battle of belgium
[12] [53], During the evening of 9 May, the Belgian Military attaché in Berlin intimated that the Germans intended to attack the following day. [48] Of the three Panzer Divisions, the 3rd and 4th were to operate in Belgium under the command of the 6th Army's XVI Corps. While the rapid Allied advance crossed the northern part of Belgium, stiff German resistance was encountered around the city of Mons close to the French border. Its mission was to protect the southern flank of the Allied armies, south of the Sambre river and just north of Sedan. The Belgians refused to yield but Montgomery claimed to have got his way by placing himself under the command of the Belgian forces, knowing that when the Germans came within artillery range the Belgians would withdraw. [8] The French were dependent on how much cooperation they could extract from the Belgians. [128] When it was inquired if any Belgians were to be evacuated, Pownall was reported to have replied, "We don't care a bugger what happens to the Belgians". The French expected a major German thrust or thrusts to converge on the Gembloux gap. Also committed the Dutch Air Force on few, ineffective and costly missions. [51] The Luftwaffe allocated 1,815 combat, 487 transport aircraft and 50 gliders for the assault on the Low Countries. [119] The Belgians could not cover it; such a move would have overstretched them. [57][69] The RAF contributed to the effort to attack the bridges. Nevertheless, the French, setting up new anti-tank screens and Hoepner, lacking infantry support, caused the Germans to attack positions head-on. ISBN, Ellis, Major L.F. (2004). • • Hungary Had it not been for the collapse of the French 2nd Army at Sedan, the Belgians were confident that they could have checked the German advance. These operations require from all of us – officers and men – exceptional efforts, sustained day and night, despite a moral tension tested to its limits by the sight of the devastation wrought by a pitiless invader. However severe the trial may be, you will come through it gallantly. One regiment, the Liège Fortress Regiment, stayed behind to disrupt German communications. [52], The initial air strikes over Belgian air space were to be conducted by IV. The Belgian Air Force lost 83 planes on the ground on 10 May, 25 lost in aerial combat between 10–15 May, and four lost in the air between 16–28 May. [118] The French denied the use of the Dunkirk, Bourbourg and Gravelines bases to the Belgians, which had initially been placed at its disposal. One account speaks of a German Panzer commander attempting to climb on a Hotchkiss H-35 with a hammer, presumably to smash the machine's periscopes, but falling off and being crushed by the tank's tracks. Finding itself isolated in the Namur Fortified Position, the Belgian VII Corps abandoned it on 15 May. [60] The victory claims are likely an undercount. Both Gort and his Chief of Staff, General Henry Pownall, accepted that their withdrawal would mean the destruction of the French 1st Army, and they would be blamed for it. Meanwhile, 114 Squadron lost six Blenheims destroyed when Dornier Do 17s of Kampfgeschwader 2 bombed their airfield at Vraux. Eight CR.42s were evacuated from Brustem to Grimbergen near Brussels but seven Gladiators and the last remaining Hurricanes from 2/I/2 Escadrille were destroyed at Beauvechain Air Base and Le Culot by He 111s and I./JG 27 respectively. Montgomery dispatched several units of the 3rd Infantry Division (including the heavy infantry of the 1st and 7th Middlesex battalions and the 99th Battery, 20th Anti-Tank Regiment), as an improvised defence. [62] The main Belgian defence line had been breached and German infantry of the 18th Army had passed through it rapidly. The 9th Army was allocated infantry divisions, with the exception of the 5th Motorised Infantry Division (5e DIM). King Leopold III made a speech on 14 October 1936 in front of the Council of Ministers, in an attempt to persuade the people (and its Government) that the defences needed strengthening. Gembloux occupied a position in the Belgian plain; it was an unfortified, untrenched space in the main Belgian defensive line. On 26 May, Operation Dynamo officially commenced, in which large French and British contingents were to be evacuated to the United Kingdom. [108] [40] When liaison and transport aircraft from all services are included, the total strength was 377; however only 118 of these were serviceable on 10 May 1940. [129] One example was the taking over of the Scheldt line, where they relieved the British 4th Infantry Division, allowing it to retire through their ranks. [71] Despite the apparent success of the German fighter units, the air battle was not one-sided. German losses had been heavy at Hannut and Gembloux. The standard Belgian anti-tank gun was the 47 mm FRC, towed either by trucks or by fully tracked armoured Utilitie B-tractors. The choice of an established Allied line lay in either reinforcing the Belgians in the east of the country, at the Meuse–Albert Canal line, and holding the Scheldt Estuary, thus linking the French defences in the south with the Belgian forces protecting Ghent and Antwerp, seemed to be the soundest defensive strategy. • Manchuria Requests [for increased fighter protection] are still unsuccessful. The French claimed five. The Belgian Air Force consisted of 250 aircraft, the French Air