The Battle of the Lys (1940) - Belgium's Final Battle during the German Invasion of Belgium

The Battle of the Lys (1940) was the bloodiest battle that took place during the German invasion of Belgium. The German invasion of Belgium during the Second World War started on May 1940. On that day Germany's attack on the west begun. Belgium was invaded by the German armies and it's most important bulwark of defence - Fort Eben-Emael - was neutralized within a day when German paratroopers (Fallshirmjäger) managed to reach the roof of the fortress via glider planes. The Belgian Army of 1940 barely stood a chance. The main German attack went through the Ardennes. Belgian special forces (the Chasseurs Ardennais) fought back but weren't able to stop the German assault. In this video you will learn about the Battle of Belgium, also known as the 18 Days' Campaign (Campagne des 18 jours / Achttiendaagse Veldtocht).
History Hustle presents: The Battle of the Lys (1940) - Belgium's Final Battle during the German Invasion of Belgium.
SUPPORT ME ON PATREON ► / historyhustler
SUPPORT ME ON PAYPAL ► www.paypal.com/paypalme/Histo...
SUBSCRIBE ► / @historyhustle
INSTAGRAM ► / historyhustle
FACEBOOK ► / historyhustler
TWITTER ► / hustlehistory
SOURCES
- Belgium's Dilemma. The Formation of the Belgian Defense Policy, 1932-1940 (Jonathan A. Epstein).
- België in de Tweede Wereldoorlog, Deel 10, Mei 1940, van Albertkanaal tot Leie (Luc De Vos).
- Belgium. The Official Account of what happened 1939-1940.
stacks.stanford.edu/file/fw97... (24-12-21).
- dunkirk1940.org/index.php?&p=1... (24-12-21).
IMAGES
Images from commons.wikimedia.org.
VIDEO
Video material from:
• Video
Het Belgisch Leger Waakt 1938/39 (Belgian Army / L'Armée Belge)
Ufa Tonwoche 508 - 30/05/1940
archive.org/details/ufa-tonwo...
"Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use."
MUSIC
"Crossing the Chasm" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"Evil March" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
"For the Fallen" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
SOUNDS
Freesound.org.
Wanna ask some something? Send me an email at: [e-mail]

[@HistoryHustle]

Learn more about BELGIUM in WW2: The Invasion (1940): kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJaaZnmLqst-jNU The Liberation (1944): kzbin.info/www/bejne/jJnCeJeridWdhJo Flemish Collaboration: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rXKYf5WfeZKqjLM Walloon Collaboration: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g3i1mWSPlJWrm6M

[@davidraper5798]

In the UK there is often the impression given that Belgian resistance simply faded away when the Germans invaded, it's not true and it's important to remember that they did fight back for as long as they could .

[@HistoryHustle]

Indeed. Thanks for commenting!

[@kawythowy867]

Another great video! This guy really knows his history. And is interesting teaching it. Nice!!

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍👍

[@marcvloeberghs881]

Hey Stefan, thanks for this episode. I confirm that the Germans used among others Belgian POW as shield against allied artillery shelling in their move to Dunkirk. My grandfather served in the artillery and was made POW by lack of ammunition and was forced to move with the German troops but wasn’t shelled, other members of his family have been less lucky but came back unhurt from POW camps, Flemish were given a preferred treatment by the Germans and were released earlier.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this additional information Marc!

[@thomasburke2683]

How long was your grandfather kept prisoner?

[@marcvloeberghs881]

@@thomasburke2683 a few months, after a few months the non professional soldiers were released, the more my grandfather was inspector for MOF and the Germans needed to staff the administrations.

[@whyjnot420]

@@marcvloeberghs881 MOF? Throwing out a random guess here, Ministry of Finance? (asking in earnest)

[@marcvloeberghs881]

Yes indeed, Ministry of Finance, he had avoided deportation during WWI by starting to work as clerk near Liège.

[@SunKing968]

Thanks mate, I'm loving this focus on the tragic 1940 campaign

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@redhutsgaming3067]

Thank you for this video. Not a lot can be found about certain Belgian battles these days

[@HistoryHustle]

Glad you found this interesting.

