Editing Erwin Rommel (section)

==== Invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium and France ====
{{main|German invasion of the Netherlands|German invasion of Belgium (1940)|Battle of France}}
The invasion began on 10 May 1940. By the third day Rommel and the advance elements of his division, together with a detachment of the [[5th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|5th Panzer Division]], had reached the [[Meuse]], where they found the bridges had already been destroyed (Guderian and [[Georg-Hans Reinhardt]] reached the river on the same day).{{sfn|Butler|2015|pp=154–155}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Alexander |first1=Bevin |title=Inside the Nazi War Machine: How Three Generals Unleashed Hitler's Blitzkrieg Upon the World |date=2008|publisher=Casemate Publishers|isbn=978-1-101-46091-7|page=104|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GsN2SVvNZZYC&pg=PT104}}</ref> Rommel was active in the forward areas, directing the efforts to make a crossing, which were initially unsuccessful because of suppressive fire by the French on the other side of the river. Rommel brought up tanks and [[flak]] units to provide counter-fire and had nearby houses set on fire to create a smokescreen. He sent infantry across in rubber boats, appropriated the bridging tackle of the 5th Panzer Division, personally grabbed a light machine gun to fight off a French counterattack supported by tanks, and went into the water himself, encouraging the sappers and helping lash together the pontoons.{{sfn|Lewin|1998|p=14}}{{sfn|Murray|Millett|2009|p=71}} By 16 May Rommel reached [[Avesnes]], and contravening orders, he pressed on to Cateau.{{sfn|Butler|2015|pp=160–161}} That night, the French II Army Corps was shattered and on 17 May, Rommel's forces took 10,000 prisoners, losing 36 men in the process. He was surprised to find out only his vanguard had followed his tempestuous surge. The High Command and Hitler had been extremely nervous about his disappearance, although they awarded him the Knight's Cross. Rommel's (and Guderian's) successes and the new possibilities offered by the new tank arm were welcomed by a small number of generals, but worried and paralysed the rest.{{sfn|Krause|Phillips|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=1DLRMQfzyVwC&pg=PA176 176]}}

On 20 May, Rommel reached [[Arras]].{{sfn|Butler|2015|p=164}} General [[Hermann Hoth]] received orders that the town should be bypassed and its British garrison thus isolated. He ordered the 5th Panzer Division to move to the west and the 7th Panzer Division to the east, flanked by the [[SS Division Totenkopf]].{{sfn|Fraser|1993|p=183}} The following day, the British launched a counterattack in the [[Battle of Arras (1940)|Battle of Arras]]. It failed and the British withdrew.{{sfn|Butler|2015|pp=165–166}}

On 24 May, ''[[Generaloberst]]'' (Colonel General) [[Gerd von Rundstedt]] and ''Generaloberst'' [[Günther von Kluge]] issued a halt order, which Hitler approved.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/dunkirk-75th-anniversary-real-reason-hitler-let-british-troops-go-1503201|title=Dunkirk anniversary: The real reason Hitler let the British troops go|first=Michael|last=Epkenhans|date=27 May 2015|access-date=3 February 2017|archive-date=3 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203183410/https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/dunkirk-75th-anniversary-real-reason-hitler-let-british-troops-go-1503201|url-status=live}}</ref> The reason for this decision is still a matter of debate.{{sfn|Butler|2015|p=166}}{{sfn|Hoffman|2004|p=24}}{{sfn|Krause|Phillips|2007|p=179}} The halt order was lifted on 26 May.{{sfn|Hoffman|2004|p=24}} 7th Panzer continued its advance, reaching [[Lille]] on 27 May.{{sfn|Messenger|2009|p=51}} The [[Siege of Lille (1940)|Siege of Lille]] continued until 31 May, when the French garrison of 40,000 men surrendered. Rommel was summoned to Berlin to meet with Hitler. He was the only divisional commander present at the planning session for ''[[Fall Rot]]'' (Case Red), the second phase of the invasion of France. By this time the [[Dunkirk evacuation]] was complete; over 338,000 Allied troops had been evacuated across the Channel, though they had to leave behind all their heavy equipment and vehicles.{{sfn|Butler|2015|pp=169–171}}