Force 1,368, the British Royal Air Force provided 456 aircraft and the Dutch Air Force 175. France reached its own armistice with Germany in June 1940. [117], Such an order ignored the fact that the Belgian Army could not withdraw to the Yser, and there was little chance of any Belgian Cavalry joining in the attack. [131][132], Churchill's and the British response was officially restrained. Army Group B would continue its own offensive to force the collapse of the Meuse front. It is largely in what today is Wallonia, the French-speaking area of southern Belgium, but it extends into France, Germany, and Luxembourg. "[3] [61] Between 16 May and 28 May, the AéMI flew just 77 operations. [67] The regiment had blocked the roads and, against the odds, prevented French reinforcements reaching the Belgian–Franco-Luxembourg border, but it also destroyed Belgian telephone communications. Under the circumstances, both divisions withdrew. [13], Upon the official Belgian withdrawal from the Western Alliance, the Belgians refused to engage in any official staff meetings with the French or British military staff for fear of compromising its neutrality. The ring of the Yser also dramatically shorted the Belgian Army's area of operations. The Panzer Corps ran into retreating French columns and inflicted heavy losses on them. [58] Fisser's KG 77 destroyed the AéMI main bases, with help from KG 54. The German Army (Heer) reached the Channel after five days, encircling the Allied armies. [49] The 9th Panzer, scheduled initially for operations in the Netherlands, was the weakest division with only 30 Panzer Is, 54 Panzer IIs, 41 Panzer IIIs, 16 Panzer IVs and 12 command tanks[49] • Lithuania The Belgian Air Force lost 83 planes on the ground on 10 May, 25 lost in aerial combat between 10–15 May, and four lost in the air between 16–28 May. [100], After the withdrawal of the French Army from the northern sector, the Belgians were left to guard the fortified city of Antwerp. The Belgian battle-front on the morning of 22 May extended some 90 kilometres (56 mi) from north to south, beginning with the Cavalry Corps, which checked its advance at Terneuzen. [124] The Belgian High Command made at least five appeals for the British to attack the vulnerable left flank of the German divisions between the Scheldt and the Leie to avert disaster.[124]. [44], After holding onto the Albert Canal's west bank for nearly 36 hours, the 4th and 7th Belgian infantry divisions withdrew. [51] The Luftwaffe allocated 1,815 combat, 487 transport aircraft and 50 gliders for the assault on the Low Countries. Actually, of course, the river channel changes direction as it passes through Belgium, running south to north … The BEF could have done more to counterattack von Bock's left flank to relieve the Belgians as von Bock attacked across the fortified British position at Kortrijk. Gort committed just two infantry battalions and the only armoured battalion in the BEF to the attack, which despite some initial tactical success, failed to break the German defensive line at the Battle of Arras on 21 May. The disintegration of the Belgian Army and its front caused many erroneous accusations by the British. ), Kampfgeschwader 30 (Stab. This river, throughout history, has been the natural line of resistance against an enemy advancing from east to west over the Belgian highlands. Battlefields of Belgium Tour A fascinating introduction to a wide range of military history and battlefields in Belgium from Waterloo to WWI to WWII. [29] The roofs were flat and unprotected; he demanded to know if a glider, such as the DFS 230, could land on them. Requests [for increased fighter protection] are still unsuccessful. . It was forced to cover the areas held by the BEF in order to enable the latter to engage in the offensive. • Normandy Marshal Philippe Pétain had suggested a French strike at Germany's Ruhr area using Belgium as a spring-board in October 1930 and again in January 1933. Battlefields of Belgium - Tourist guide for Flanders Fields (Ypres, Passchendale), Battle of the Bulge (Bastogne), Waterloo 1815, Vimy Ridge. Also committed the Dutch Air Force on few, ineffective and costly missions. [33] Belgian reserves may have been able to field 900,000 men. [26], Further east, delaying positions were constructed in the immediate tactical zones along the Albert Canal, which joined with the defences of the Meuse west of Maastricht. The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign was part of the greater Battle of France. Admiral Sir Roger Keyes transmitted the following message to GHQ: Van Overstraten is desperately keen for strong British counterattack. [43], The French 7th Army was assigned to protect the northernmost part of the Allied front. One regiment, the Liège Fortress Regiment, stayed behind to disrupt German communications. Leopold III, and his mother Queen Mother Elisabeth, stayed in Belgium to endure five years of self-imposed captivity. The Belgians were determined to hold the border fortifications along the Albert Canal and the Meuse, without withdrawing, until the French Army arrived to support them. b) There has been such a vast change in the methods of warfare as a result of technical progress, particularly in aviation and mechanization, that the initial operations of armed conflict could now be of such force, speed and magnitude as to be particularly alarming to small