Uploaded April 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
For the first time, Erwin Rommel felt the chill of defeat creeping in. Until now, blitzkrieg had been an unstoppable force, slicing through France like a hot knife through butter. But at Arras, in the spring of 1940, something cracked.
A blade of British Steel came down from the north to sever the German advance.
Out of the dust came the Matildas. Heavily armored, impervious to standard antitank weapons, they crashed into Rommel's exposed flank with brutal force. A sudden, savage counterattack—one that threatened to tear the German spearhead apart and turn the entire campaign upside down.
Rommel had built his name on speed, shock, and unrelenting attack. He understood better than anyone that war was momentum. And right now, that momentum was slipping from his grasp.
He turned his full attention to Arras. The counterattack had to be stopped. Now.
(QUOTE): "Every gun, both antitank and antiaircraft, was ordered to open rapid fire immediately. I personally gave each gun its target. With enemy tanks so perilously close, only rapid fire from every gun could save the situation."
He was so locked in with stopping the British tanks that he didn't even notice when his orderly was shot dead at his side. The bullet that could have killed him missed by inches.
Blinded by tunnel vision, he failed to see it. He was making one of the most critical mistakes of the war.
He wasn't fighting the enemy he thought he was…
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As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
For the first time, Erwin Rommel felt the chill of defeat creeping in. Until now, blitzkrieg had been an unstoppable force, slicing through France like a hot knife through butter. But at Arras, in the spring of 1940, something cracked.
A blade of British Steel came down from the north to sever the German advance.
Out of the dust came the Matildas. Heavily armored, impervious to standard antitank weapons, they crashed into Rommel's exposed flank with brutal force. A sudden, savage counterattack—one that threatened to tear the German spearhead apart and turn the entire campaign upside down.
Rommel had built his name on speed, shock, and unrelenting attack. He understood better than anyone that war was momentum. And right now, that momentum was slipping from his grasp.
He turned his full attention to Arras. The counterattack had to be stopped. Now.
(QUOTE): "Every gun, both antitank and antiaircraft, was ordered to open rapid fire immediately. I personally gave each gun its target. With enemy tanks so perilously close, only rapid fire from every gun could save the situation."
He was so locked in with stopping the British tanks that he didn't even notice when his orderly was shot dead at his side. The bullet that could have killed him missed by inches.
Blinded by tunnel vision, he failed to see it. He was making one of the most critical mistakes of the war.
He wasn't fighting the enemy he thought he was…
-
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Docs sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Docs is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. -
