feb 5, 1939 - Operation Sichelschnitt | Manstein Plan

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The Germans planned to throw their entire armoured forces into the breach that was created through the Ardennes Forest. The plan was dubbed the Manstein plan (or Operation Sichelschnitt) that Adolf Hitler had been forced to adopt during the Melenchen Incident a couple of months before.
The plan was a massive gamble because many military experts believed that Erich von Manstein would become the pallbearer of Army Group A - and one that was amended significantly by the chief of staff of the Army High Command in the west, Franz Halder.

Erich von Manstein and other Panzer division commanders however chose to ignore Franz Halder's amended plans and upon successfully breaking through the French line at the town of Sedan, they broke their orders and began advancing relentlessly toward the English Channel.

Erwin Rommel even lost contact with his General Hermann Hoth, having disobeyed orders by not waiting for the French to establish a new line of defence. The 7th Panzer Division continued to advance north-west to Avesnes-sur-Helpe, just ahead of the 1st and 2nd Panzer divisions.

For a significant period of time due to the speed of the German advance; they had captured 30 miles in 24 hours and eventually captured the French town of Abbeville on the Channel's coast.
Germany's gamble paid off as the French chose not to counterattack. They believe that the armour was simply a forward element of the German army group that was to follow and believe they could capture more German forces by waiting.
This choice gave the Germans time to dig in and secure their encirclement of the entire British Expeditionary force and an entire Allied army group containing five different Allied armies from Belgium, France and the UK.

This was again, a great military disaster for the Allies.

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