Charles de Gaulle delivered his first counterattack on the German invaders of 1940 at this French town.
Reims
Nancy
Montcornet
Cambrai
Montcornet. Given command of France’s still-forming 4th Armored Division, de Gaulle sent tanks and infantry to attack the crossroads town on the German flank, May 17, 1940. The French captured Montcornet, but German artillery, Stukas and ground forces ultimately forced them to withdraw.