German invasion of Belgium (1940)

• 1. Neutrality And Internal Divisions

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  A pacifist rally gathered in Heysel, near Brussels, in 1936. This scene captured the deep social fracture within Belgium regarding its defense policy. The Flemish Movement grew powerful and opposed French influences. Meanwhile, Walloons vehemently objected to strategies that would abandon French-speaking areas to Germany. Socialist Paul-Henri Spaak came to power in 1935 and had to appease a strong pacifist wing in his party. King Leopold III declared neutrality in October 1936, infuriating the French government. Marshal Philippe Pétain had suggested using Belgium as a springboard for attacks on Germany's Ruhr area in January 1933. Belgium feared being drawn into war regardless of their stance. They withdrew from the Western Alliance just before the remilitarisation of the Rhineland. The Belgian General Staff decided to fight for their own interests alone if necessary.

• 2. The Dyle Plan Debacle

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  Allied armies enacted the Dyle Plan on the morning of the 10th of May 1940. Maurice Gamelin approved this strategy despite its fatal flaws. The plan abandoned most of eastern Belgium to the Germans. It included the easily defensible Ardennes region which covered the northern flank of the Maginot Line. Militarily it rotated the Allied right wing perpendicular to the French frontier defenses east of Sedan. This created a vulnerable hinge point there. British supply lines lengthened with the Channel ports. Connections with stockpiles in northern France ran parallel to their front and became easily cut by a slight German advance. King Leopold III and General Raoul Van Overstraeten warned Gamelin and the French Army command of these concerns on the 8th of March and the 14th of April. Their warnings were ignored. The Belgians suspected a ruse after the Mechelen Incident but assumed the Germans would try a main thrust through the Belgian Ardennes. They correctly predicted that the Germans would attempt a Kesselschlacht, or encirclement, to destroy their enemies.

• 3. Airborne Assault On Fort Eben-Emael

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  Adolf Hitler summoned Lieutenant-General Kurt Student to discuss the assault on Fort Eben-Emael. A seven-second drop from a Ju 52 at minimum operational height led to a dispersion over 300 metres alone. Hitler demanded to know if a glider could land on the fort's flat top surfaces. Student replied that it could be done by 12 aircraft in daylight. This delivered 80 to 90 paratroopers onto the target. The tactical weapon introduced was the Hohlladungwaffe, an explosive capable of penetrating Belgian gun turrets. Sturmabteilung Koch spearheaded this first strategic airborne operation in history. Forces included Fallschirmjäger who landed on top of the fortress using military gliders. Special explosives and flamethrowers disabled the defenses. German infantry overcame defenders of the I Belgian Corps' 7th Infantry Division within 24 hours. The main Belgian defense line breached allowed German infantry of the 18th Army to pass through rapidly. German soldiers established bridgeheads across the Albert Canal before British forces reached them some 48 hours later.

• 4. Tank Battles Of Hannut And Gembloux

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  The Battle of Hannut began on the 12th of May 1940 near the town of Hannut. Hoepner's Panzer Corps clashed head-on with Prioux' Cavalry Corps. Contrary to popular belief, Germans did not outnumber French tanks. The German 3rd and 4th Panzer divisions numbered 280 and 343 respectively. The 2e DLM and 3e DLM held 176 SOMUAs and 239 Hotchkiss H35s. French tanks possessed superior armor and firepower compared to most German types. German tank units contained 486 Panzer Is and IIs which were of dubious combat value given losses in the Polish Campaign. The Germans communicated by radio during the battle and shifted points of effort unexpectedly. French tactical deployment remained rigid and linear from the First World War. French tanks lacked radios so commanders often dismounted to issue orders. On the first day, virtually every French weapon from 25mm upward penetrated the 7-13mm armor of the Panzer I. By day's end, Prioux claimed his tanks came off best despite heavy casualties.

• 5. Collapse And Retreat To The Coast

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  On the morning of the 15th of May, German Army Group A broke defenses at Sedan. This allowed them to drive for the English Channel. The Allies considered a wholesale withdrawal from the Belgian trap. The withdrawal reflected three stages: the night of 16/the 17th of May to the River Senne, the night of 17/the 18th of May to the river Dendre, and the night of 18/the 19th of May to the river Scheldt. The Belgian Army held the German Fourteenth Army on the KW-line along with French and British armies. Had it not been for the collapse of the French 2nd Army at Sedan, Belgians believed they could have checked the advance. The Belgian Army, BEF, and French 1st Army were ordered to retire on the 16th of May to avoid southern flanks being turned. King Leopold III issued a proclamation to improve morale after defeats at the Albert Canal. He stated that soldiers must summon up all energies to stem the invasion. The Belgian failure to hold eastern frontiers disappointed Allied chiefs of staff who hoped resistance would last long enough for a defensive line to be established.

• 6. Surrender And Operation Dynamo

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  The Belgian Army surrendered on the 28th of May 1940 ending the battle. This forced the Allied withdrawal from continental Europe. The British Royal Navy subsequently evacuated Belgian ports during Operation Dynamo. This allowed the British Expeditionary Force, along with many Belgian and French soldiers, to escape capture. A total of 507 vessels in the Belgian fishing fleet were ordered to assist in evacuating troops from the coast. Most of the Belgian merchant fleet, some 100 ships with 358,000 tons, evaded capture by Germans. Under terms of a Belgian-Royal Navy agreement these ships and their 3,350 crewmen were placed under British control. They suffered heavy losses and only 28,000 tons remained at the end of the war. France reached its own armistice with Germany in June 1940. Belgium was occupied by Germans until late summer and autumn of 1944 when it was liberated by Western Allies.