How did it relate to the war!? What went on that made it significant to it!?
Links would be wonderful, but please not just something mundane like "just google it or wikipedia it!." Because that didnt work too well!. =/Www@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>History> What was Belgium's role in World War 2?Question: What was Belgium's role in World War 2!? How did it relate to the war!? What went on that made it significant to it!?
Links would be wonderful, but please not just something mundane like "just google it or wikipedia it!." Because that didnt work too well!. =/Www@QuestionHome@Com Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: France and Belgium had been Allies after WW!!. However, with Hitler's attacks on Czechoslovakia and Poland, Belgium declared itself neutral!. France had built an expensive defense in the form of the Maginot Line between itself and Germany and a similar line between France and Italy!. The line was very effective and the Italians were unable to penetrate it!. Most of the line also held against a superior armed German force with control of the air until France was forced to surrender!. The weak points were 1!. The Ardenne Forest which the French thought could not be used as an invasion route because of the lack of roads, etc!. and, mainly, 2!. Belgium!. France did not extend the Line to protect its border with Belgium, its erstwhile ally!. The Germans feinted against the Line and sent the mass of its troops through Belgium around the end of the Maginot Line making the defense of France practically impractical as it was attacked from Italy as well!. Belgium was the undefended route of attack for the German conquest of France!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Belgium tried to remain neutral but was aware that Hitler may attack if it allowed French or British troops onto its soil!. In the event it was through the Ardennes forest in Belgium that the Germans attacked the western forces anyway!. The belgium army was overwhelmed but the King would not allow thw French and British to intervene in Belgium until it was too late and the Germans were round the back of the French defences and rolled up the French army from the left flank and drove the British army back to the coast!. Belgium was occupied by German forces from 1940 t0 1944 and the last great battle on the western front took place there in December 1944 when the Germans made a final effort to break up the Allied front line in what was called the Battle of the Bulge by breaking through to Antwerp!. The American forces in that sector were overwhelmed at first but managed to slow down the German advance which was eventually halted and repelled when Eisenhower asked Montgomery to bring elements of the British Second Army into the line to stabilise the situation!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The Germans used Belgium as a route around the French string of fortifications known as the Maginot Line!. They were not a doormat, Belgium did put up a fight against the Nazi Blitzkrieg!. History often brushes over the heroic efforts by the Belgian army against an overwhelming, mechanized German force!. The German army had to overcome a series of forts most note ably Fort Eban Emael north of Liege!. In this battle the Germans used a combined airborne assault of parachute troops and gliders to land on the fort and overwhelm its defenses!. The French and British put up a a few fights in Belgium, notably at Meuse but were overwhelmed!. This lead for a general retreat of British and French troops!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Belgium never fought in WW2 the only role they played was that Hitler invaded them without warning causing the outbreak of the war!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Target practice!.Www@QuestionHome@Com belgium was invaded by hitler and under their controlWww@QuestionHome@Com Belgium was like the Netherlands and Luxembourg a neutral country at the outbreak of that war and so it wasn't possible to invited the army's of France and UK before a invasion off ore country!. In the years before the war Belgium had build some defense lines intended to delay and to stop the invasion of a army coming from Germany ( in fact do to the origin of neutrality we also had to provided some lines of defense against the other neighboring country's otherwise Germany could claim that we weren't neutral ) The best known lines for delaying the invasion where the bunker line at the Albert canal ( where the fort Eben emael was a cornerstone intended to give artillery support to all the small bunkers and to cover the Bridges around maastricht across the maas , was only taken by a non conventional attack by air ) also around Luik where some cover lines support by the forts around situated around the city ( fort tancremont did only surrender a day after the surrender in belgium nl 29Mai ) The main stopping line was the KW line ( koingshooik - wavre) starting around antwerpen and intended to connect around Namen to the french border and so the Maginot line!. This line was intended to be hold together with the UK forces who would be demanded to help us ( there the delaying line to gain time so the troupes could occupy the KW line ) but history took a other turn and the Germans pieced the lines at sedan Between the war many men who would escaped the occupation took service in the ally's army's and there even where independed corps and section in the navy and airforce in the uk army also the resitance in belgium did there part in helping excape shot down pilots ( the comet line did help escape more then 700 airmen and the BBC serie secret army was inspired by there story ) and active resitance like the group G who succeeded in a certain action with blowing up certain high tensionlines in belgium that even a current chortage was in jan 1944 in the ruhr ( this action is best known unther the name La Grande Coupure )Www@QuestionHome@Com |