The German Invasion of Belgium during World War Two (1940) - The Battle 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 German Invasion of Belgium during World War Two (1940).
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Record on 7 May 2021 at Fort Eben-Emael, Belgium.
SOURCES
- The Second World War (Antony Beevor).
- Dunkirk and the Fall of France (Geoffrey Stewart) [e-book].
- Hitler's Blitzkrieg Enemies 1940. Denmark, Norway, Netherlands & Belgium (Nigel Thomas).
- The Blitzkrieg Legend. The 1940 Campaign in the West (Karl-Heinz Frieser).
IMAGES
Images from commons.wikimedia.org.
VIDEO
Video material from:
• Video
Het Belgisch Leger Waakt 1938/39 (Belgian Army / L'Armée Belge)
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MUSIC
"Devastation and Revenge" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Evil March" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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"Five Armies" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
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SOUNDS
Freesound.org.
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[@HistoryHustle]

Learn about the GERMAN INVASION OF THE NETHERLANDS: kzbin.info/www/bejne/lXqspIxsa5mne5Y

[@daviddevries8242]

Belgium did have anti aircraft guns. Also, on top of the 10 or 9 AMC 35 tanks they had 42 T-15 light tanks, 300+ T-13 tank destroyers and 75 Renault FT WW-1 light tanks. Maybe the author categorised these as tankettes?

[@ivovandenreek7447]

@@daviddevries8242 I think so yeah.

[@hscollier]

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Belgium 🇧🇪

[@HistoryHustle]

Fair point.

[@jack6604]

The Germans literally treating Belgium like a road

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

Haha Crossing the Ardennes go brrr

[@luxembourgishempire2826]

Yes our neighbors to the north BELGIUM! 🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪 Thanks History Hustle!

[@HistoryHustle]

💪🇧🇪

[@olesuhr727]

@@HistoryHustle ⁶0

[@patrickweber3954]

Belgium: "I guess neturality will work this time." N. Germany: "Nope!"

[@HistoryHustle]

Indeed.

[@billythedog-309]

Neturality never works.

[@WNH3]

@@billythedog-309 Somebody should tell the Swiss...

[@TimmieVD]

Belgium was not that naive, on the contrary. Belgium had a defense pact with France after the First World War (as Stefan mentioned): en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franco-Belgian_Accord_of_1920 But in the interwar period there were two sorts of criticism: 1) The Flemish nationalists (who rose after the First World War) feared growing French influence in Belgium 2) More imporant (and that's why the treaty was cancelled in 1936): the Belgian government feared that France would draw Belgium into a 'preventive war' against Germany. In the late 30's there was a lot of speculation about such a French-British preventive strike, certainly after the remilitarization of the Rheinland in 1936 (the same year as the French-Belgian pact was cancelled, yes). Belgium always saw the pact as a defensive agreement in case of a new German attack, but if France would argue that Germany made a first move (for example by the occupation of the Rheinland in 1936) and would react with an offensive, France would most probably ask Belgium to come to help in what they would say was a 'defensive war'. That's why Belgium cancelled the agreement in 1936. Not really because they thought that a neutral status would work. They knew since 1914 that Germany didn't respect the neutrality. That's why Belgium increased military spending in the late 30's and rose an army of 650.000 soldiers, 1/10th of the population.

[@pop401k]

@@billythedog-309 WWII: Switzerland, Sweden, Turkey

[@tkio8755]

I randomly stopped watching your videos for whatever reason when you were at 1 - 2,000 and now your at 73,00. I love your channel and you've honestly teached me a lot, and continue to fuel my passion to become a historian. Congrats 👏

[@HistoryHustle]

Great! Welcome back 🙂

[@PUAlum]

Interestingly, the Belgian army was much larger when war started than the British army or, for that matter, than the American army! They may not have modernized in the inter-war period, but they did make efforts to deter invasion.

[@clarkhull7546]

If that is true, very interesting

[@PUAlum]

@@clarkhull7546 Well I hope it’s true… I remember reading that when I did a high school term paper on Belgium. And I’m now approaching 70! Somewhere else I also picked up that in their 18 days of resistance to the German invasion, they suffered as many casualties as we Americans did in our entire years-long Vietnam debacle.

[@gromit3315]

@@PUAlum The "18-day campaign" cost the Belgian army 6,624 killed, some twenty thousand wounded and 50,000 prisoners of war (8,500 French speakers and 45,000 Dutch speakers). Others would be added later ... But the invasion also caused 6,552 civilian deaths.

[@esterherschkovich6499]

@@gromit3315 OH...Heartbreaking 😪😪

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching.

[@robertm.8653]

You went out on location!!! This is so refreshing to see, very glad you get to visit these amazing places. Good luck with your work!

[@HistoryHustle]

👍👍👍

[@awesomeboy4353]

Stefan thank you for covering this topic

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@nickpapagiorgio5056]

Field trip with prof. Stefan! I have my coffee and ready to learn!

[@HistoryHustle]

Great, Nick!