[@nikkibaugher2427]

Professor, a battle that I didn't know about! Very enlightening. Thank you!!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you Nikki.

[@Bluegrassriver8]

Appreciate hearing the Belgian perspective about all this! It's hard to find. There is so much more to learn from the Belgians. We recently toured Belgium and enjoyed it very much! Especially the museum in Bastogne since it gives a lot of important Belgium perspective. I'm learning more about the Belgium resistance of the Nazi's, too. We will be back to visit you! It's incredible a political party (Nazi) could be so effective at brainwashing their citizens to seek destruction. Steven from America, with German immigrant descent, and still learning to speak German.

[@bettycrocker6692]

King Leopold III does not get enough credit for his role in saving thousands of British, French, and Polish troops at Dunkirk by holding the line FOR 18 DAYS against the advancing German juggernaut, knowing full well he would be captured (and possibly killed) when the Belgian surrender took place. His German-born mother Elisabeth, the famous Queen Nurse of WWI, also remained in Belgium, organizing hospitals for wounded Belgian troops and concentrating on child welfare throughout the war ---necessary work, but also a cover for spiriting Jewish children into hiding. She is revered in Israel as one of the "Righteous Among the Nations", people who risked their own lives to save Jews. Thanks again, Prof Stefan!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing your insights.

[@kylemackenzie3381]

Leopold could have held his country if he hadn’t demilitarised before the war and been hostile to the French. His government and troops and people were betrayed by his defeatism. The Belgians could have done so much more if they were lead well and given adequate preparation

[@PUAlum]

Thanks for this re: Belgium’s Queen Elizabeth. Totally new news to me. Glad she’s been honored by Israel.

[@ak9989]

He is a coward

[@PUAlum]

@@ak9989 who?

[@gibraltersteamboatco888]

Very good. BZ. August 1938 the Germans condemned a national monument in memory of 23,700 civilian martyrs of Belgium, inaugurated that month in the town of Dinant, as a “hate monument.” German foreign ministry officials objected in particular to the memorial’s provocative inscription, “Furore Teutonico” A top priority when Germans invaded Belgium and France this time, was to take their revenge, by destroying Furore Teutonico and other troublesome war monuments.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing.

[@filipponseele7346]

They did the same with the Monument at Steenstraete(near Ypres) that was erected to remember the first GASATACK in 1915.

[@gibraltersteamboatco888]

@@filipponseele7346 Just two amongst thousands destroyed in Hitler's attempt to rewrite the history of WW1

[@thanos_6.0]

The Belgiums took 40.000+ casualties during that battle. Thats a lot for such a small country.

[@HistoryHustle]

40,000? Didn't know this. Or did I made a mistake in my video?

[@kurnuyt5742]

@@HistoryHustle no Stefan , you did not . During the whole invasion the Belgian army lost about 7000 men kia and 15000 were wounded . Before the Belgian capitulation on 28 mai 1940 , 50000 soldiers were already taken as POW . Een warme groet uit Kortrijk ;)

[@paulvanappeven3340]

Bedankt Stefan. Altijd goed om de geschiedenis van je eigen land beter te kennen. 🙏🏻

[@HistoryHustle]

Dank voor je bericht.

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Learned new things today, again thanks to you. Thanks Stefan! Greets from the Netherlands 🌷, T.

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks as always.

[@marcboblee1863]

Thank you for posting this video, untold history.

[@HistoryHustle]

You're welcome Marc.

[@jamesbodnarchuk3322]

Love your on location shots!

[@HistoryHustle]

👍great

[@mikecain6947]

Thank you. Another great video.

[@HistoryHustle]

You're welcome.

[@galahad-history]

Great episode! I didnt know about that!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks 👍

[@marcoskehl]

Another "Forgotten Battle" no more forgotten. Thank you for these amazing landscapes. 3:30 How did you get this scene? Seens like an ip cam on top of a cell tower. Obrigado, broer! 🇧🇷

[@HistoryHustle]

Near Diksmuide on top of the IJzertoren.

