Atlas of Battles

battle, major, interwar and Second World War

German invasion of Belgium

German invasion of Belgium was a battle fought in 1940 at Belgium. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Belgium. It was part of the Western Front, which ran from 1939 to 1945. The recorded result: German victory.

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For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Heeresfilmstelle Negativ Nr. P.K. 58/12
For documentary purposes the German Federal Archive often retained the original image captions, which may be erroneous, biased, obsolete or politically extreme. Heeresfilmstelle Negativ Nr. P.K. 58/12. Hausen, v., CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1940
WhereBelgium50.641N, 4.668E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeGerman victory
BelligerentsBelgium; French Third Republic; United Kingdom; Netherlands; LuxembourgagainstNazi Germany
Casualties and losses222,443+ casualties (200,000 captured); ~900 aircraftandUncertain (see German casualties)
Part ofWestern Front1939 to 1945

Where it sits in the Western Front

Siege of Fort Hegra, 1940Battle of France, 1940German invasion of Belgium, 1940Battle of Maastricht, 1940Battle of Sedan, 1940Battle of Boulogne, 1940Battle of Dunkirk, 1940Battle of the Ypres-Comines Canal, 1940Siege of Lille, 1940Dunkirk evacuation, 1940Battle of Pont-de-l'Arche, 1940Battle of Lanzerath Ridge, 1944Operation Madelaine, 1944Battle of Moerbrugge, 1944Siege of Dunkirk, 1944Battle of Metz, 1944Battle of Opheusden, 1944Battle of Vianden, 1944Battle of Broekhuizen, 1944Losheim Gap, 1944Battle of Clervaux, 1944Siege of Bastogne, 1944Battle of St. Vith, 1944Operation Nordwind, 1944Operation Bodenplatte, 1945Battle of Bure, 1945Battle for the Kapelsche Veer, 1945Operation Blockbuster, 1945Battle of Würzburg, 1945Ruhr Pocket, 1945Battle of Hamburg, 194519401945German invasion of Belgium, 1940
31 placed engagements of the Western Front in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1940 (year precision)
to 1940
PlaceBelgium
50.641N, 4.668E
KindBattle, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeEstablishment of Belgian government and army in exile; German occupation of Belgium; German annexation of Eupen-Malmedy
Strength144 divisions; 13,974 guns; 3,384 tanks; 2,249 aircraft141 divisions; 7,378 guns; 2,445 tanks; 5,446 aircraft (4,020 operational)
Casualties and losses222,443+ casualties (200,000 captured); ~900 aircraftUncertain (see German casualties)
Commanders
  • Leopold III of Belgium
  • Hubert Pierlot
  • Maurice Gamelin
  • Maxime Weygand
  • John Vereker, 6th Viscount Gort
  • Émile Speller
German invasion of BelgiumGerman invasion of BelgiumBattle of GemblouxBattle of WavreBattle of GemblouxSiege of CorroyBattle of LignyBattle of WavreBrusselsLilleCologneAntwerpenLuxembourgDüsseldorfBonnBrugge100 km50.641N, 4.668E
Placed at Belgium; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of German invasion of Belgium
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 10 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of German invasion of Belgium today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2023-06-24. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2023.

The recorded site stands at about 135 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 70 to 190 m, 120 m of relief, gently rolling country and today it is 62% cropland, 16% grassland, 14% tree cover.

cropland: 62%grassland: 16%tree cover: 14%built-up: 7%cropland 62%grassland 16%tree cover 14%built-up 7%
west to east, 10.0 km72 to 162 mnorth to south, 10.0 km110 to 163 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1940

German invasion of Belgium is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 243 in present-day Belgium.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q697625, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article German invasion of Belgium (1940), revision 1375127342, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.