[@kampfgruppepeiper501]

Awesome to see you on location for this video! Great research and clear English, you’re quickly becoming one of the best on KZbin.

[@mammuchan8923]

Oh dear, once again Belgian neutrality is worth nothing! They must have been completely stunned to have this massive fort infiltrated by 78 FJ. Imagine all the planning, cost of building and manning a fort like this, only to be undone so easily. I do salute the courage of the Belgian people, and hope to visit Eden-Emael one day 🇧🇪

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your comment! :)

[@andrewsteele7663]

Thanks, as always, really enjoyable. Its content that I knew but delivered in such a personal and descriptive way. Excellent

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks, Andrew! 👍👍

[@enyademeyer9289]

as a belgian, 'stubborn resistance' is definitely one of the best ways to describe us.

[@HistoryHustle]

Just as in WW1.

[@jasonroberts9357]

You guys should resist the e.u. and work on getting your gun rights back! Good luck sister!

[@KingDanny9]

Evil would be a good description as well, Enya.

[@harcovanhees394]

@@HistoryHustleand against Julius Caesar (see Asterix and Obelisk)

[@stevenbastin8741]

Keep your hate to yourself. Dude​@@KingDanny9

[@BajanEnglishman51]

DOES ANYONE HERE JUST HOW INTENSE HE SOUNDS WHENEVER HE TALKS ABOUT THE BATTLES IT ALWAYS HYPES ME UP COMPARE TO EVERY OTHER HISTORICAL THING I WATCH

[@HistoryHustle]

OK :)

[@Lecruque]

You forgot your Caps Lock…

[@xvsj5833]

Great Research Stephon, these details are always important to learn and understand, closing those gaps in history. My Best Always 💪 🚒 Jesse

[@HistoryHustle]

Many thanks for your enthusiasm again, Jesse!

[@mikewest5529]

There is a time to live, and a time to learn. History hustle is my indicator!! Amazing to think that you have not done Dunkirk!! Can’t wait!!

[@joachimnieuwenhuijse332]

I listen to your video’s as a kind of podcast while studying for history. And it helped me a lot!

[@HistoryHustle]

Great!

[@thomasgonzalez7133]

I read the title for this episode and I thought it was referring to Belgium's chances in the Euro 2020 Tournament. ⚽️ Keep up the great work.

[@HistoryHustle]

Lol 😂

[@jacopofolin6400]

A really powerfull team

[@esterherschkovich6499]

Am sure you were not the only one who thought that😜

[@badlapje42..Cedric_N001]

Im from Belgium too and im so proud about my country

[@HistoryHustle]

🇧🇪👍

[@Bluegrassriver8]

My wife and I from America visited all over Belgium two months ago and fell in love with your country and the people. From Flanders all the way to Bastogne. Belgium is awesome!

[@keithehredt753]

Thanks bro. GREAT COVERAGE. Reminds me Tour De France starts June 27th. Kool

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks Keith! The tour once started in Utrecht years ago.

[@rolandrothwell4840]

Brilliantly told. Helps elucidate the main points really well

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@johnvanstone5336]

Great video, explained beautifully, thank you🇬🇧✌️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks, John!

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

Thanks once again. Every time you give me new info and insights! Greets, T.

[@HistoryHustle]

Glad you found the video interesting.

[@tonnywildweasel8138]

@@HistoryHustle : absoluut ! Groet'n oet Grun' ;-)

[@gperk4723]

I did not know King Leopold The 3rd actually fought in WW2, FREAKING BIG TIME HERO!!

[@HistoryHustle]

I understand 👍

[@jamesnell1999]

Not everybody thinks so.

[@flitsertheo]

Well, he didn't actually carry a heavy machine gun and go all out Rambo on the Germans.

[@iamthiago828]

Pls keep UP the good work I realy love youre vids

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@jamesgibbs7872]

I enjoyed your informative interesting history presentation very much.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you, James.

[@simonrinzler7803]

Just discovered your channel. Big thanks to you for highlight such rare, controversial and interesting topics like collaborationism. I definitely like your style. Hope to see something new on it in the future

[@HistoryHustle]

Great, welcome to the channel Simon. There is much to see here. Here is my playlist about pro-Axis formations: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fGSlgYprjLKgetE

[@simonrinzler7803]

@@HistoryHustle thank you very much, Stefan. Still, I'd like to learn more about collaboration during WWI (I heard about Irish, Finnish and Galician units), as well as Poland SS volunteers and American Free Corps

[@mandosandradios]

Excellent presentation

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you!

[@RudelTaktik1889]

Thanks for the video!. Most interesting

[@HistoryHustle]

Great!

[@commandermodels]

Very interesting video! Super interessante video! Altijd leuk!

[@HistoryHustle]

Bedankt!!

[@t.jjohnson6317]

Nice video .Thank-you

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!

[@SandervkHistory]

Great video! Learned alot about the belgium invasion! 👍

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks!

[@richardlaan1221]

Leuke video, erg interessant onderwerp.

[@HistoryHustle]

Bedankt, Richard!