[@ipsylon7297]

Excellent info. Thank you.

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍👍

[@markflajsner9944]

Despite lacking the means king Leopold truly showed leadership qualities, a deep sense of patriotism, something the French lacked. Thanks for the video.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching.

[@bobpheeissus]

dude! this channel is kinda underrated! i liked it btw :]

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks. Feel free to share.

[@jamesgibbs7872]

Excellent History lecture!

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@stansfieldmcelroy]

Another great vid Stefan

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍👍

[@user-yk4ey3xl9s]

Great video very informative. Rest In Peace to all the fallen Soldiers

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for replying.

[@randyhavard6084]

Great video

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@Libre_et_Pratique]

Thx a lot !!!

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@johndeleon7415]

Wow thank you so much

[@HistoryHustle]

You're welcome.

[@robg7656]

I love this stuff thanks for sharing

[@HistoryHustle]

Cheers!

[@robg7656]

@@HistoryHustle I’ve been saying I want to come to Europe on a exploration to explore all the fortifications and what not one of these days Belgium Germany Italy France can’t wait

[@thatoneguy7191]

Letterlijk gisteren zat ik hier uit pure nieuwsgierigheid onderzoek naar te doen, wat een toeval! Bedankt voor de leerrijke video :)

[@HistoryHustle]

Mooi om te lezen, dank voor je reactie.

[@sirdarklust]

Thanks for another good video. Ding dong and be well.

[@HistoryHustle]

Awesome.

[@Artur_M.]

I have a hard time shifting my attention from the war in Ukraine but watching your videos every Saturday has become a tradition for me. This is not really related but sometime earlier this week (feels weirdly long ago now) I found a good channel starting a series covering Polish formations in exile during WW2. It's called Galahad Historytelling, I think you might like it. I think that Galahad is actually your subscriber - I recall seeing his comments here.

[@HistoryHustle]

Hi, I do know Galahad! Thanks. And yes, also my attention is shifting to Ukraine. Terrible what's going on there. Respect for Polish people who take care of many refugees.

[@whyjnot420]

The Poles are a tough people. They go from one of the largest empires around, to not having a nation anymore, to getting a nation again, only to have it crushed under not one, but two successive boots. With the people who called them allies, banning them from marching in the victory parade in London even. To finally having a free Poland again. That is a journey that would crush many other populations into dust and indeed, less has done just that to others. Not that these are the only examples, but I have always thought of them alongside two other peoples in regard to losing their homeland for a good period of time but still remaining who they were, with the Jews, who essentially had that same journey I just described, but lasting 2k years, with the animosity cranked up to 11. As well as to the Vietnamese, who despite powerful, seemingly unstoppable enemies, basically lining up to fight them for centuries, have always held fast. Some times being controlled for a short while by one group, often being able to hold their own (especially against the Chinese). With all of that, I am not talking politics, religion, right or wrong. Simply true admiration for groups such as those who remain a cohesive group despite the odds, time and time again.

[@dubbelagames3951]

Good history channel

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@PrathameshBhat7288]

HI5 Buddy! wonderful video dear!

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks 👍

[@user-lg4mm3mf8i]

03:40 The Belgian Army didn't retreat behind the Yser for several reasons. 1) All of the ammo and equipment depots were east of the Yser. Moving these was really hard because of the volume and because roads, railroads and rivers were clogged with traffic. These stores were needed to fight. 2) Breaking contact with an engaged enemy and retreating in an orderly fashion is incredibly difficult. The Belgian HQ figured that at this point it would do more harm than good. 3) A lot of Belgian refugees were stuck in the pocket. Retreating behind the Yser would make this even worse. Unlike in 1914 the road the southern France was cut off. So there wasn't much place to go. Before the surrender the Belgian Legerautogroepering / Army transportation service transported the French 60th and 68th division from Zeeland to Calais to make sure that they were not cut off from the rest of the French Army.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this additional information.

