War Memorial 1st Ardennes Hunter Regiment

This memorial in memory of the fallen of the 1st Ardennes hunter regiment is located 700 m from the village along the route de Fauvillers, au hameau de Traquebois.

May 10, 1940 - 1st regiment Ardennes Hunters, 5th company

Various sentries of the Ardennes Hunters guard the border via a network of Alarm posts (Postes d'Alerte). Their task is to alert the command in the event of a German invasion. It is these emergency posts that send the first messages about suspicious movements at the border shortly after midnight. The regiment was then already put on alert by the division staff and started taking up its positions shortly after 01:00.

At the 5th company, the 1st platoon at Strainchamps makes contact with the enemy around 10:00 am. Sub-lieutenant Nemry and his men remain in the post until 4:00 pm and then leave the village. The platoon withdraws to the Bois du Grosthier and Hotte where it joins the 4th company.

At Bodange about 70 soldiers of the 5th company of Captain-Commander Briquart block the Arlon-Bastogne runway. Because the telegraph operators of the Ardennes Hunters have already destroyed the local telephone exchange during the night, the company is no longer in contact with the command and the order for the withdrawal is not granted. From the east, the German vanguard of a column of the same 1st Panzer Division emerges. Fierce fighting breaks out and the company is quickly reduced to two platoons. Commander Briquart, head of the 5th company is killed. After a courageous resistance that lasts all day, the 5th company has to give up and mourn 11 dead and 24 injured.

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Source

• Text: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck