Les 2e et 3e Divisions Légères Mécaniques. Tome II.

The first volume devoted to the 2nd and 3rd light mechanical divisions, made it possible to follow their engagement within the body of Cavalry of General Prioux, during the first battle of tanks of the history which mainly opposed them to the 3. and 4. Panzer -Divisionen of General Hoepner. More than 1,300 tanks (tanks and armored cars), one-sixth of the armored forces of two belligerents, clashed. The losses were heavy on both sides, but the two DLM allowed the installation of the infantry of the 1st army in the gap of Gembloux. This second opus starts on May 15th. The potential of the 2nd and 3rd DLM remains important with 395 armor out of 575, but about 80 gears are provisionally unavailable. They hope to be able to rebuild themselves behind the line held by the infantry, but the Germans have pierced the Allied front in the Ardennes and are advancing rapidly. The 2nd and 3rd DLM will then continue to fight in a quasi-permanent way until the armistice, standing up to the opponent in many heroic actions. Among these commitments, note in May the cleaning of the forest of Mormal (29th Dragons), the Franco-British offensive since Arras (3rd DLM), the defense of Nœux-les-Mines (12th cuirassiers and tanks of the 3rd DLM) , the assault of the Cité Saint-Jean (11th RDP) or the defense of Ypres (2nd DLM). The chapter on the evacuation of Dunkirk will reveal a significant number of unpublished French photos to date. In June, the 2nd and 3rd DLM reconstituted continue the fight with fifty armored, as in Douans, near Vernon or in Descartes on June 22, day of the signing of the armistice with Germany. Result of over 15 years of research, this book ends with some reports from officers on the lessons to be learned from this campaign, not to mention an unpublished summary of the markings and registrations found to date for the armored vehicles of these two divisions .180 pages, 490 photos, most of them unpublished - 16 cards - 20 color profiles.