[@whyjnot420]

Breaking contact in a meaningful manner with a disorganized mob can prove hard as hell (Just look at examples of individuals trying this in the riots that were happening in the US not that long ago.). Having a military break contract and do all that against the German advance at that time, I see this about as possible as a snowball existing in hell for 10,000 years. If Belgium had tried something like that on a scale involving more than 10 people, it would have literally led to a massacre. Certainly of their military.... possibly it would have ended up like the rout of Serbia in WW1, where literally around 13% or so of the entire population died by the end of the war. (for context, around 2-3% of the population of France died during that war)

[@64maxpower]

I like your passion for history

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@sarasexton2510]

Stefan, Do you use a drone for your aerial photos? The photos do give a great battlefield perspective. Thank you! From one history teacher to another.

[@HistoryHustle]

I was standing on the IJzertoren in Diksmuide.

[@superjohnnygamble6328]

Many thanks for this.. Very informative and very interesting,May I wish you A Happy St Davids Day from Wales.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!

[@mammuchan8923]

40, 000 casualties, that is a heartbreaking amount for such a small country, along with the Vinkt Massacre, just another reminder of how brutally the Nazis fought their war of invasion. I hope that using human shields is recognised as a war crime, it should be (I could quite confirm it by a quick google search). Thanks as always for the awesome work you put into your videos ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks for your reply.

[@Bluegrassriver8]

All invaders fight in a very brutal way. Wars only benefit a very few at the top. Not the little guy.

[@mammuchan8923]

Sad but true @@Bluegrassriver8

[@PUAlum]

Thanks for this one! I've always been impressed at the courage of the Belgians. It's relatively easy for us (Americans) to stand up to tyrants....we have huge resources behind us. Little Belgium stood up with nothing but their own courage. King Leopold seems like a tragic figure. His devotion to his troops and to sharing their fate eventually cost him his throne. I certainly agree with him that the honor of the Belgian army is safe. I'd think the king's would also have been safe. But i guess Belgians thought otherwise when the dust finally settled. The war may have illustrated some of the advantages of a constitutional monarchy in the face of the chaos of battle and possible occupation. I wonder if you see potential for a video about that? I.e. how the monarchs helped (or tried to help) their countries face war/occupation. I think of the recent move, "The King's Choice". Anyway....too long a comment. Sorry! And thanks again, Stefan.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply. I've seen the Norwegian movie a while back.

[@whyjnot420]

It is interesting to consider that all of that, came from a country, that was literally a construct. Artificially created as a buffer state. You often hear of peoples in wars fighting for their country in some manner.... but most of the time those are countries that came about organically, with a much longer history, much more rooted in the land they are defending. Belgium is something of the odd man out, when you look at it like that. Not only was it a constructed nation (I use constructed in the same manner as saying that Esperanto is a constructed language, it might be a designed language, but it is as much a language as French or German or English), and was really not all that old either. addendum: Not trying to take anything away from the Belgians, not in the least. I just think it an interesting bit to consider when looking at things.

[@nickceulemans8503]

the reason people were dissatisfied with Leopold was because the Belgian generals still wanted to fight and evacuate together with the British and French. he had also cooperated a little too much with the occupiers for most people.

[@tng2057]

I can see my son or my grandson watching this channel or successor channel about the Battle for Kyiv Ukraine 2022 in 30 years time.

[@HistoryHustle]

I can imagine.

[@francoisdupont4784]

Belle réalisation. Des sous-titres en français aideraient les élèves francophones à mieux comprendre leur histoire. Encore merci.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks.

[@john-r-edge]

Stefan. Do you ever do public lectures? If so, let the subscribers know. Dank u wel, John, Voorburg ZH.

[@HistoryHustle]

No public lectures.

[@gperk4723]

I wish everyone would watch and share this Guy's Real History WW2 Facts and videos. I wish these vids would make it into America's school classrooms. What a treat to History this guy is...appreciate ya from Texas

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍👍

[@wilhelmvillagracia9670]

Professor Stephen...can you please cover the Battle of Stonne in 1940 France?

