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Belgian soldiers on manoeuvers in Wales, July 1941. The Free Belgian forces (French: Forces belges libres, Dutch: Vrije Belgische Strijdkrachten) were soldiers from Belgium and its colonies who fought as part of the Allied armies during World War II, after the official Belgian surrender to Nazi Germany.
The Independent Belgian Brigade (Dutch: 1e Infanteriebrigade ”Bevrijding”, lit. ' 1st Infantry Brigade "Liberation" ') was a Belgian and Luxembourgish military unit in the Free Belgian forces during World War II, commonly known as the Piron Brigade (Brigade Piron) after its commanding officer Jean-Baptiste Piron.
By 1944, the Free Belgian forces in the United Kingdom numbered some 4,500 men. [76] Belgian soldiers formed the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade (which also included an artillery battery of soldiers from Luxembourg) more often known as the Brigade Piron after its commanding officer, Jean-Baptiste Piron.
This list covers the regiments of the Belgian Army from 1939 to 1945, from mobilization to the ensuing Battle of Belgium and the Battle of France, along with Free Belgian regiments till 1945. This article is based on one source , [ 1 ] which covers up every detail on the 18 day campaign (1940) in the Belgian Perspective.
The Belgian Air Component is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. The history of the Belgian Air Force began in 1910 when the Minister of War, General Hellebout, decided after his first flight to acquire aeroplanes. On 5 May 1911 a Farman type 1910 was delivered, followed by a second on 24 May and two other in August of the same year.
The Free Belgian forces, particular the infantry who had been training since 1940, held the government responsible for not being allowed to fight. In November 1942, 12 Belgian soldiers mutinied, complaining about their inactivity. [ 19 ]
Lieutenant-general BEM Victor Jean Clement, Baron van Strydonck de Burkel [a] (16 July 1876, Antwerp – 4 August 1961, Etterbeek) [b] [1] was a general of the Belgian Army and the primary architect of the formation of the Free Belgian Forces after Belgium's official surrender on May 28, 1940 in World War II.
Within the Free Belgian Forces that were formed in Great Britain during the occupation of Belgium between 1940 and 1945, there was a land force formation, the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade. An additional three divisions were raised and trained in Northern Ireland, but the war ended before they could see action.