May 6th, 1941
From second lieutenant Hubert de Poulpiquet (platoon leader of the 6th GRCA) to his cousin Charles de Kerdonval.
Piraeus, June 2, 1941:
Dear cousin,
I have learned of the exploits and misfortunes of your cruiser in the Mediterranean. I thought that sailors were taking it easy on the blue waves, I am for humble apologies to present you to you on the occasion of our next meeting. I am indeed embarking shortly to return back to NAF after we have been relieved. I believe that you have not yet left for the Americas, but if that was already the case, you will know from this letter that we cavalrymen of the Armée d'Orient are not standing still either, despite the successive withdrawals we are undergoing today in Greece.
A month ago, we left Salonika to go up to Macedonia, where our new Yugoslavian and Greek allies are suffering the full force of the enemy panzers.
My AMD platoon (three cars: mine, armed with a 25 anti-tank, and two others, armed with a short 37) performed well during the trip. The American engines proved to be robust and reliable despite the load to be moved.
We arrived in Kumanovo, a small town where the boss - General Dentz - has established his headquarters. I suspect that he chose it because the names of most of the other cities are unpronounceable - do you know that the capital of this province, about ten kilometers to the southwest, is called Skoplyé or something close to it. It is a country of mountains and valleys where indifferently, hang on their rocky peak, orthodox monasteries and mosques. The city itself is an incredible hodgepodge where cross refugees and Yugoslav troops or others, clogging the narrow streets of vehicles. In addition, they are far from speaking the same language, imagine: in the north there are Kosovans (Kossovois ? variens ?...), in the east Bulgarians, in the west Albanians and in the south, of course, Greeks, but I am unable to differentiate between all these populations or their fighters. So there remains a simple tactic: we shoot at everything that resembles "dark iron grey" or "fedlgrau" and for the others we advise... If they want to negotiate, they just have to learn French - yes, I know, I was very good at Greek in high school, much better than you at least, but to my disappointment, it seems that the language has evolved quite a bit since Sophocles and Xenophon. And then, in fact, there are a lot of officers who speak excellent French.
As soon as we arrived, we launched reconnaissance operations towards the north-east, in the direction of... Vranié (Vragné ? Vranje ?) and the heights of the Morava valley. One of them of them was quite hot.
...............
- Departure at 06h45, arm your guns and supply your machine guns !
My platoon, reinforced by two motorcycles of the mounted dragoons, moves towards hill 731, near the farm of Kanculi, which seems to me to offer a good view on the valley. The road is steep and winding and the AMDs are suffering. I order a stop to rest the engines, in a hairpin from where I can watch the road in both directions.
Suddenly, three motorcycles come out of the upper bend at full speed and are on us in a few seconds, with a clatter of engines. Germans, clearly recognizable by their helmets, as if they had not seen us, so much so that they pass us and try to escape by running straight away. MdL/C Evrard, who had remained in his AM, swung his turret and fired a 37 round in their direction before they were out of sight at the next turn. But only a small cloud of dust is visible near the lead motorcycle. It's my fault, expecting to run into armor, I had the 37s loaded with rupture shells. Evrard had just enough time to drop a burst of FM before our Boche were under cover of the parapet, but no bullet hit. Then, nothing more. They will have stopped to not reappear further down, in the next hairpin, which is under our fire. I leave Evrard and the two dragoons in position in case the Germans continue their descent and I leave cautiously with the two other AM to fall on them. I don't have the time to reach their bend when several bursts of FM and a 37, this time explosive, are heard. The Krauts had tried everything and had been lit up by Evrard.
A few moments later we arrived at the exit of the bend and saw two motorcycles on the ground, the third one must have managed to escape. I check in my on-board documents what the white tactical signs painted on the mudguards of the destroyed bikes.
They must belong to the 9.PzDiv. On the map, I have two options: either the Germans are coming from the northeast and had the same idea as I did when they wanted to observe the Morava valley from Hill 731, or, and this is more serious, they come from the west - which suggests that Kumanovo is already threatened with encirclement. This last solution seems to me unfortunately more probable because in the other case, the Boche would have seen us on the road and would have been suspicious.
The response was not long in coming. On the upper parapet, gusts of wind signal that Evrardhas just been engaged by the enemy coming from the west. I climb the parapet to get an idea of what was happening: two Pz-IIs were attacking the Chevrolet that had remained behind. A shot of 37 hits one of the panzers with a sharp flash, but immediately the other tank hits the AMD destroying the windshield protection, it soon starts to burn and I see Evrard and his provider abandoning the vehicle while releasing bursts of MPs towards the Germans. The two dragoons, with Evrard and his teammate sitting on the tansads, join us at once. The driver and the machine gunner were killed on the spot. One of the dragoons confirms having seen a column of armored vehicles and infantry transports behind the Pz-II. I send him to inform the captain and we go down the hill as quickly as possible, making the tires squeal at every turn.