[@Gliese380]

Great video, thanks. I sometimes go for walks @ Eben-Emael. Quite a few of the exterior bunkers, casemates, etc are still there, pockmarked with bullet impacts and explosive damage. It's also possible to go on a guided tour inside of the complex. An interesting place to visit for sure.

[@HistoryHustle]

It sure is! Hopefully I go there again in the future to shoot a video seperate on the Eben-Emael fortress. Thanks for watching.

[@desiretheright2442]

Ah yes, history time.

[@HistoryHustle]

Yes!

[@user-zw7dc6nr6b]

Yes! I waited for this! Thx! 🇧🇪 Merci!

[@HistoryHustle]

Great!

[@mindme7628]

Finally! Thank you! 🥳🥳🥳🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪🇧🇪

[@HistoryHustle]

🇧🇪👍

[@lancev.o8052]

Beatifull video as usual! Very well explained. I'd love to see a video about the free belgian forces fighting in the british army one day 😁

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks 👌

[@mikehydropneumatic2583]

Few years ago I have been to Eben-Emael. It is worth checking out, very impressive.

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@jamesnell1999]

I bicycled around Ft. St. Pete outside of Maastricht in 1998, but Eben Emael had not yet been opened to the public. I still hope to get there some day.

[@wandawooten5807]

Thank you so very much. God bless.

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@caslinden1373]

Een interessante video man 👍👍

[@HistoryHustle]

Dank, Cas!

[@JohnnoDordrecht]

Weer een geweldige video

[@HistoryHustle]

Top!

[@TheMexxodus]

It was a nice video and quite accurate. However, you failed to mention one crucial thing that took place only 4 months earlier. Up until January 10th it actually was the German plan to invade Belgium and aim the main thrust at the KW-Dyle-line. But then, the en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mechelen_incident, the Maasmechelen incident took place,. In short: a German plane with the invasion plans through Belgium landed in (Maas)Mechelen by mistake. The captured - at that point actual German plans - reinforced the 'reaction'-plan by the Allies to take positions in Belgium when it was invaded. That's why the BEF went into Belgium and one of the best equipped French Armies with a large tankforce went in to take positions on May 10th. However after the Maasmechelen incident, enraged Hitler forced the the German high command to changed their attack plans and shift the breakthrough to the Ardennes. And race to the channel to trap the allied armies coming to the aid of the Belgians according to the orginal plans.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this additional information.

[@1joshjosh1]

Fascinating

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for watching!

[@Briselance]

If I'm not mistaken, the Germans destroyed part of the concrete towers that were the air intake vents for nearly all (if not all) of the fort, forcing the surviving garrison members to surrender.

[@HistoryHustle]

True. Inside the fortress you can still see the devastating results it had.

[@jurtra9090]

today's joke: GERMANY RESPECTS BELGIUM NEUTRALITY

[@HistoryHustle]

Lol.

[@jaredjosephsongheng372]

Today's Fun Fact: GERMANY RESPECTS SWISS NEUTRALITY

[@harcovanhees394]

Little adjustment: “The Dutch would pretty much be allone”. The French 7th army came to assist in North Brabant and this was known by out suprème commander but the Peel Raam line was allready broken and they were outflanked by the advance through Belgium so they had to retreat after some clashes in central Brabant and an (possible) airattack during a reconnaissance to the Moerdijk bridges

[@HistoryHustle]

British also came ashore but left shortly after. So did the French which I consider pretty much alone. But indeed, circumstances caused this.

[@kimwit1307]

Because the French wanted to make a stand near Breda, that city was ordered evacuated for fear of shelling and bombing. In the end the French retreated but by that time most of the city's populace had already left and were caught on the road in the middle of the fighting: anderetijden.nl/aflevering/316/De-vlucht-uit-Breda (Breda is my city)

[@harcovanhees394]

@@kimwit1307 you’re wright but the initial goal was to advance and keep the Germans as far from France as possible. The fall of the Peel-Raamstelling and retreat of the Dutch troops (planned by the Dutch, not known by the French) was a dissapointment. After that they retreated to Antwerp. By then the mayor of Breda asked to defend Breda to let the population could flee.

[@harcovanhees394]

@@HistoryHustle the Brittish landed in Hoek van Holland and choose position within the Dutch perimeter 🤨.

[@HistoryHustle]

@@harcovanhees394 Yes, and then left. Their moral was very bad.

[@TimDutch]

Moest dat een 'au revoir' voorstellen?😜 Verder een interresante video, zoals altijd!

[@HistoryHustle]

Tot zover mijn steenkolen Frans :P

[@joshual.hibbard1744]

My grandfather was stationed in Belgium during WW2. He was struck with shrapnel only him and one other guy from his platoon survived.. when he returned home he got rid of all of his guns He rarely talked about it..........

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this.

[@chrisguido1858]

Attack on Eben Emael, probably the first “Special Forces Op” in modern military history. Great content as usual Cheers

[@jamesnell1999]

Yes. It was the first glider attack in history. But you never know what the enemy might throw at you. Stay at your guns. Especially, the anti-aircraft guns.

