| Battle of Belgium | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the German invasion of France and the Low Countries in World War II | |||||||||
&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:Infanterie-Regiment_489_Westfeldzug_Gefangene_Fort_Eben-Emael_1940-2_by-RaBoe.jpg) Belgian soldiers under German guard following the fall of Fort Eben-Emael on 11 May 1940 | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Belgium France United Kingdom Netherlands[a] Luxembourg |
 Germany | ||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
Leopold III  Hubert Pierlot Maurice Gamelin Maxime Weygand Lord Gort Émile Speller |
Adolf Hitler Fedor von Bock | ||||||||
| Strength | |||||||||
|
144 divisions[b] 13,974 guns[c] 3,384 tanks[d] 2,249 aircraft[e] |
141 divisions[1] 7,378 guns [1] 2,445 tanks[1] 5,446 aircraft (4,020 operational)[1] | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
|
222,443+ casualties (200,000 captured)[f] ~900 aircraft[g] | Uncertain (see German casualties)[h] | ||||||||
The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign[2] (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (French: Campagne des 18 jours; Dutch: Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the larger Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War. It took place over 18 days in May 1940 and ended with the German occupation of Belgium following the surrender of the Belgian Army.
On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium under the operational plan Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). The Allied armies attempted to halt the German Army in Belgium, believing it to be the main German thrust. After the French had fully committed the best of the Allied armies to Belgium between 10 and 12 May, the Germans enacted the second phase of their operation, a break-through, or sickle cut, through the Ardennes, and advanced toward the English Channel. The German Army (Heer) 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] It was the largest tank battle in history at the time but was later surpassed by the battles of the North African Campaign and the Eastern Front. The battle also included the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael, the first strategic airborne operation using paratroopers ever attempted.
The German official history stated that in the 18 days of bitter fighting, the Belgian Army were tough opponents, and spoke of the "extraordinary bravery" of its soldiers.[5] The Belgian collapse forced the Allied withdrawal from continental Europe. The British Royal Navy subsequently evacuated Belgian ports during Operation Dynamo, allowing the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), along with many Belgian and French soldiers, to escape capture and continue military operations. France reached its own armistice with Germany in June 1940. Belgium was occupied by the Germans until the autumn of 1944, when it was liberated by the Western Allies.
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ a b c d Holmes 2001, p. 324.
- ^ Belgian American Educational Foundation 1941.
- ^ Shirer 1990, p. 729.
- ^ Healy 2008, p. 36.
- ^ Keegan 2005, pp. 95–96.