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Battle of Belgium order of battle facts for kids

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The Battle of Belgium was a big fight during World War II. It happened in Belgium from May 10 to May 28, 1940. This article tells you about the "order of battle." An order of battle is like a list. It shows all the different military groups and units. It also shows who was in charge of them. This helps us understand how the German forces and the Allied forces were set up for this battle.

Allied Forces in Belgium

The Allied forces included soldiers and airmen from Belgium, France, and the United Kingdom. They worked together to defend Belgium.

Belgian Air Service

The Belgian Air Service was called Aéronautique Militaire Belge. It had three main groups of planes:

  • 1st Air Regiment: These planes helped the army by watching from above. They used planes like the Fairey Fox and Renard R.31.
  • 2nd Air Regiment: These were fighter planes. They protected other planes and attacked enemy aircraft. They flew planes like the Gloster Gladiator, Hawker Hurricane, and Fiat CR.42.
  • 3rd Air Regiment: These planes were used for scouting and bombing. They flew Fairey Battle and Fairey Fox planes.

The British Royal Air Force also helped the Belgian Air Service. Important leaders included Air Vice-Marshal Patrick Playfair and Group Captain P.F. Fullard.

Belgian Army

See also: List of Belgian Regiments in World War II

The Belgian Army was made up of many different groups. They had seven main Corps, a Cavalry Corps, and other special units. Each group was placed in a specific area when the battle started on May 10, 1940.

Here are some of the main Belgian Army groups and their leaders:

  • I Corps was led by Lieutenant-General Alexis Vander Veken.
    • The 4th Infantry Division was near the Albert Canal.
    • The 7th Infantry Division was also along the Albert Canal.
  • II Corps was led by Lieutenant-General Victor Michem.
    • The 6th Infantry Division was near the Albert Canal.
    • The 9th Infantry Division was also along the Albert Canal.
  • III Corps was led by Lieutenant-General Joseph de Krahe.
  • Cavalry Corps was led by Lieutenant-General Knight Maximilien de Neve de Roden.
  • Group K was led by Lieutenant-General Maurice Keyaerts.
    • This group included the 1st Cavalry Division and the 1st Division Chasseurs Ardennais. They were in the Ardennes area.

French First Army Group

The French Army had several large groups involved in the battle.

1st Army

The 1st Army included:

  • Cavalry Corps: This had fast-moving units like the 2nd Light Mechanized Division.
  • 3rd Corps: This included the 1st Moroccan Infantry Division.
  • Belgian VII Corps: This Belgian group worked with the French. It included the 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais.

2nd Army

The 2nd Army had several divisions, including:

  • The 2nd Light Cavalry Division and 5th Light Cavalry Division.
  • 10th Corps: This included the 3rd North African Infantry Division.

7th Army

The 7th Army was also part of the French forces.

  • 1st Corps: This had the 1st Light Mechanized Division and the 25th Motorized Division.

9th Army

The 9th Army included:

  • The 4th North African Infantry Division.
  • 2nd Corps: This had the 4th Light Cavalry Division.

British Expeditionary Force

The British forces were called the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). They were led by General Lord Gort.

The BEF was organized into several Corps:

German Armed Forces

The German forces were very strong and well-organized.

Army Group B

This large group was led by Colonel General Fedor von Bock. His Chief of Staff was Lt. Gen. Hans von Salmuth.

Sixth Army

The Sixth Army was led by Colonel General Walter von Reichenau.

  • IV Corps: This group included the 15th Infantry Division.
  • XVI Corps: This was a powerful group with tank divisions. It included the 3rd Panzer Division and the 4th Panzer Division. Panzer divisions were special units with many tanks.

Eighteenth Army

The Eighteenth Army was led by Georg von Küchler.

  • This army had special units like the SS "Verfügungstruppe" Division.
  • It also included airborne divisions like the 7th Airborne Division. These soldiers could parachute from planes.
  • The 9th Panzer Division was also part of this army.
  • X Corps: This included the SS "Adolf Hitler" Division.

Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe was the German air force. They played a big role in the battle.

  • IV. Fliegerkorps was led by Generaloberst Alfred Keller.
    • This group included bomber units like Kampfgeschwader 30 and Kampfgeschwader 27.
  • VIII. Fliegerkorps was led by Generalmajor Wolfram von Richthofen.
    • This group had many fighter units like Jagdgeschwader 27 and Jagdgeschwader 1.
    • It also had dive-bomber units like Sturzkampfgeschwader 2. Dive-bombers would fly high and then dive steeply to drop bombs very accurately.
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