[@chrisleonard2066]

Will you ever cover the Piron Brigade?

[@kimwit1307]

I visited Eben Emael last year. Impressive fortress, but clearly built to fight the previous war.

[@HistoryHustle]

Indeed!

[@jamesnell1999]

No. In the previous war the guns worked and the guys knew how to fire them.

[@kimwit1307]

@@jamesnell1999 In the previous war they didn't have gliders filled with elite troops towed right on top of a fortress, troops which carried early shaped charges (which were no in use in WW1) to destroy the fortress. The guns of the fortress actually worked (until destroyed), but were for a large part useless/pointing in the wrong direction to counter this threat.

[@jamesnell1999]

@@kimwit1307 Hi Kim. With all due respect, why would anyone build a fort with guns pointed in the wrong direction? According to respected military historians Tim Saunders (Fort Eben Emael, 1940, 2005) & Simon Dunstan (Fort Eben Emael: The key to Hitler’s victory in the West, 2005) the big 120mm guns never fired. Others guns did fire. If you have citations that tell a different story, please share them. The German glider attack was innovative and smart, no doubt. But paratroopers where not unknown. I believe it was down right stupid to leave the anti-aircraft guns unmanned during a state of high alert. I would bet that 9 of 10 French Fortress officers of that era would agree with my position. You don't want the enemy running around on the roof of your fort.

[@kimwit1307]

@@jamesnell1999 A lot of the guns (not all) were in positions that were more or less fixed and pointing outward of the fort, and not inward where the germans landed with their gliders. Keep in mind the fort was designed and built before paratrooper became a thing, so AA was a bit of an afterthought. The germans capitalized on the surprise and acted quickly. Within 15 (1)minutes after landing they had secured their position and neutralized any threat from the fortresses guns. Don't forget that hindsight is 20/20: I'm sure that 9 out of 10 germand officers could have told their French counterparts that the way they were using their armoured units was a bad idea...

[@thegametwins7553]

Nice

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@marcelgroen6256]

Thanks for sharing again, Stefan. Static warfare was obsolete from 1939/1940 on. It has been proven numerously... Eben Emael is on of the most obvious examples...

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply, Marcel!

[@jamesnell1999]

THAT is very debatable. Considering the allies didn't have radios in their planes yet and the French relied on couriers to deliver messages and the German's had total air supremacy, there is no way to test this variable. If one can imagine that the French & BEF having 9 months to dig in along the Dyle Line with a French Air Force and better communications, I think it looks a lot more like WWI. But given the chose of the Maginot Line or a robust French Airforce, I would take the air force.

[@alessiodecarolis]

The attack on Eben-Emael was incredibly brave, I read about it a lot of yrs ago, it was the segnal that war had changed forever, the belgian army as the polish one wasn't ready for this new kind of mentality, it's tragic that so many people suffered under the Nazis' heel for their militaries/politicians short sighted.

[@HistoryHustle]

Hope to return to the fort once more to cover the battle there in detail.

[@utkarshchoudhary3870]

I suppose i hadnt known alota stuff.i though like what 1000 belgians died.also this video being recorded on the same historical site just gave it the touch to understand the feel at the time. amazing execution as usual!

[@Plouc33]

Belgian soldiers killed between 10 May 1940 and 28 May 1940: 5665 men Civilians killed 25,000 people

[@HistoryHustle]

In a docu I saw around the same amount of civilians died as military (6,000). Again, I cannot verify this. You could be right, Pat!

[@joriskemper5392]

My grandparents and their 10 children left their home trying to go to the coast to safety. By the time they were in the next village the Germans were already there. Their advance was so fast. The bakery where my grandfather worked, the only income, was completely destroyed by bombing. An uncle of my grandfather or something, was a cook for the Belgium army back then and was known for his mouth harmonica. He was forced to perform for the Germans. Other than that our family was left alone, that is on mother's side. My father, a German from a family with absolutely no ties to Nazi party, lost both his parents with the bombing of Andernach on Christmas day. He can still see in his mind his fathers decapitated head flying in front of him, because of the pressure of the bomb, as if it happened yesterday. He was 6 years old. He lived in abyssal conditions and later worked as a child in the mines until his 16 years.

[@HistoryHustle]

Sad history, thank you for sharing this.

[@travisreed1730]

I think I'm beginning to like the outside direction of the channel, Stefan.

[@HistoryHustle]

Awesome, thank you Travis!

[@istoppedcaring6209]

there isn't inherently an issue with static deffense, it just turns out that they should mostly be concentrated in your cities and provide overlapping fields of fire that force the enemy to bleed for every inch of teritory over these strategic wargoals if you focus on your border you end up creating a fancy wall that becomes useless when breached, not that borderdeffenses are not important but they should be more in depth

[@asmundglrum3119]

Can you also do the invasion of Norway? That would be cool!

[@HistoryHustle]

If I travel to Norway then yes. If not, then no.

