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Eagle Tour ’07, the yearly (NRDC-ITA)battlefield tour (BT), took place inFrance and Belgium, throughout theArdennes region, in the area ofFermont, Villy la Fertè, Sedan,Monthermè, Dinant, Stonne andNoyers Pont Maugis. The BT, the onlyone planned for 2007, lasted 6 days(travel included), from 1st to the 6th ofOctober, a Monday to Saturday tourorganised by the Engineer Branch, asby tradition in HQ NRDC-ITA.The training audience was composedof 49 officers, both senior and juniorfrom the NRDC-ITA Staff, includingthe organization staff.The aim of the battlefield tour was toprovide through a military historicalcampaign – about the German victoryof 1940 where in only seven weeks theGerman Army (Wehrmacht) defeatedthe French Army, one of the World’slargest armies at that time – a practicalfocus for the study and analysis of highcommand, planning and conduct ofcampaigns and major operations in acombined and joint context. In addi-tion to that, Eagle Tour 07 was desi-gned to demonstrate some of the en-during characteristics of conflict.Whilst we studied historical eventswithin a wide political and military

strategic context, the focus of theexercise was to draw out relevant les-sons for contemporary operations atthe operational and high tactical le-vels of war, including consideration ofthe land-air interfaces. Specific battle-field tour objectives were:• to consider the strategic and opera-

tional level commands, their structu-res and procedures, the decisionmaking and the resource allocation;

• to highlight the application of theprinciples of war and the practice ofoperational art during the campai-gn, the major operations and thebattles under study;

• to illustrate the significance of envi-ronmental and operational factors inthe planning and conduct of majoroperations and battles;

• to stimulate the conduct of originalresearch, expanding knowledge ofmilitary history at the strategic, ope-rational and higher tactical levels ofconflict;

• to take advantage from relevanceand lessons of military history foroperations today;

• to take into account the impact oftechnology on the conduct of war.

Word War II was the largest and mostviolent armed conflict in the history of

mankind. Highly relevant today, WW IIhas much to teach us, not only aboutthe profession of arms, but also aboutthe military preparedness, global stra-tegy and combined operations in thecoalition war against Nazism.The battlefields today are largely simi-lar to what they were 67 years ago.Apart from the fact that new roads ha-ve replaced some of the old ones, thecountryside of Ardennes has hardlychanged since the battle took place. Itremains an attractive tourist and far-ming area, visited regularly by vete-rans of both sides (although very fewnow) and military students, either alo-ne or in organised tours, such as ours.The NRDC-ITA group left SolbiateOlona on Monday, October, (1st Day)and reached Paris by plane and fromthere Sedan by coach, the most ap-propriate means of transportation forthe entire battlefield tour. The city ofSedan was our base during our stay inthe region. It was where our hotel waslocated. “Le Chateau Fort” was builtin the 15th century. The Castle ofSedan is the biggest castle of Europe(35.000 m2). With its strategic positionon France's eastern border, it was con-tinuously enlarged, strengthened andmodernised by the powerful La Marck

Battlefield tour of the Ardennes Regionby Cpt Giorgio Buonaiuto

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family, Dukes of Bouillon andSovereign Princes of Sedan.While landscapes are close to theones in 1940, we only found a few tra-ce of the fortifications, as they havebeen largely replaced by renewedcountryside and urban infrastructure.Moreover, it is understandable that lit-tle memories of the battles still remainand, as a matter of fact, we did seemany monuments and WW II-relatedtopology as we did three years beforein Normandy.On Day 2 we visited the “MaginotLine” Museum in Fermont (a 2 hrs gui-ded visit) and the Northern edge ofthe defensive line in Villy La Fertè.The Maginot Line, named after Frenchminister of defence André Maginot,was a line of concrete fortifications,tank obstacles, artillery casemates andmachine gun posts and other defen-ces which France constructed along itsborders with Germany and with Italy,in the light of experience from WorldWar I, and in the run-up to World WarII. The French established the fortifica-tion to provide time for their army tomobilize in the event of attack, and/orentice Germany to attack neutral

