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Stonne | |
|---|---|
 War memorial | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location of Stonne | |
  Stonne  Stonne | |
| Coordinates:49°33′03″N4°55′38″E / 49.5508°N 4.9272°E /49.5508; 4.9272 | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Grand Est |
| Department | Ardennes |
| Arrondissement | Sedan |
| Canton | Vouziers |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2026) | William Rebisz[1] |
Area 1 | 7.18 km2 (2.77 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[2] | 40 |
| • Density | 5.6/km2 (14/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 08430 /08390 |
| Elevation | 189–340 m (620–1,115 ft) (avg. 338 m or 1,109 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
Stonne (French pronunciation:[stɔn]) is acommune in theArdennesdepartment in northernFrance.
Stonne is a village, consisting of a handful of farmsteads, that was heavily contested during theGerman invasion of France in theSecond World War. The village changed hands 17 times over the course of three days of fighting between 15 May and 17 May 1940.[citation needed]
On 13–14 May 1940, German tanks crossed theRiver Meuse under the command of GeneralHeinz Guderian. The town of Stonne and the woody hills of Mont-Dieu were an area where it was possible to try to stop this German advance. On the night of 13 May, the French moved various elements to the area to attack the Germans;
They faced the10th Panzer Division, Panzer Regiment 8, Infantry Regiment 69,Infantry Regiment "Grossdeutschland", and elements of the 43rd Assault Engineer Battalion.
The town switched sides 17 times in the course of theBattle of Stonne:
At first the French tanks were used in an infantry support and defensive role. On the morning of 16 May a counter-attack was led by the French tanks. The 3rd company of the 41st Tank Battalion (Char B1 bis tanks) went into attack without infantry support. They met Panzer Regiment 8. A single B1bis tank (LieutenantBilotte's "Eure") pushed into the town itself, into the German defences, and then withdrew after attacking two German columns and reportedly destroying twoPanzer IV tanks, 11Panzer IIIs and two3.7 cm PaK 36 anti-tank guns.[3]
After 16 May, the 10th Panzer Division withdrew to be replaced by the16th and24th Infantry Divisions. The Infantry RegimentGrossdeutschland had already lost 570 men and 12 guns at Stonne, while the French had lost about 33 tanks and the Germans about 24 tanks. The majority of casualties suffered byGrossdeutschland regiment in the 1940 campaign were lost at Stonne.
Stonne was totally occupied only on 25 May, as pockets of resistance held out. The Germans did not clear the Mont-Dieu woods which were bypassed.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 57 | — |
| 1975 | 41 | −4.60% |
| 1982 | 39 | −0.71% |
| 1990 | 40 | +0.32% |
| 1999 | 33 | −2.11% |
| 2007 | 44 | +3.66% |
| 2012 | 46 | +0.89% |
| 2017 | 41 | −2.28% |
| 2023 | 40 | −0.41% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
| International | |
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| Other | |
