Belgian Resistance - Background

Background

Belgium was a neutral country but by November 1939 intelligence reports of an impending German attack reached a peak. The Germans had invaded Poland and France and declared war on Germany. The Germans wanted to remove potential aggressors to their west to avoid fighting on two fronts, a strategy which crippled their abilities in World War I. The German Army needed to push through neutral Belgium in order to attack France. The French and British sent soldiers to aid in the fight against the Germans but despite their efforts, the Germans secured the unconditional surrender of Belgium after 18 days of fighting. The King of Belgium, King Leopold III, went against his cabinet by deciding to surrender the country. King Leopold III was taken as a prisoner of war and was later accused by his countrymen of collaborating with the Germans. Despite this, while imprisoned, in 1942 he sent a letter to Adolf Hitler which has been credited with saving an estimated 500,000 Belgian women and children from deportation to munitions factories in Germany. The members of the cabinet retreated to England, where they set up government. Immediately after the surrender, resistance groups were formed to harass the German Army. Due to Germany's failure to sway the Belgian citizens during the German occupation in World War I, the invading army sought to establish itself as a liberating force from British imperialism. However, many citizens were quick to aid in the fight against the Germans. The situation in Belgium is documented in Roger Motz's book Belgium Unvanquished in which Motz describes the atmosphere of resistance as being "relentless". Reportedly, more German troops were killed in Belgium in 1941 than in occupied France. Due to the large number of Belgian citizens who were willing to aid the resistance fighters, supply lines were established and evasion routes were charted. The Belgian resistance fighters were determined to aid the Allies in any way they could.

Unusually the Belgian resistance would also come to include the Légion Belge, a far right resistance movement led by dissident Rexists who opposed occupation and the National Legion of Paul Hoornaert.

The Independence Front, a mostly communist-led resistance network, was one of the most important in Belgium. It included a specific Austrian communist network, the Österreichische Freiheitsfront.

The Belgian resistance effort was fragmented between various groups and never really became a unified organization during the German occupation. The Belgian government in exile referred collectively to the Belgian resistance groups as the Armée Secrète, but the government in exile had independent liaison with the various groups.