[@cz1589]

Goede contributie, zeker met de notie van de strategische nadelen van de Belgische neutraliteit. Mijn vorige reply is helaas verdwenen dankzij Tube technische gedoe. Reden dat ik de link even weglaat om de plaatsing te regelen. Suggestie voor een video: Blitzkrieg is een hype begrip geworden: snelle korte oorlogen met Duitse overwinningen. Statische geallieerde verdedigingen speelden zeker een rol, maar vooral de Duitsers begonnen als eerste met het toepassen van "combined arms" : een effectieve moderne samenwerking van tanks, artillerie, infanterie, genietroepen en luchtsteun.

[@HistoryHustle]

Dank voor je bericht! YT verwijdert soms reacties, zonder dat ik daar invloed op heb. Vaak als er een link in zit wordt-ie aangezien als spam.

[@cz1589]

@@HistoryHustle ik had al zo'n vermoeden. De link staat dus in een reactie op je eigen bericht. Volgens mij kan je beter twee video's produceren, ik heb die andere video ook gezien. Een over combined arms en de ander de algemene plussen en minnen van de wehrmacht in hun ontwikkeling.

[@dv2033]

I had breakfast with my girlfriends grandpa this morning, hes from Belgium and was 5 when Germany occupied it. He was there all 4 years. I asked a little about it because it came up. But I was the first time I've met him.

[@martijnverveer7720]

The overall structure of command in the allied forces was complicated and communication was slow. So although the French and BEF did have enough men and material they could not deploy their (mobile) resources fast and effective. They also did not heat the Dutch warning of major Bert Sas that an all out attack was planned for Mai 10th so they where taken by surprise. The breakdown of communications in allied command and lack of air support was the main reason for swift defeat

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this additional information!

[@steverodgers7866]

France planned WW1 again. They were not thought in terms of weeks while the Germans in days and hours. The most critical aspect of battle of sedan was the germans had engineers in their panzer units which allowed them to cross the meuse without waiting for the infantry divisions as France expected

[@ronti2492]

The glider landing at Eben Emael was a stunning coup de main. I don't blame the guys defending the fort- buttoned up inside the fortress , unable to get any situational awareness whatsoever of what was happening with hollow charges going off around everywhere.....it proves that the speed and shock totally made up for the imbalance in numbers. Add to that the fact the soldiers defending Fort EE were reservist artillerymen. Its not just a simple matter of 'attacking' -you have to learn how to apply infantry minor tactics, you do not 'learn it on the spot' when you are being attacked by an unknown number of elite paratroops. I say, hats off to the Belgian defenders. I visited the Fort last July before the covid stuff got really bad and Belgium was offlimits. The flat area on the top is ....huge.

[@HistoryHustle]

Indeed, a stunning coup de main.

[@ronti2492]

@@HistoryHustle Absolutely.....stunning.... and proving the power of shock, speed, and surprise.....

[@jamesnell1999]

Certainly there were some brave men that died firing the guns of Eban Emael, and some of them did some real damage. But the idiot of the year of 1940 award had to go to the commander of the fort. I won't say his name as it's probably bad luck to do so. This bloke pulled his anti-aircraft guys off the roof of the fort to help tear down an administrative building outside the fort's entrance that would eventually be in the line of fire. That's how the 8 gliders landed on the fort and began blowing up the guns. Those gliders should have been shot out of the sky because they had to circle before they landed. See books by Tim Saunders & Simon Dunstan and Hugh Johnson for details. Also, the 120mm guns failed to fire because they couldn't find a firing in that worked. So France and Britain had been at war with Nazi Germany for 9 months, but no one attacked. And no one in neutral Belgium wanted to test the guns to just make sure they worked. These guns should have rained down holy hell on the Germans tanks, personnel carriers, and supply wagons streaming across the two bridges the detachments of Belgium troops failed to blow. Instead one drunk German paratrooper rode them like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove. All the Germans got Iron Crosses except for him. The Belgium King, surrendered without telling his own government or the British and French. When he returned from exile in 1953 there were riots so bad he had to abdicate in favor of his son. But he was a really good golfer they say. The whole debacle of May-June 1940 started in Belgium, not the Netherlands. I appreciate that Stephan is Dutch and wants to be polite to his often disparaged Belgium neighbors. I will take the hit for him. Hooray, for the Chasseurs Ardennais.

[@jamesnell1999]

And why during a state of high alert are reservist artillerymen manning the guns? This is not entirely true. They have 9 months of the phony war to work out leave policies and May is prime invasion season. This one of the piss-poor excuses for military incompetency ever along with the 1936 Belgium neutrality. They had 3 years to see the Nazis in power and you go neutral. Details please, Stefan. Who were the Belgian politicians and parties behind that?

[@ronti2492]

@@jamesnell1999 Great reply James, thank you!

[@Artur_M.]

5:10 I suddenly have an urge to play "Resist and Bite".

[@HistoryHustle]

lol

[@Plouc33]

"Resist and Bite" is the motto of the "Chasseurs Ardennais" who at Bodange blocked the 1st Panzer for one day with ....36 mens. 3 platoons of 15 mens blocked the 7th Panzer of Rommel for one day. Here are the Chasseurs Ardennais!

