The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign, often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (French: Campagne des 18 jours, Dutch: Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War. French offensive into Germany: September 1939; Operation Weserübung: April–June 1940 German Invasion of Denmark; German invasion of Norway. The two countries refused free passage to the German troops and were invaded on August 2 and August 4, respectively. German troops marching through the Belgian capital, Brussels, in 1914. These would later be captured with the help of heavy-duty weaponry known as howitzers and the Big Bertha cannons. As international tensions heightened during the summer of 1914, Germany made plans to besiege France by crossing Luxembourg and Belgium, despite their neutrality. By May 1940, there had been an exchange of the general nature of French and Belgian defence plans but little co-ordination against a German offensive to the west, through Luxembourg and eastern Belgium. Battles of Narvik; Battle of Drøbak Sound; Battle of Midtskogen; Battle of Dombås; Battle of Hegra Fortress; Åndalsnes landings; Battle of Gratangen; Battle of Høljarast Bridge; Battle for Kvam; Battle of Vinjesvingen 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. Despite being neutral at the start of World War II, Belgium and its colonial possessions found themselves at war after the country was invaded by German forces on 10 May 1940. The French expected Germany to breach Belgian neutrality first, providing a pretext for French intervention or that the Belgians would request support when an invasion was imminent. It took place over 18 days in May 1940 and ended with the German occupation of Belgium following the surrender of the Belgian Army. The Germans would quickly overcome the weaker Belgians, swing around the flank of the French armies, surround them and force them to surrender. The result was a plan to invade France through Belgium. It was the second time in less than thirty years that Germany had occupied Belgium. In a short-lived David and Goliath scenario, Germany suffered heavy losses until August 16th by the hand of an extremely outnumbered force of Belgians firing from 12 forts that encircled the city. After 18 days of fighting in which Belgian forces were pushed back into a small pocket in the north-east of the country, the Belgian military surrendered to the Germans, beginning an occupation that would endure until 1944. Battles of Khalkhin Gol 11 May 1939 – 16 Sep 1939, Mediterranean and Middle East theatre of World War II, Japanese occupation of the Andaman Islands, Japanese attacks on the U.S. or U.S. unincorporated territories, First Battle of Eora Creek – Templeton's Crossing, Second Battle of Eora Creek – Templeton's Crossing, Battle of Mount Austen, the Galloping Horse, and the Sea Horse, Thailand invasion of Laos, Cambodia and French Indochina, Battle of Northern Burma and Western Yunnan, Battle of Pokoku and Irrawaddy River operations, Treaty on the Final Settlement with Respect to Germany, Rape during the Soviet occupation of Poland, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_World_War_II_battles&oldid=978567707, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 15 September 2020, at 17:59. This is a list of World War II battles, sorted by front location.

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