Battle of La Marfée

The Battle of Sedan or Second Battle of Sedan (12–15 May 1940) took place in the Second World War during the Battle of France in 1940. It was part of the German Wehrmacht's operational plan codenamed Fall Gelb (Case Yellow) for an offensive through the hilly and forested Ardennes, to encircle the Allied armies in Belgium and north-eastern France. German Army Group A crossed the Meuse with the intention of capturing Sedan and pushing westwards towards the Channel coast, to trap the Allied forces that were advancing east into Belgium, as part of the Allied Dyle Plan. Sedan is situated on the east bank of the Meuse. Its capture would give the Germans a base from which to take the Meuse bridges and cross the river. The German divisions could then advance across the open and undefended French countryside to the English Channel. On 12 May, Sedan was captured without resistance and the Germans defeated the French defences around Sedan on the west bank of the Meuse. German Luftwaffe bombing and low morale prevented the French defenders from destroying the bridgeheads. The Germans captured the Meuse bridges at Sedan allowing them to pour forces across the river. On 14 May, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) and the French Armée de l'Air jointly tried to destroy the bridges, but the Luftwaffe prevented them from doing so. In large air battles, the Allies suffered high losses which depleted Allied bomber strength in the campaign.The French counter-attacked the German bridgeheads from 15 to 17 May, but the offensives fell victim to delay and confusion. On 20 May, five days after consolidating their bridgeheads, the German Army reached the Channel. Crossing the Meuse had enabled the Germans to achieve the operational goal of Fall Gelb and encircle the strongest Allied armies, including the British Expeditionary Force. The resulting June battles destroyed the remaining French army as an effective fighting force and expelled the British from the continent, leading to the defeat of France.

Sedan (French pronunciation: [sədɑ̃] ) is a commune in the Ardennes department and Grand Est region of north-eastern France. It is also the chef-lieu (administrative centre) of the arrondissement of the same name. Sedan is notable as the site of two major battles between the armed forces of France and Germany, both of which were won by Germany. The First Battle of Sedan in 1870 sealed the fate of the Second French Empire and paved the way to the foundation of the German Empire, leading to the subsequent annual celebration of "Sedan Day" in Germany. The Second Battle of Sedan in 1940 achieved a decisive breakthrough by Wehrmacht forces in the Battle of France and ultimately led to the collapse of the French Third Republic.

The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, though fighting continued under a new French government. The 130,000 strong French Army of Châlons, commanded by Marshal Patrice de MacMahon and accompanied by Napoleon III, was attempting to lift the siege of Metz, only to be caught by the Prussian Fourth Army and defeated at the Battle of Beaumont on 30 August. Commanded by Generalfeldmarschall Helmuth von Moltke and accompanied by Prussian King Wilhelm I and Prussian Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, the Fourth Army and the Prussian Third Army encircled MacMahon's army at Sedan in a battle of annihilation. Marshal MacMahon was wounded during the attacks and command passed to General Auguste-Alexandre Ducrot, until assumed by General Emmanuel Félix de Wimpffen. Bombarded from all sides by German artillery and with all breakout attempts defeated, the French Army of Châlons capitulated on 2 September, with 104,000 men passing into German captivity along with 558 guns. Napoleon III was taken prisoner, while the French government in Paris continued the war and proclaimed a Government of National Defense on 4 September. The German armies besieged Paris on 19 September.

The Jardin botanique de Sedan is a botanical garden and city park located on Philippoteaux Avenue beside the Place d'Alsace-Lorraine, Sedan, Ardennes, Champagne-Ardenne, France. It is open daily without charge. The garden was established in 1875 upon the demolition of the Bourbon bastion, with its plan drawn up by René Richer. A statue of Paul et Virginie beneath an umbrella, battered in the cyclone of 1905, still graces the garden. Today it contains mature trees (beech, maple, chestnut), magnolias, a rose garden with more than 50 varieties, a collection of hydrangeas, a bandstand, and a pool with fish, swans, and ducks.

The arrondissement of Sedan is an arrondissement of France in the Ardennes department in the Grand Est region. It has 72 communes. Its population is 58,136 (2016), and its area is 792.2 km2 (305.9 sq mi).

Sedan Castle (French: Château de Sedan) is a castle situated in Sedan, France, near the river Meuse. Covering an area of 35,000 square metres (380,000 sq ft) in its seven floors.

Stade Louis Dugauguez is a multi-use stadium in Sedan, France. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of CS Sedan Ardennes. The stadium holds 23,189 people and was built in 2000. It replaced Stade Emile Albeau. It is named after the former French footballer and manager Louis Dugauguez (1918–1991).

Sedan Synagogue, located on Avenue Philippoteaux, Sedan, Ardennes, Northern France, was built by the Jewish community in 1878. Although the Jews were deported during World War II, the synagogue survived.

The canton of Sedan-1 is an administrative division of the Ardennes department, northern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Sedan.It consists of the following communes:

The canton of Sedan-2 is an administrative division of the Ardennes department, northern France. It was created at the French canton reorganisation which came into effect in March 2015. Its seat is in Sedan.It consists of the following communes:

The Sedan–Corbion–Bouillon–Paliseul railway (French: La ligne du Bouillonais) was a 44 kilometres (27 mi) long cross-border metre gauge railway in northeastern France and southwestern Belgium, commissioned in sections from 1890 and operated until 1933 and 1957/1960, respectively.

Sedan station (French: Gare de Sedan) is a railway station serving the town of Sedan, Ardennes department in northeastern France. It is situated on the Mohon–Thionville railway. The station is served by regional trains towards Charleville-Mézières, Reims and Longwy, and by high-speed trains towards Paris.