[@ben1637]

6:12 to answer your question, 6.552 civilians died during the 18-day campaign (Source: Studiecentrum voor Oorlog en Hedendaagse Maatschappij)

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this 👍

[@RickJZ1973]

As always, great lecture! As advanced as it was for it's time, Eben-Emael could not withstand the fluidity of the lightning war tactics employed by the Wehrmacht.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks again for replying 👍

[@Briselance]

You should tell that to some French history enthusiast group called "Les Historateurs". From what I gathered, they are staunch believers that the Maginot Line was relevant and could have been really efficient, had it been completed. They just refused to accept that it could have done nothing against air assaults, or against the giant siege howitzers used at Sebastopol and which were already available since 1937.

[@bazzakeegan2243]

Belgium, a nice country, but geographically located in a really bad place.....Especially, in 1940..Another interesting feature Stefan..

[@BartJBols]

Actually, no, its exactly where it needed to be. Right in between France, Holland and Germany as to prevent these mayor powers from constantly being at each others throats concerning territory. Its a bufferstate.

[@66kbm]

Going back a few Centuries, Belgium never existed. I think it was both part of the Netherlands and France at that time, or what those Countries were called back then. That is why, i have been informed, some people in Belgium speak a dialect of Dutch. Not to be confused with a Dalek that speaks electronicaly and is not a very nice being anyway...:)

[@theodorossarafis7370]

If belgium is in a bad area what should we the greeks say?

[@HistoryHustle]

@@theodorossarafis7370 or the Poles...

[@theodorossarafis7370]

@@HistoryHustle true

[@clee7408]

On location! Whoop whoop!

[@HistoryHustle]

Yup!

[@jaccoheijnen4617]

Fortress Eben Emael is very interesting. It's about the size of a whole village.

[@HistoryHustle]

True.

[@redhutsgaming3067]

Was de val van België ook niet veroorzaakt door mis communicatie tussen de Belgen en de geallieerden en dat de geallieerde niet luisterde naar koning Leopold 3

[@HistoryHustle]

Dat ben ik niet tegengekomen in mijn (globale) onderzoek. Ik zal dat eens moeten nazoeken. Er ging in ieder geval een hoop mis.

[@redhutsgaming3067]

Oké THX

[@michelbeauloye4269]

Goeie Daag, Stefaan. I am from Luxembourg. Thank you very much for your work on the Nazi invasion of the Low Countries and for mentioning the courageous actions of the Chasseurs Ardennais who gave some trouble to the invaders and delayed them somewhat. Take care and stay healthy.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply, Michel! Actually I covered the history of Luxembourg in WW1 and WW2. Feel free to check it out: WW1: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mp3QY5toaK16g9k WW2: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pH2ui4iEor2Arac

[@Briselance]

Ah, the Chasseurs Ardennais. They bogged down at least an entire armoured division (I think it was Rommel's 7th Panzerdivision) for one entire 24-hour time. During which the Armée de l'Air, the RAF, and whatever was still left for the Belgian and Dutch Air Forces could have doused them with all kind of bullets, rockets, and bombs. But we didn't. :-(

[@michelbeauloye4269]

@@Briselance My father in law was lieutenant with the Chasseurs Ardennais. He did their best to slow down the Panzers on the narrow roads through the Ardennes by falling trees, laying concrete blocks across them and using their light canons.

[@DarkSektori]

Belgium was just as unprepared as the Dutch and French were. Belgium lasted 18 days and even Germany admitted that Belgium put up a brave, determined defense. On paper Belgium seemed better prepared then its allies were. We should first look at what Belgium had to work with before moving forward. The Belgian airforce (Aéronautique Militaire Belge) was small (between 350-400 aircraft) and obsolete, they possessed little to no anti-aircraft guns either. Belgium had virtually no tanks but they had 200 T-13 tank destroyers which possessed a 47mm anti-tank gun, which was excellent in dealing with German armour like the Panzer l, ll, lll, IV and pretty much most other light and medium armoured vehicles (which the Germans still heavily relied upon at this stage in the war) the issue was there were only 200 of them, in fact this gun was superior to the standard guns of the French (25mm) and Germans (37mm) respectively. Belgium roughly had 600k troops, adding reserves this could of been up to 900k if fully mobilized. Also the Belgians had 1300-1400 artillery pieces, many of which were overall decent and effective weapons. Another thing Belgium had in its favor were strong fortified defense lines along the Albert Canal with its strongest point being Fort Eben-Emael, believed at the time to be one of the most modern and strongest fortifications in the world. This impressive structure located on large hill, had a irregular "triangle like" shape, one side faced the Albert Canal, the other sides were covered with minefields, deep ditches and a 20ft tall wall to help protect the fort from the land approaches. In terms of it's arsenal, the fort, had 6 120mm artillery pieces with a range of 10 miles,16 75mm artillery pieces and 12 60mm high velocity anti-tank guns, 20 twin machine gun emplacements, 4 retractable gun turrets that could traverse 360 degrees, 64 strongpoints 5 ft of reinforced concrete. Most of its interior was deep underground. The Germans had to develop the concept of using airborne glider attacks for this assult, otherwise it would of been nearly impossible for the Germans to directly take this thing head on which left them having to improvise. As a result its capture completely derailed the entire allied "Dyle" plan which relied upon the Belgians to hold the Albert Canal and delay the Germans long enough to allow the French and British to arrive and provide support. Obviously that never happened. In conclusion despite only lasting 18 days the Belgians along the Canal still were able to hold up the Germans for 36 hours before retreating. They kept fighting though, making the Germans fight for their gains, even at Dunkirk the Belgians were able to hold off German assults greatly helping the allied evacuation. So if Belgium had been more receptive in accepting help from the allies over a stubborn pre-war policy of neutrality then possibly, Eben-Emael not being captured would of upped their chances to an extent, but honestly Belgium on its own wouldn't of had a chance.