[@HistoryHustle]

One day perhaps.

[@RickPop85]

hi hope your well

[@HistoryHustle]

I am.

[@ezandman6804]

Was there also battling in Luxembourg like in Belgium and/or Netherlands? Greet

[@HistoryHustle]

Not in 1940, but there was in 1944 with the Ardennes Offensive.

[@ezandman6804]

@@HistoryHustle Aha yes of course. Thanks

[@thebigone6071]

You da greatest historian of all time HH!!!!

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks!

[@danwybo5712]

Thus a little nation of 8 million souls approved expenditures to raise an Army of twenty infantry divisions, and one Calvary corps and troops for the fortifications, in all 650,000 men. To form a strong army of 650,000, Belgium had to mobilize 8% of her entire population or 46 % of the men between the ages of twenty and forty years of age. It was a tremendous effort and strain. Can any historian doubt that had the British or French made the same effort and flexed their muscles in 1936, would Hitler have stayed in the Rhineland?

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this.

[@64maxpower]

It's rare to see a countries leader have true honor such as his.

[@HistoryHustle]

Indeed. Things changed though during the war... Hope to cover that in the future some day.

[@nerozero8266]

👍

[@HistoryHustle]

💪

[@danwybo5712]

When the true story of the Belgian capitulation comes to be known the King will emerge, not as the cowardly traitor depicted by Reynaud and later Churchill, but rather as one of the great heroic figures of the war. I know that this is a startling statement to those unfamiliar with the facts, but it is a statement that will be borne out by history. The facts are there. They come from many unimpeachable sources. For instance, Sir Roger Keyes, who represented the British Government at the King’s headquarters and remained with him up to the last possible moment, has repeatedly defended the King in speeches, letters, and articles. He was in constant contact with his government throughout those critical days of May when the Belgian and British armies fell back step by step from the first advanced positions to the sea. In no single instance were the Belgians forced back by the Germans. In each instance, they fell back under specific orders from the Commander in Chief, Generals Gamelin & Weygand. These orders were imposed by the fact that the French armies on the right flank had given way and retreat was imperative to keep the Germans from getting behind the Belgian and British forces and encircling them. Finally, the Belgian armies were crowded into a small territory with their back to the sea, without air support, munitions, food, and even water running short. On May 20 Sir Roger Keyes reported to his government that the situation was desperate and that, with the best will in the world, the Belgians could not hold out for more than forty-eight hours. As a matter of fact, under these tragic conditions, they held out just four times as long, suffering frightful losses in order to bar the Nazi road to Dunkerque, where the great evacuation of British and French troops was already underway. During this period the Belgians knew that their own position was hopeless and that sooner or later they were doomed to surrender. Prudence or selfishness would have dictated an immediate surrender when they might have secured better terms. There is no getting around the fact that they sacrificed themselves for the common cause and contributed in no small measure to the success of the Dunkerque operation, which alone made it possible for Britain to continue the war.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for taking the time to share these insights with us.

[@ShubhamMishrabro]

Hope you're good but i feel bad for Ukraine.

[@HistoryHustle]

Me too 🇺🇦

[@Burningwhisky96]

bro i live there haha, thanks for the information, i did do some magnetfished but found nothing ww2 related, must be gone

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for commenting.

[@coling3957]

Belgium would not allow the Anglo-French forces in to their country until AFTER the Germans attacked. when the BEF arrived at designated positions- they found little or no defences prepared.. accounts show they tried to dig in while light tanks formed a screen .. it wasn't long before they saw Belgian troops in headlong retreat and had no option but to withdraw too or face encirclement. the Phoney War should have been period dedicated to face the storm to come.. seems not the case here.

