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After the Belgian Army's surrender on 28 May 1940, a Military Administration was created to govern the German-occupied Belgium. Hoping to expand its support in Flanders and influenced by Nazi racial ideals , it adopted the so-called Flamenpolitik which gave preferential treatment to the Flemish population over the French-speaking Walloons in ...
The Belgian II Army Corps launched a counter-attack and captured 200 German soldiers. [6] Belgian artillery opened up effectively on the Germans, but Allied lines were subject to numerous bombing raids and strafing runs, with negligible air support of their own. A German division from Menen moved up to Ypres, threatening to cut the Belgian Army ...
The German Army reached the Channel after five days, encircling the Allied armies. The Germans gradually reduced the pocket of Allied forces, forcing them back to the sea. The Belgian Army surrendered on 28 May 1940, ending the battle. [3] The Battle of Belgium included the first tank battle of the war, the Battle of Hannut. [4]
The strength of the Belgian Army extended to seven Corps, a Cavalry Corps and several ad hoc units and fortresses. In the following overview, the position of each division at the start of hostilities on May 10, 1940 is given in parentheses. I Corps - Lieutenant-General Alexis Vander Veken
German cavalry parade past the Royal Palace in Brussels shortly after the invasion, May 1940. The German occupation of Belgium (French: Occupation allemande, Dutch: Duitse bezetting) during World War II began on 28 May 1940, when the Belgian army surrendered to German forces, and lasted until Belgium's liberation by the Western Allies between September 1944 and February 1945.
Flamenpolitik (German: "Flemish policy") is a policy practiced by German authorities occupying Belgium during World War I and World War II. The ultimate goals of these policies was the dissolution of Belgium into separate Walloon and Flemish components and Germanisation .
At the time, they were the only unit in the Belgian Army to wear a beret. [3] At the same time, a series of 375 pillboxes were built along the Belgian frontier for the Chasseurs ardennais to defend as part of the so-called Ligne Devèze . [1] As a replacement for the 10th Line Regiment, the 14th Line Regiment was created in June 1934. [4]
In September, the Franco-Belgian Accord of 1920 was signed for military co-operation; if international tension increased, the Belgians would request assistance and the French would send an army to the Belgian–German border, making it the main line of French resistance to a German attack. As the policy was studied, it became clear that a force ...