[@janverbanck]

My father's brother was KIA in May 1940 at the Albert canal. We only held off the Germans for 18 days, but a lot of young men died in little time. A visiting tip: apart from fortress Eben Emael, go also to fort Breendonk. More inland, it's a pré WW1 fortress used as a prison camp by the Nazi's for jews, unwanted subjects such as resistance people and political prisoners. Very intact, impressive, gruesome...

[@HistoryHustle]

Thank you for sharing this, Jan. May he rest in peace.

[@jamesnell1999]

Respect to your father's brother. RIP.

[@Hamann9631]

Interesting statistics about how many died and were injured. How many casualties did they inflict?

[@HistoryHustle]

Sorry, I wasn't able to find that out.

[@Jaydon05]

Belgium lost because the only pilot of the airforce was sick!

[@HistoryHustle]

Ok.

[@Plouc33]

So this is totally ...stupid!!! The Belgian pilots worked well, it is enough to see the attacks of the bridges, but at the dawn of May 10, 1940, without declaration of war, the Germans bombed the planes on the ground. That's all! You have to stop talking nonsense.

[@Jaydon05]

@@Plouc33 Sorry to offend you! In my country iit's a classic joke. 🖖

[@jamesnell1999]

@@Plouc33 Did Belgian neutrality include closing embassies in Wien, Prag, Warsaw, and Copenhagen? You are really claiming, the Belgians were surprised? There is dignity in the truth. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings. I am trying to help you. When your planes get destroyed on the ground, it's not good. In the USA we mourn Pearl Harbor when this happened to us. Better to get the pilots out of bed and get the planes in the air and have a false alarm.

[@mariyanadobreva8724]

What is the point to play by the rules, if the other side does not respect neutrality ? In these circumstances, the Belgians did not have a single chance. Thank you for your detailed explanations.

[@HistoryHustle]

👍 Thanks as always for your replies!

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

On the morning that the British entered Belgium in response to the German invasion the Belgian Ambassador to the Court of St James made a formal complaint to the British Foreign Secretary as the British Army had entered his country without the permission of the Belgian government.

[@HistoryHustle]

This the Belgian government didn't mind and welcomed British support.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@HistoryHustle from what I femme ef reading, the Belgisn Ambassador and his staff hadn't got the message about the German invasion.

[@bber45]

Belgium: Neutrality will work this time Switzerland: Hold my beer and chocolate

[@HistoryHustle]

There you go.

[@robertgiles9124]

The sign that said GLIDER PARKING LOT was probably a bad idea.

[@HistoryHustle]

Lol.

[@daryllamonaco3102]

Interesting that King Leopold was captured by the Germans as opposed to fleeing to England like so many other heads of state. What was his captivity like? how was he treated? where was he held? and when was the last King (or Emperor) ever captured? was it Napoleon the 3rd? Thanks.

[@JUPILERoman]

www.brusselstimes.com/news/magazine-all-news/45058/leopold-iii-the-belgian-king-who-was-forced-to-abdicate-after-the-second-world-war/

[@HistoryHustle]

Good article that explains it well, thanks for sharing!

[@jamesnell1999]

See the Time Magazine article about the 1953 riots in Belgium when Leopold returned. From London, those that fled, led the resistance and recruited for the allies.

[@muttman325]

My grandfather was with the BEF with the Belgan army to the left when they suddenly capitulated. He was alway bitter about the suddenness of it and never had a good word for the Belgian King.

[@HistoryHustle]

The Allies weren't too happy about this indeed. Also the king got himself in trouble by being too close with the Germans.

[@commando2113]

Well the evac started on 26of may and the belgian's gave up on 28 of may but not all of them there were belgian's in the raf and the brigade de piron .

[@nicolascuron5014]

Le Belge que je suis 🇧🇪 met un commentaire afin d’aider au référencement de la vidéo. 👍🏻

[@HistoryHustle]

👍🏻

[@gibraltersteamboatco888]

As usual .another excellent presentation... Bz. On October 13, 1937, Hitler signed a document claiming: “The German Government ........will at all times respect Belgian. Hence Treaty of Dunkirk- culminating in NATO.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply 👍

[@barbaramarrs5113]

When is a movie going to be made of the Belgium blitzkrieg?