[@user-lg4mm3mf8i]

Belgium was an ally of France until the reoccupation of the Rhineland in 1936. Belgium lost its bufferzone and France and the UK did nothing even though this was e violation of the Versailles Treaty. Belgium had suffered a lot during WW1 and didn't want to experience that again. The British and French only wanted to advance to the middle of Belgium and didn't guarantee the entirety of the Belgian territory. Hitler already made clear that he considered allowing Allied troops in as an act of war. The Belgian army was in the process of modernisation and more weapons were in production. Allowing the Allies in early would 1) turn Belgium into the battlefield of Europe again with all associated hardship 2) mean the immediate loss of the eastern half of the country including most of the heavy industry and arms production 3) deny the Belgian army the time to improve weapons, training, defences etc. Allowing the Allies in early makes no sense. From a defensive point of view, the Belgian Army (which was in the field and at war strenght since september 1939) shielded France even if Belgium was neutral. There was a line of antitank obstacles behind the Dijle river and a continuous line of concrete bunkers. The only sector that was poorly prepared was in the Gembloux region. But the French 1st Army occupied this zone, not the BEF. The Belgian Army was at first positioned on the Albert Canal and the Meuse, screening the advancing Allies. It then fell back on the Dijle line, with most of the Belgian Army to the north of the BEF. The Belgian only withdrew when the Allied Supreme Command told them to. So during the remainder of the campaign the Belgians and BEF withdraw at the same time when ordered. There were some coordination problems. The BEF had a high level of motorisation. As a consequence the British forces tended to execute the withdrawals faster than the Belgians. Because of this the southern Belgian wing had some difficulty staying in contact with the northern British wing. The Belgians did prepare to face the storm. The Belgian Army expanded and modernised a lot between 1936 and 1940. Although there were still some issues. The Belgian Army was very large, 650.000 man in 22 divisions and had a similar level of armament to the Germans and French. Also I think you overestimate the British 'preparing to face the storm'. The BEF was well equipped and mobile but also disappointingly small. Great Britain had a strong Navy and Airforce but its Land Army was extremely small and lacked equipment to enlarge. The BEF only had 10 combat ready divisions on May 10th. Compared to that, Germany had 140 (more in Norway and occupied Poland) and France 104 (of which 10 in the Alpes vs Italy). As a sidenote, the French colonial empire provided more troops than the British: 17 divisions of Algerians, Moroccans, Tunisians and Senegalese. The British have had the tendency to put a lot of blame on France and Belgium. And I agree that France and Belgium could have done things better. However the British also made a lot of mistakes. Not preparing for a large scale ground war was the biggest. The British Land Army was completely ineffective in Norway, France, Yugoslavia, Greece and Crete. The British did well against the Italians in december 1940 but struggled a lot when Rommel joined the party.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your insights.

[@kurnuyt5742]

@@user-lg4mm3mf8i The Belgian army had a strength of about 320000 soldiers at the front and it had 180000 men in reserve located in France . It was only after a complete mobilisation of manpower that the Belgians could raise an army of more then 600000 soldiers . But ,agreed with your point of view and thoughts .

[@user-lg4mm3mf8i]

@@kurnuyt5742 The Belgian Army had 4800 professional officers, 12000 professional NCO's, 10000 professional soldiers, 45000 yearly conscripts, 20000 reserve officers and 550000 resevists for a total of 641800. These had been mobilised in september 1939 after the invasion of Poland. Over the next months some were released for economic reasons: mineworkers, civil servants, teachers etc. This was no more than 10-20%. These were recalled to their units after the invasion. 320.000 sounds about right for he manpower of the 22 divisions. But in addition to that there were corps and army level artillery regiments, engineers, AAA, HQ units and a lot of logistics and support units etc. In May 1940 the new conscript class of 1940 and the CRAB's (all boys and men aged 16 - 35 who had undergone conscription yet) were sent to France for training.

[@marcvloeberghs881]

Unfortunately what is a historical fact is the murder by the SS of 20k to 40k British soldiers who had stayed behind to cover the retreat from Dunkirk in operation Dynamo. There is a museum in Dunkirk with reels and documents about this retreat.

[@HistoryHustle]

Love to visit that museum one day.

[@ak9989]

Lately I've been reading a lot about the 1940 campaign. I don't really respect the Belgian king for surrendering so fast

[@HistoryHustle]

Please explain.