Belgium to avoid a direct assault onthe line. The success of static, defensi-ve combat in World War I was a key in-fluence on French thinking. The fortifi-cation system successfully dissuaded adirect attack, but as it had been drum-med up as making France invincible,the following defeat made it look likea failure.In the afternoon the historian Dr.David Hall illustrated the Allied Planfor the defence of the France and LowCountries defence with a particular fo-cus on the Maginot Line as the Frenchhad believed that with those construc-tions along their north-eastern fron-tier, the Germans would be encoura-ged to divert their main attack throu-gh Belgium, and thus attempt a re-peat of their 1914 Schlieffen Plan.Particular attention was given to thetough battle that was fought to con-quer the strong position when theGermans claimed to use gas to disruptthe French defence.In the afternoon, we attended in theHotel the second lecture of the “ope-rational concept” and the group wasdivided in three syndicates with the ta-sk to develop a discussion on the fol-lowing themes:

• How important during operations arepersonalities in the composition of hi-gher-level HQs, particularly in a multi-national environment? (Syndicate 1)

• How does Guderian’s crossing ofthe Meuse in May 1940 help us tounderstand the required synchroni-sation in a modern scenario?(Syndicate 2)

• The employment of air force in sup-port of tactical level operations waskey to successs for German Forces.What are the main considerations interms of effectiveness in comparingthe coordination measures used byGerman Forces with the current sy-stems/procedures? (Syndicate 3).

Day 3 started with a lecture by our hi-storian in Monthermè where XLI Corpscrossed the Meuse with comments onthe battle and bridgehead. Later on, the group moved toBouvignes in order to identify the posi-tion where Rommel crossed the Meusein one of the most admirable battle ac-tions of the Blitzkrieg Campaign. Aftera short stop in Dinant for lunch, a thirdlecture in the hotel on “C2,Generalship, Strategic bombing andWeapons of Mass Destruction (gas)”followed.

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Day 4 started with a visit to Stonne withchronology of the bridgehead battlebetween 3 French Armoured Divisionand the 10th Panzer Division. There,the French light tanks H-39 opposed avery strong defence counterattackingthe German troops untill they foundout how to disrupt this efficient vehiclethat gave a big contribution to makethose French troops fallen in the battleeligible for an everlasting honour.At midday, we moved to Orval Abbeyfor a 1 hour guided visit and then wedeparted to Noyers Pont Maugiswhere a visit to the French andGerman Cemeteris took place. Asmall wreath ceremony was organizedon site in order to honour the fallen ofboth sides. The cemeteries are on theMafèe Heights, where the French ar-tillery was located, overlooking the ri-ver Meuse crossing points used bythe 10 Panzer Division led by GeneralGuderian. The historian, Dr. Hill, di-scussed the battle action whereGuderian crossed the Meuse at 15.00hrs on 13th of May 1940.In the hotel the forth and final lectureon “outcome and aftermath” was heldby Dr. Hill preceding the 3 syndicateswork presentations.Day 5 was the Cultural Day and thegroup moved to Reims. But in themorning, a visit to the “War andPeace” Museum in Novion Porcientook place. Before arriving at the“Mercure” hotel a visit to Taittingerchampagne cellar was carried out. In

the afternoon, all the members ofEagle Tour ‘07 visited the ReimsCathedral where a tourist guide illu-

strated a lot about this incredible mo-nument by a 1 hrs visit outside and in-side this Christian location. This ma-sterpiece of gothic art dates from the13th century as a reminder of the chri-stening of Clovis. The cathedral was the site of 25 coro-nations. Adorned with over 2500 sta-tues, this is the only cathedral to di-splay angels with open wings, inclu-ding the famous Smiling Angel on thewestern façade of the north portal. Finally, on Saturday (Day 6) the battle-field tour ended with the group retur-ning to Ugo Mara barracks, a bit tired,but having gained a lot out of theexercise Eagle Tour ‘07.In fact, HQ NRDC-ITA had a uniquechance to review the setting of the“Blitzkrieg Campaign”, “modern”war-fighting battles which for the firsttime hit the scene and now offer les-sons to be learned, to all the functio-nal branches.

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