[@HistoryHustle]

Would be cool.

[@esterherschkovich6499]

Found out yesterday that my late Step Mother,saw her parents being shot by the Nazis in Belgium😪As in Edwin Starr song-War..whats it good for,absolutely nothing 🤔 RIP to ALL Who lost their lives in both World Wars🌺🌺🌺

[@HistoryHustle]

Sorry to hear, Stella.

[@roelantverhoeven371]

we may have had ten tanks but we also had over 100 tank destroyers, which arguable were more useful than those 10 things that we called tanks lol the T13 B and C were quite useful with their mobility and 47 mm AT gun

[@HistoryHustle]

I believe so too. I cover more on this topic next video in which I'll talk about the 1940 Belgian Army.

[@angusosborne3151]

Belgium fortified it's land borders but I can't help remembering what the jolly giant used to say in his kids show back in the day. Look up, look waay up !

[@HistoryHustle]

Waaay up!

[@gperk4723]

I wish we had a History Teacher as Passionate as this Man is in the USA.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for your reply.

[@thanos_6.0]

Belgium: I am neutral. Germany: Splish, splash! Your opinion is trash!

[@HistoryHustle]

That's where it came down to...

[@tigervv6437]

The Belgian army never really got around to actually making a stand and fight. Which is a shame given their relatively strong military. They got ruined by the swift fall of Eben-Emael forcing them to give up their strong line along the Albert Canal and from that moment they were stuck just retreating with the allies never fighting more then skirmishes. When they atlast made a stand at the Leie there was no strategic depth left, refugee clogged roads and no supplies so they were never able to use their full potential.

[@eetu04]

When the battle of france ?

[@HistoryHustle]

Not anytime soon.

[@nerozero8266]

👍

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

The Germans of 1940 didn't know what blitzkrieg was.

[@HistoryHustle]

Please explain.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@HistoryHustle the term blitzkrieg was invented by an American journalist working for Time magazine. Hitler is said to have called it a stupid phrase. The Germans were using manouevre warfare combining land and air elements as was used in a limited way by the British Army in late WW1. The German Army in 1940 was built for short wars like they got in 1940 in western Europe. So to the Germans a blitzkrieg only referred to any war that was over quickly.

[@draug7966]

@@neiloflongbeck5705 Yes, the germans called it "bewegungskrieg" wich means "war of movement" or something like that.

[@HistoryHustle]

@Neil: thank you for explaining.

[@neiloflongbeck5705]

@@HistoryHustle no problem. It's something that I only learnt about in the last 5 years or so.

[@theodorossarafis7370]

Very good video stefan. Belgians are good fighters but were betrayed by their pacifist politicians. Unfortunately many countries do the same now. Lession are not learned.

[@Plouc33]

The politicians were pacifists and also the Flemish propaganda (for the Nazis) had undermined a part of the Belgian Army. (The Flemish regiments) But what can 650.000 men do in front of 3 millions???? Although in May 1940, ALL the Belgian Army was mechanized. No more horses. But it is nevertheless in Sedan that the 9th army .... FRANCAISE ... dropped the front! At this moment the Belgian Army on the DYLE position was waiting for the Germans and had already repelled attacks. Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

[@rafopderand8524]

Regarding Vinkt: the Germans shot 31 civilians, not 86 or more - whatever figure you came across also counted the civilian victims of Belgian artillery fire in the Meigem-Vinkt area, and which hit a church packed with civilians. The German forces in Vinkt, in this case troops from mainly Hamburg under the leadership of general Kriebel, claimed civilians were shooting at them. These older, inexperienced reservists, who should've stuck to their mission (acting in a supporting role) and their overambitious, eager for glory general neglected orders and lost their nerve in Vinkt after already suffering considerable losses during the Battle for Kwatrecht - a few days prior.

[@HistoryHustle]

Helder, ik kwam maar weinig aantallen tegen over deze slachting.

[@cz1589]

The Maginot line was not a bad idea at all. Real problem was it was never finished and expanded till the Belgian coast line. I assume Belgian neutrality also removed that option. A placement of French forces in Belgia would certainly limited the chances of a succesful German invasion of Western Europe. And no: both air forces and airborne troops werent enough to crack a strategic sound defense. Despite victories at Fort Eben-Emael or other incidental success. The battle of Kursk in 1943 showed that static defenses can make a difference unless against a very determined and decisive hostile attack. Not to mention dozen of other factors that caused the fall of France. But in itself, the Maginot line was not an irrational consideration. But it lacked a full support.

[@HistoryHustle]

Thanks for sharing this additional information. The WW2 channel (week by week) covered it well a few years back.

[@falcondmp]

Go Easy on the hand movements…

[@HistoryHustle]

👍

[@tubarao1143]

what about the soviets?

[@HistoryHustle]

😂

[@hygher]

History Hustle: in 1940 Germany invaded 4 Countries Belgium, Luxemburg, The Netherlands and France Denmark and Norway: Am I a Joke to you?

[@HistoryHustle]

Lol