[@mrhumble2937]

So what happened to the king?

[@HistoryHustle]

Hope to cover that later.

[@user-lg4mm3mf8i]

He did not leave the country but chose to share the same fate of his soldiers. The Belgians POWs were sent to Stalags in Germany. Leopold III was confined to his palace in Laken. Initially this was much appreciated by the Belgian population. In november 1940, he met Hitler and asked for better rations, the release of the POWs and if Belgium could have some limited independance. He was later criticised a lot for meeting Hitler. He remarried on december 6th 1941 with Lilian Baels, who was already pregnant at the time. He was also heavily criticised for this because she wasn't a noblewoman and because he wasn't truly 'sharing the fate of his soldiers'. After WW2 he came back to Belgium but their was a lot of opposition against his reign. His brother Prince Regent Charles took over the throne until Leopold III's son, King Boudewijn took over.

[@nickceulemans8503]

fun fact : the belgian soldiers were such good marksmen that they could hit the germans between their human shields without hitting their own people .

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

I hope the Netherlands stays safe during this crazy time.

[@HistoryHustle]

We'll be alright.

[@philippe2715]

I knew about the attack on Eben-Emael. Most people will know more about the battles in the latter stages of the war, simply because of the scale. The US was involved at that point and US historians and Hollywood will focus on those. Also if you compare them to battles on the eastern front, they look more like a skirmish. So it's not strange that even people who live there, don't know about the battle.

[@HistoryHustle]

I understand.

[@jokodihaynes419]

Belgian soldiers reminded me of the Philippines scouts

[@HistoryHustle]

Please explain.

[@JokerFromHell]

It's great to see we, Belgium, have such a strong history of defending ourselfs but it's also sad to see that now in these times, people use that history to say " we will not stand down " when 90% of our population pays more attention to social apearance and status than actualy preparing to come somewhat close to what our grandparents and their grandparents were. Now adays it matters if your beard is in the right shape with the "much" needed lotions, that your skin is healty and you smell like rainbowfarts in a daisies field. It's more important to get 100 likes on such vids on tiktok or on " we are belgium, we are strong" picture, with a ww2 soldier or a cruisader knight as background on facebook than actualy realising that we are NOT EVEN CLOSE to as badass as our ancestors were. With the war going on in Ukraine at this very moment, to many jugheads think they are tough as nails behind their screens instead of on the streets and in the fronts when this war spills over to other countries. And this isnt only for Belgium tho, open ANY social media platform and look around, some gymjunk screaming " im ALPHA " with ZERO knowledge of how to use a gun, ZERO experience with hunger, fear, discomfort get 100K likes in an hour while a "regular joe" who warns everyone about how rough this war is gonna be gets all the hate and the backlash. We are not ready for this war, never were and never will be when the mindset is not focused on survival but on likes and views.

[@HistoryHustle]

Let's hope the war in Ukraine ends soon.

[@pinzgauerbelgium]

Well Belgium is probebly the country where the most wars took place.

[@HistoryHustle]

Define 'the most'.

[@duncancurtis1758]

The enemy remained the same. The flag was now the swastika not the imperial Eagle.

[@HistoryHustle]

The same?

[@cz1589]

@@HistoryHustle De Duitsers bedoeld ie denk ik.

[@johnbrown9542]

This is going to be Ukraine and the Battle of Lviv soon

[@HistoryHustle]

Let's hope not...

[@felixmbandandayitabi4536]

As fellow historian I regret that you are to light on politics and the economy. Tales of battle are quite boring.

[@HistoryHustle]

Most people think otherwise. I agree there is more to it yes.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Politics and economy are certainly interesting and important aspects of war. Yet i don't think you can argue that this channel is successful and interesting.

[@trisblackshaw1640]

The man actually took the time to go on location and give a detailed and engaging account of the battle.

[@Bluegrassriver8]

The politics and economy are what mostly leads to the battles and destruction.

[@bigsarge2085]

👍

[@HistoryHustle]

👌