Group, having crossed the Maas in the area of Sedan and Monteme, would immediately attack south along the left bank of the Maas, and the 12th Army would follow behind him.

On their right flank, the Fourth Army, also part of Army Group A, would also move south after crossing the Maas, and their duty was to guard against French attacks from the interior of France.

Rundstedt feared that the 15th Panzer Corps, which was the vanguard of the Fourth Army, would not be able to keep up with Guderian's advance, and that the right flank of the 19th Panzer Corps would be exposed to the French.

Understanding Rundstedt's concerns, Guderian said: "We don't need to worry about our flanks, let the enemy worry about their flanks." The only thing we have to do is move forward, forward, and forward. ”

Rundstedt raised an eyebrow, and Guderian's answer was exactly as he expected.

"Well, after crossing the river, you just have to move forward, and I will take care of your right flank, and as for your left flank, the Maas River will be in charge for the time being." Rundstedt said.

After the two got to know each other, Rundstedt saw that night had fallen, and set off to return to Army Group A headquarters.

As night fell, the air battle over the Maas River also came to an end.

On that day, the Luftwaffe's 3rd Combined Fighter Group flew 814 sorties and shot down 89 British and French fighters and bombers in the Sedan area.

The air defense units on the ground achieved even more fruitful results, with the 102nd Antiaircraft Artillery Regiment alone shooting down 112 British and French planes, and other air defense units also achieving certain results.

After a day of fighting on 9 May, only 206 of the RAF's 474 aircraft operating in France remained, and bomber losses were particularly severe. The RAF command had to strictly order the bombers of the French troops to be dispatched only at night, because they could no longer afford the huge losses caused by such suicidal fighting.

On the night of 9 May, the commander-in-chief of the Anglo-French forces, Gambler, received a report that the Allied air force's attempt to prevent the Germans from crossing the river had failed, and that the losses were heavy, which would affect the support and protection of the army in subsequent operations.

It seemed that he could only rely on the army, and Gammelin had to pin his last hope on the three reserve armoured divisions, hoping that they would be able to complete the heavy task of destroying the German bridgehead. (The novel "Eagle of the Third Reich" will have more fresh content on the official WeChat platform, and there will also be a 100% lottery gift for everyone!) Open WeChat now, click on the "+" sign in the upper right corner to "add friends", search for the official account "qdread" and follow, hurry up! )

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