Battle of Biville-la-Baignarde, 10th June 1940

German photo taken on the day after the battle of the church square

Challenging the "Collapse of France" in June 1940.

Traditionally, Fall Rot has been viewed as a largely inevitable mopping-up phase following the decisive German victory in Fall Gelb. In this classic interpretation, France was already strategically defeated after the May 1940 breakthrough and the Dunkirk evacuation, leaving the June offensive to be seen as a rapid exploitation against a disorganized and demoralized French army, rather than as a hard-fought, strategically decisive campaign in its own right. All over bar the shouting, right?

However modern reviews of the history of Fall Rot challenge the traditional “mopping-up” view by arguing that France in June 1940 still mounted a serious, organised, and often effective military resistance, and that Fall Rot was a hard-fought campaign, not a simple collapse. Recent scholarship shows that the French rebuilt a continuous defensive front along the Somme and Aisne (the Weygand Line), fought several intense battles, and inflicted significant German casualties, comparable or greater in daily rates to those in May. 

German victory in Fall Rot is now seen as the result of superior operational persistence, air-ground coordination, and exploitation of localized breakthroughs, rather than mere French moral failure. The armistice, in this view, was a political decision taken amid military defeat—but not total battlefield disintegration.

The fighting that occurred at Biville–la-Baignarde on 10 June 1940 is clearly as evidence that the June campaign was still being actively and seriously contested, not merely a rout. On that day, German forces crossing the Seine encountered stubborn, organised French resistance from elements of newly reconstituted divisions trying to hold the Weygand Line. Although the Germans ultimately forced a breakthrough, the action demonstrated that the French were still capable of coordinated defence, localised counterattacks, and delaying actions, and that German success in Fall Rot still required hard fighting rather than simple pursuit.

In my view, battles like Biville undermine the old idea of June 1940 as a purely passive collapse and instead show a campaign of tactical resistance inside an overall strategic defeat. These were brave Frenchmen defending their homeland with passion and bravery, as we shall see.

Battle of Biville-la-Baignarde, 10th June 1940

Initial French Attacks and Distater at Tot (Early Morning)

The day's fighting began with a French operation aimed at retaking the Tot crossroads south of Biville, ordered by General Berniquet. A detachment from the 2nd régiment d’automitrailleuse (RAM), led by Captain Froidfond, was tasked with this mission, starting at 4:00 AM. It included three MG teams, three H35 tanks, and a platoon of motorcyclists. Arriving in Tot around 4:30 AM  the detachment encountered a swift and violent German attack, primarily from elements of the 5th Panzer Division moving north from Rouen. The attack used anti-tank weapons positioned in a house roof. The French detachment was quickly annihilated, resulting in 16 killed among the cavalrymen. Both tanks and two sidecars were destroyed. Only one survivor, Cavalier Gautier, reached the rear lines.

News of this disaster reached the French command at dawn, leading to the cancellation of any plans to retake Tot and a decision to hold elsewhere. 

Establishing the Defence in Biville-la-Baignarde (Mid-day)

The main French objective shifted to establishing a defensive line to protect the retreating 40th Infantry Division and the wider southern column.

• French Deployment: French light infantry units, including the 5th demi-brigade of Chasseurs Alpins (BCA), moved into the region. At 1:45 PM, the Pariso Company of the 53rd BCA arrived in Biville and positioned itself facing south and south-east. By 3:30 PM, the Martin Company of the 53rd BCA reinforced the south and south-west faces of the village.
• Weaponry: French chasseurs found three hidden French tanks and a 75mm cannon in the southern entrance area. Anti-tank mines were positioned in fields to the south-east around 3:45 PM, just as initial, minor German bombardments began.
• British Withdrawal: At 4:00 PM, prior to the main French units' movement, British troops in Biville, believed to be from the 2nd Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment, began to withdraw.

The Battle Commences (Afternoon)

The situation worsened rapidly around 5:30 PM with the appearance of a German observation plane and heavy German artillery fire targeting the 53rd BCA as they arrived. The French defence was designed to hold the line to cover the retreat of the southern column.

• 13th BCA Engagement: At 6:30 PM, the 13th BCA, attempting to bypass Biville, was surprised by German infantry and tanks coming from the village’s north-west, resulting in intense tracer and artillery fire that pinned the battalion in open country. After a musketry duel lasting one to two hours, the 13th BCA had to retreat under tank fire, losing heavy armaments, including machine guns and mortars.
• The Siege of Biville (53rd BCA): The 53rd BCA inside Biville faced immense pressure as German tanks infiltrated the defensive perimeter from the south and west. Although French troops resisted fiercely, using grenades and hiding in houses and orchards, the position was overrun. Some German armored vehicles were destroyed by mines in the south, but they were quickly replaced. Sub-Lieutenant Gallard de Laverné was killed after firing his revolver at an attacking German tank.
• Defense of the Command Post: German tanks advancing west toward Baumont attacked the French command post, which was vigorously defended by the 12th régiment de chasseur à cheval and remnants of the 2nd RAM. Artillery units also fought desperately near Ménil Sauval, where Lieutenant Raymondi destroyed a tank before being mortally wounded.

Final Actions and Aftermath of the Battle (Evening)

Throughout the afternoon, Biville was subjected to heavy shelling—many houses were burnt out but the church and WWI monument remained in tact but battle scarred. 

Biville fell to the advance of 5th Panzer around 8:00 PM. The heroic resistance of the 53rd BCA was costly, with 18 killed (including one officer) and 75 wounded (including two captains and two lieutenants).

The 67th BCA and the accompanying company of the 69th BCP, arriving later, were also attacked by armored vehicles near Biville. A spontaneous bayonet charge ordered by Lieutenant de Mess surprised the German tanks, forcing them to retreat and allowing the French chasseurs to escape into the woods to the north.

The fighting on 10 June resulted in over 30 dead French soldiers in Biville itself, and over 60 chasseurs killed in the immediate surroundings, with the area littered with destroyed equipment and vehicles.

German photo taken on the day after the battle of the church square

The same view on Google Streetview today.

In the next post I will talk about how I plan on wargaming this encounter.

An invaluable resource for this encounter was the video "The Battle of Biville-la-Baignarde: A Day in Hell", a fitting tribute to those brave Frenchmen and their defence of their homeland.