Atlas of Battles

siege, notable, interwar and Second World War

Siege of Lille

Siege of Lille was a siege conducted on 28 May 1940 at Lille, in what is now France; it lasted 3 days. It was part of the Western Front, which ran from 1939 to 1945. The recorded result: See Aftermath section.

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Vector version of File:21May-4June1940-Fall Gelb.jpg
Vector version of File:21May-4June1940-Fall Gelb.jpg. History Dept of United States Military Academy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought28 May 1940lasted 3 days
WhereLille, France50.632N, 3.058E
OutcomeSee Aftermath section
BelligerentsFrench Third RepublicagainstNazi Germany
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, 194519401945Siege of Lille, 1940
31 placed engagements of the Western Front in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date28 May 1940
to 31 May 1940
PlaceLille, France
50.632N, 3.058E
KindSiege, interwar and Second World War
Territorial changeGerman capture of Lille
Commanders
  • Jean-Baptiste Molinié
  • Alphonse Juin
  • Gustave Mesny
Siege of LilleSiege of LilleSiege of LilleSiege de LilleSiege of LilleSiege of LilleSiege of LilleSiege of LilleBrusselsAntwerpenRouenCharleroiBruggeAmiensCalaisDieppe100 km50.632N, 3.058E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 11 times between 1054 and 1940.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1940

Siege of Lille is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 1,383 in present-day France.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q714207, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Lille (1940), revision 1370742923, 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.