At the bottom of the valley, I find a place suitable for an ambush to try to delay this column, the time for reinforcements to arrive. The hamlet of Lucane seems to be appropriate: from there, we can take the road out of the valley in enfilade. I position the two Chevrolets between the farms of the hamlet and I send the second dragon with the mission to fetch reinforcements in number if we want to hold the road to Kumanovo. I try tocamouflage my two AM and I use Evrard and his provider as well as the two
two machine gunners as close protection, with the FM taken on my machine and their MPS.
Half an hour later, the panzers came out of the valley. In the lead, five or six Pz-II followed by two-three PzIIIs accompanied by grenadiers, at least two sections if I believe the number of trucks and motorcycles that I see in my episcope. We let the leading tanks approach, still in column.
- Fire!
I activate the pedal of shooting and I see my shell of 25 which strikes the first Pz-II on the left sprocket, my provider reloads, the machine is stopped, I correct the shot and I get a second impact on the turret. I insist - a third and then a fourth shot at the target set the panzer ablaze. In the meantime, the other Chevrolet has targeted the second Pz-II, which, overtaking its leader, has come close enough to be within effective firing range of the 37. The other enemy tanks start to deploy and gradually move out of the road to line up in the fields bordering the farms of the hamlet. I stick my head out through the turret panel, call mechanic Chesnay and order him to transmit to the other AM the order to take care of the Pz-II with his 37 while I engage the overflowing Pz III.
The shooting continues, I stop a Pz-III by untangling it but I am spotted and shells of 20 and 37 shells start to rain around me, blowing up the bricks of the wall of the farm where I am sheltered. I was about to order the withdrawal, when a strong jolt, a metallic noise on the front and a release of steam indicate to me that the engine and the radiator have just been hit. Very quickly, a gasoline pipe having surely been pierced, the fire breaks out under the hood. We evacuate the car and, going along the low walls of the farm, join the AMD 37 who has just added a Pz-II to his score.
It was time to fall back, as nearby FM bursts told me that Evrard and his men have come across some grenadiers trying to turn us. I take all my people in the surviving AMD 37, Evrard and his FM hanging on the turret, and we escape by the road at maximum speed, while dropping shots of 37 and FM bursts towards the infantry, who answered us with MG34s. The impacts of the 7.92 bulets ricochet on the metal sheets of the combat compartment and on the turret, behind which Evrard furiously continues to empty his FM magazines.
We soon reach the crossroads with the Kumanovo - Vranje road (come on, let's say Vranje), where we meet the rest of the deep reconnaissance group. Squadron Leader Connan congratulates us - that's how it is in the cavalry, I lost two out of three machines, but I gave the enemy a hard time, I'm a real Hussar!
My last AMD is integrated into the device deployed to stop the panzers coming down from the mountain. Connan in particular has "recovered", thanks to the power and authority of his vocal organ, legendary in the cavalry, a battery of 47s mounted on Dodge trucks that were retreating towards Kumanovo and whose gunners were visibly impressed by the charisma of my leader...
The three other AMD platoons were going to set up ambushes to bring the enemy tanks on the 47, themselves protected by the squadron of mounted dragons. Some time later, the panzers deployed in attack formation were lit up by the 47s. Columns of black smoke rise in the fields of the valley while the mortars of the dragoons sow small grey mushrooms which prevented the grenadiers from approaching our positions.
But we did not enjoy this spectacle for very long, because alas another threat points in the sky. The panzers, stopped by the action of our group, called the stukas to the rescue and their bombs start to hammer our defensive position. We have to retreat before we suffer too many losses.
A new withdrawal to a position five km behind, on Hill 507, near Samoljicka (or thereabouts). There, the fire support squadron with its 13.2 AAs and our 47 Chevrolets awaited us, and the remains of the reconnaissance group that had been shot up the day before east of Kumanovo trying to save a Yugoslavian unit. There are sections of 13.2s there, which should offer us protection against the stukas until the fighters intervene.
But I could not participate in this new combat. During the stall under the bombs, a piece of shrapnel hit me in the left shoulder and broke my collarbone. Nothing very serious, but, not having my AMD, I have no reason to be heroic and I was evacuated by the ambulance platoon to Kumanovo and then to Skoplje, where the situation was a bit calmer. I will tell you later how and by whom I was treated, because you will not believe me.
.........
Here, dear cousin, is a story that will change you from your maritime adventures. See you soon in Oran, perhaps. Je t'embrasse. Cousin Hub.
PS: Come on, I see that you are dying of curiosity. Do you remember this young Parisian woman who used to come spend her vacations in Morgat, next to Uncle Philippe's house? Yes, a redhead with blue eyes with freckles on her little trumpet nose. Wasn't she studying to be a nurse? Ah ah!
French Army Chevrolet/ARAL AMD TM 120, Battle of Kumanovo, May 1941