countries like Belgium. Admiral Sir Roger Keyes transmitted the following message to GHQ: Van Overstraten is desperately keen for strong British counterattack. • Total war Recriminations abounded with the British and French claiming the Belgians had betrayed the alliance. The Belgian battle-front on the morning of 22 May extended some 90 kilometres (56 mi) from north to south, beginning with the Cavalry Corps, which checked its advance at Terneuzen. The lack of this commitment ensured the Belgian withdrawal from the Western Alliance, the day before the remilitarisation of the Rhineland. [71] Despite the apparent success of the German fighter units, the air battle was not one-sided. Belgium was to act as a secondary front in importance. Despite an overwhelming numerical superiority of 1,375 aircraft, 957 of which were serviceable, the air campaign in Belgium had limited success overall on the first day. [109] When Ironside made his proposals known to Gort, Gort replied such an attack was impossible. "The War in France and Flanders 1939–1940". Foot 2005, p. 322. [118], Churchill and Maxime Weygand, who had taken over command from Gamelin, were still determined to break the German line and extricate their forces to the south. In an agreement with the British and French Armies, the French 7th Army under the command of Henri Giraud was to advance into Belgium, past the Scheldt Estuary in Zeeland if possible, to Breda, in the Netherlands. Although suffering numerous tactical reverses, operationally the Germans diverted the Allied First Army Group from the lower Ardennes area. The objectives of this operation was to land two companies of the 3rd battalion Grossdeutschland Infantry Regiment by Fi 156 aircraft at Nives and fr (Witry) in the south of the country, in order to clear a path for the 1st and 2nd Panzer divisions which were advancing through the Belgian–Luxembourg Ardennes. German infantry with a Pak 36 anti-tank gun in western Belgium in May 1940. The standard Belgian anti-tank gun was the 47 mm FRC, towed either by trucks or by fully tracked armoured Utilitie B-tractors. Two He 111s, two Do 17s and three Messerschmitt Bf 109s were shot down by Gloster Gladiators and Hurricanes. Fliegerkorps helped drive them back. This was the beginning of Operation Dynamo. The Chasseurs Ardennais further south, on the orders of their commander, withdrew behind the Meuse, destroying some bridges in their wake. Having little ability to oppose the French, the British strategy for military action came in the form of strategic bombing of the Ruhr industry. The victory saw the Panzer Corps out-manoeuvre the 2e DLM on its left flank. Four infantry divisions (including the 13th and 17th Reserve Infantry Divisions) engaged the German Eighteenth Army's 208th, 225th and 526th Infantry Divisions. The shortage of modern types meant single-seat versions of the Fairey Fox light bomber were being used as fighters. The Belgian air service comprised three main aerial regiments: 1. The main defensive position ringing Antwerp would be protected by the Belgians, barely 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from the city. Certainly by day's end, Prioux had reason to claim that his tanks had come off best. Total German losses in the air numbered 469 in 12–25 May, and 126 for 26 May – 1 June, but at least 43 paratroopers were killed and a further 100 wounded. Belgian intelligence and the military attaché in Cologne correctly suggested the Germans would not commence the invasion with this plan. Most died in September and October of 1944 while liberating the region of Flanders, which included the cities of Furnes, La Panne, Nieuport, Ostend, Knocke-Heist, Bruges, Eecloo, and the northern suburbs of Antwerp. The Belgians suspected a ruse, but the plans were taken seriously. Numbers for the Battle of Belgium are unknown, but the French suffered the following losses throughout the entire western campaign, 10 May – 22 June: Numbers for the Battle of Belgium are unknown, but the British suffered the following losses throughout the entire campaign, 10 May – 22 June: The consolidated report of the Oberkommando der Wehrmacht regarding the operations in the west from 10 May to 4 June (German: Zusammenfassender Bericht des Oberkommandos der Wehrmacht über die Operationen im Westen vom 10. He was concerned that the Belgians would be driven out of their defences and would retreat to Antwerp, as in 1914. This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:Battle of BelgiumListening is a more natural way of learning, when compared to reading. [118] The Luftwaffe had air superiority and made everyday life hazardous in logistical terms. and Kampfgeschwader 27 (III.). No natural obstacles remained between the Belgians and the German Army; retreat was not feasible. The museum’s exhibits display equipment, weapons, uniforms and other items used by the soldiers in the conflict, arranged in dioramas depicting their daily lives. It was this tactical unit that would spearhead the first strategic airborne operation in history. Both of these types, in armour and firepower, were superior to most German types. There can be no question of the Belgian withdrawal to Yser. These Belgian guns were better than the 25 mm and 37 mm guns of respectively the French and the Germans. German soldiers pile up Belgian weapons in Bruges after the surrender. The total remaining area covered just 1,700 km², and compacted military and civilians alike, of which the latter numbered some 3 million people. Please convey these considerations to the King, and impress upon him the disastrous consequences to the Allies and to Belgium of his present choice. But German parachute forces had seized the Moerdijk bridge on the Hollands Diep river, south of Rotterdam, making it impossible for the French to link up with the Dutch Army. • Kiev By May 1940 the BEF had grown to 394,165 men, of whom more than 150,000 were part of the logistical rear area organisations and had little military training. V, II, VI, VII and IV Corps (all Belgian) were drawn up side by side. [109] The main effort had to be made by the French to the south. