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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.
Belgian_soldiers_in_a_trench,_1940.jpg (268 × 335 pixels, file size: 117 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This is a file from the Wikimedia Commons . Information from its description page there is shown below.
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
On 10 May 1940, Nazi Germany, which aimed to dominate Europe, attacked Belgium as part of their war with France. By 28 May 1940 the Belgian mainland had surrendered to German forces, although the colony of Belgian Congo remained independent throughout the war. Belgian power was not restored until final Axis collapse in late 1944.
200,000 Belgian military prisoners of war, who had been captured in 1940, were also transported to Germany. [27] Most were used as forced labour and paid only a nominal sum. [46] About 80,000 (mainly Flemish) prisoners were returned to Belgium between late 1940 and 1941, [27] but many remained in captivity until the end of the war. They were ...
A retractable gun turret at Fort Ében-Émael. On 10 May 1940, Germany launched Fall Gelb ("Plan Yellow"), the invasion of the Low Countries and France. By attacking through the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and Belgium, the German Oberkommando der Wehrmacht planned to outflank the Maginot Line, and advance through southern Belgium and into northern France, cutting off the British Expeditionary ...
The 16th Infantry Division was mobilized in late 1939, becoming part of the General Reserve of the Army. Since its forces were mostly raw conscripts, they were sent to Beverlo Camp for refitting. The 16th Infantry Division had partially modernized with WWI Weaponry like other divisions from the Second Reserve.
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.