BEF Tank unit by rail to Grammont / Geraardsbergen

Discussion in '1940' started by Eaw458, Jan 24, 2017.

  1. Eaw458

    Eaw458 Junior Member

    BEF_Grammont.JPG

    Hi all,

    The above describes how the BEF transported a tank unit by rail to Grammont / Geraardsbergen as part of their advance into Belgium and is a fragment from:

    Lerecouvreux, 1949, L'armée Giraud en Hollande 1939-1940, Paris: Nouvelles Editions Latines.

    Would someone know which unit we're talking about here?

    G.R. refers to one of the five rail routes into Belgium designated by the joint British/French military traffic planners. Route G.R. started in Lille and led to Leuven via Geraardsbergen and Ninove.

    Many thanks,

    Walter
     
  2. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  3. Eaw458

    Eaw458 Junior Member

    Hi Nick,

    Thank you. I have no idea about S.A.

    As an aside - the BEF and French Army did have a joint planning team for all rail movements into Belgium. This nine person strong detachment was comanded by the French Commandant André Zeller and made up of seven French officers, one British officer and one SNCF traffic manager. Five routes were planned, with GR being the only one used by the BEF (Flemish place names used here):
    • Route GD: Hazebrouck-Armentières-Ménin-Kortrijk-Gent-Dendermonde-Londerzeel
    • Route AL: Tourcoing-Kortrijk-Oudenaarde-Aalst-Opwijk-Mechelen-Lier
    • Route GR: Lille-Ninove-Leuven
    • Route MO: Valenciennes-Mons-'s Gravenbrakel-Leuven
    • Route CM: Mabeuge-Landen
    On 10 May 1940, this detachment moved to Brussels to join the Directorate of Military Transports of the Belgian Army at the corporate headquarters of the Belgian railway company SNCB in the Rue de France. They stayed and worked here until 13 May and then moved to Ghent and Bruges. The planners left Bruges for Dunkirk on 27 May 1940 @ 2200h. I have no idea who this BEF officer is and whether he stayed until the end.

    Apart from this tank transport, would the BEF have supplied its troops by rail into Belgium at all?

    Cheers,

    Walter
     
    Last edited: Jan 27, 2017
  4. LondonNik

    LondonNik Senior Member

    Deleted
     
    Last edited: Sep 16, 2017
  5. Eaw458

    Eaw458 Junior Member

    Thank you, Nick.

    Would you or anyone else on the form know a bit more about how the BEF would have operated its supply system during the advance into Belgium?

    For comparison, the Belgian army of 1940 used a for the time pretty standard approach of supplying its divisions by rail and road. Supplies and munitions would have been transported by rail to separate railheads, usually at corps level, from where goods were collected by divisional transport platoons using the "camion-unité" principle - one mixed lorry load for each major unit. Each division would be expected to be self-sufficient in foodstuffs for 24h and would have been supplied each day with bread, meat (fresh, frozen or canned), coffee, sugar, pulses (and for completeness oats). Small arms and artillery munitions would have been supplied by different routes as most ammunition depots specialised in either type. The rail element of this supply chain was very difficult to operate from the start of the invasion due to the German air superiority. The system then collapsed with the withdrawal from the Dyle-line on 16/17th May. Rail routes became too short to operate and the chaos on the network was just too much. Improvised railheads were created and supplied by whatever motor transport was available and divisions were also told to send their transport platoons straight into supply and ammunition depots.

    Did the BEF supply its troops by rail into Belgium? Or would the Belgian leg of the journey have been covered by road?

    Thank you v much again,

    Walter
     

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