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test … [109][110] The King also made clear that in the rapidly shrinking area of Belgium still free, there was only enough food for two weeks. [90] This applies all the more to the 90 Panhard 178 armoured cars of the French Army. the battle halted the invasion that gave Germans control of over 95% of Belgian territory. The 1st Belgian Light Infantry did not receive the signal to retreat and engaged in a severe fire-fight with the German armour, slowing down their advance. • Strategic bombing, • Expulsion of Germans On 18 May the Belgians received word that Namur's Fort Marchovelette had fallen; Suarlee fell on 19 May; St. Heribert and Malonne on 21 May; Dave, Maizeret and Andoy on 23 May.[104]. Having little ability to oppose the French, the British strategy for military action came in the form of strategic bombing of the Ruhr industry. Belgian American Educational Foundation (1941). The Franco-Belgian agreement stipulated Belgium was to mobilise if the Germans did, but what was not clear was whether Belgium would have to mobilise in the event of a German invasion of Poland. Despite the failure by the Germans at Hannut, there was no way to rebuild a continuous Allied front. Oxford: Osprey Publishing (UK). [89] Added to this force were the considerable number of Renault AMR-ZT-63s in the Cavalry Corps. The British, having lost confidence in their Allies, decided to look to the survival of the BEF. In the process his forces, along with the Luftwaffe depleted Prioux' Cavalry Corps. • Soviet Union (Barbarossa) [26], In an agreement with the British and French Armies, the French Seventh Army under the command of Henri Giraud was to advance into Belgium, past the Scheldt Estuary in Zeeland if possible, to Breda, in the Netherlands. The Germans, with superior numbers and in command of the air, had won the bridgehead. [61] It spent most of its time retreating and fuel withdrawing in the face of Luftwaffe attacks. The Germans managed, against fierce resistance, to cross the river at night and force a one-mile penetration along a 13-mile front between Wervik and Kortrijk. The German XIX Corps war diary's situation summary at 20:00 on 14 May noted: The completion of the military bridge at Donchery had not yet been carried out owing to heavy flanking artillery fire and long bombing attacks on the bridging point … Throughout the day all three divisions have had to endure constant air attack — especially at the crossing and bridging points. Germans already have a bridgehead over canal west of Eecloo. [104] Nevertheless, the now-outnumbered Belgians abandoned Brussels and the Government fled to Ostend. On the evening of 27 May, he requested an armistice.[3]. That the Belgian Army should withdraw to the line of the Yser and stand there, the sluices being opened. [119] The Luftwaffe had air superiority and made everyday life hazardous in logistical terms. [58] At Schaffen-Diest, three Hawker Hurricanes of Escadrille 2/I/2 were destroyed and another six damaged when a wave of He 111s caught them as they were about to take off. Flieger-Division (7th Air Division) to discuss the assault. Another plan for further offensives was suggested. The Belgians were forced to use the only harbours left to them, at Nieuport and Ostend. 21 Squadron suffered damage to most of the bombers because of intense ground-fire. The line deviated southward, and continued to Liege. • Territorial changes of Germany The 9th Army was allocated infantry divisions, with the exception of the 5th Motorised Infantry Division (5e DIM). Fort Eben-Emael guarded the city's northern flank, the tank country lying in the strategic depths of the Belgian forces occupying the city and the axis of advance into the west of the country. Fliegerkorps with 550 (420 serviceable) aircraft. • Operation Paperclip It was agreed the Belgian Army would man the Antwerp–Leuven line, while its allies took up the responsibility of defending the extreme north and south of the country. [50] The force was assembled in November 1939. [87][88], The Gembloux gap was defended by the French 1st Army, with six elite divisions including the 2nd (2e Division Légère Mécanique, or 2e DLM) and 3rd Light Mechanized Divisions. [115] The Belgian I Corps, with only two incomplete divisions, had been heavily engaged in the fighting and their line was wearing thin. The British had entered the First World War in response to the German violation of Belgian neutrality. Another plan for further offensives was suggested. The Battle of Belgium included the first tank battle of the war, the Battle of Hannut.
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