Liberation of Belgium

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Liberation of Belgium
Part of the
Allied advance from Paris to the Rhine in World War II

British tanks arrive in Brussels on 4 September 1944, ending the German occupation.
Date2 September 1944 – 4 February 1945
Location
Belgium
Result Allied victory
Territorial
changes		 Belgium liberated from German occupation
Belligerents
 United Kingdom
 United States
 Canada
Poland
 Belgium
Dutch government-in-exile Netherlands		  Germany
Commanders and leaders
Bernard Montgomery
Omar Bradley		 Adolf Hitler
Walter Model
Units involved
1st US Army
 Army Group B
Strength
600,000 (U.S.)
Casualties and losses
81,000 (U.S.) 100,000 (Germany)

The Liberation of Belgium from

Belgian government was returned to power on 8 September 1944 after Allied forces had captured Brussels four days earlier.[3]

Operation begins

See also: Chronology of the liberation of Belgian cities and towns during World War II

The liberation began with

breakout from Falaise. Units of XXX Corps, including the 2nd Canadian Division entered Belgium on 2 September. Forge-Philippe [fr], located on the French border, was the first settlement to be liberated,[4] although La Glanerie [fr] also claims that honor.[5]

On the evening of 2 September Brian Horrocks briefed officers of the Guards Armoured Division in Douai that their objective for the following day would be Brussels, 110km further east.[1] The announcement was greeted with "delighted astonishment". The Division suffered casualties on their drive into Belgium but with the Germans still in disarray after their defeat at Falaise, the Household Cavalry on the British left and the Grenadier Guards on the right led the way with the Welsh and Irish Guards following close behind.

People in the Belgian capital had not expected to be liberated that soon, and huge crowds greeted and slowed the liberators.

The Welsh Guards advanced from Douai on 3 September crossing into Belgium with minimal resistance until they met some at

4th Canadian Armoured Division crossed the border with Belgium and took areas around Ypres and Passchendaele.[8]

After the capture of Brussels the Germans formed a defensive line in the municipality of

Battle of Hechtel,[10] until 12 September, when the Irish Guards made a flanking maneuver, capturing Bridge number 9 (Joe's Bridge), and isolating the Germans.[11]

Ghent Canal

Between 9 and 11 September, the

mortar fire. A narrow river crossing was opened and extended slowly due to heavy enemy resistance.[citation needed
]

The Ardennes

The

First United States Army, under General Courtney Hodges, captured areas south of Brussels in early September 1944. The U.S. units were spread very thinly from south of Liège, through the Ardennes and into Luxembourg, leaving their defensive line lightly reinforced. Between September and 16 December, the Ardennes Forest was the "quiet sector"—the Americans used this area to rest tired units.[citation needed
]

Fifth Panzer Army, under German general Hasso von Manteuffel,[13] was to attack the U.S. forces in the region, and the 7th German Army was to attack to the south to cut off supplies and create a buffer zone.[citation needed
]

On the morning of the 16 December, a two-hour German artillery bombardment startled the Allies. When the German forces attacked, it was foggy, and the Allies could not use their air superiority to resupply ground units. On 18 December, after advancing 60 miles (97 kilometres) in two days,[12] the Germans reached a point of stalemate. By the 22nd, the weather had cleared, allowing the Allies to be resupplied. Vicious fighting followed and ended in mid-January, when the German tank units began to run out of fuel.[14]

The battle ended with the Germans in full retreat. 600,000 U.S. troops were involved in the battle, which made it the largest ground battle that the U.S. Army has ever fought: 81,000 U.S. troops were killed or wounded. Estimates of German casualties range from 67,675 to 125,000 killed, wounded and missing.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Liberation of Brussels". Europe Remembers. Archived from the original on 4 October 2023.
  2. ISBN 978-2-87495-001-8
    .
  3. doi:10.4000/ejas.9695
    .
  4. ^ Belgian Government Information Center 1946, p. 31
  5. ^ S. L. "La Glanerie commémore la libération du 2 septembre 1944". www.notele.be (in French). notélé. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
  6. ^ "2nd Battalion Welsh Guards history" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
  7. ISBN 978-0-7524-9504-0
    .
  8. ^ "Engagements fought by the 4th Armoured Brigade in 1944". www.desertrats.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018.
  9. ISBN 978-1-78438-611-5
    .
  10. ^ "Memorial The Battle Of Hechtel". Traces of war. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020.
  11. ^ Hendriks, Tim. Market Garden: In the footsteps of the 75th (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 May 2022.
  12. ^ a b "The Battle of the Bulge - History Learning Site". Archived from the original on 2007-09-04. Retrieved 2015-01-18.
  13. ^ "General der Panzertruppe Hasso von Manteuffel". www.specialcamp11.co.uk.
  14. ^ "Battle of The Bulge - HistoryNet". www.historynet.com.

Further reading

External links
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