Battle of Belgium order of battle

This is the order of battle for the Battle of Belgium, a World War II battle between German and Western Allies in Belgium between 10–28 May 1940.

Allied armed forces

Belgian air service

The Belgian Air Service (Aéronautique Militaire Belge) comprised three main aerial regiments:^[1]

1er Régiment d'Aéronautique (1st Air Regiment - Observation and Army Cooperation aircraft)
- 1er Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 2e Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 3e Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 4e Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 5e Groupe (Renard R.31)
- 6e Groupe (Renard R.31)
2e Régiment d'Aéronautique (2nd Air Regiment - Fighter aircraft)
- 1er Groupe (Gloster Gladiator & Hawker Hurricane)
- 2e Groupe (Fiat CR.42)
- 3e Groupe (Fairey Fox)
3e Régiment d'Aéronautique (3rd Air Regiment - Reconnaissance and Bomber aircraft)
- 1er Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 3e Groupe (Fairey Battle & Fairey Fox)

The Aéronautique Militaire Belge was reinforced by the Royal Air Force:

RAF Advanced Air Striking Force (Air Vice-Marshal P H L Playfair)
No. 14 Group RAF (Group Captain P.F. Fullard)

Belgian Army

The strength of the Belgian Army extended to seven Corps:

- Belgian I Corps
  - 1st Infantry Division
  - 4th Infantry Division
  - 7th Infantry Division
- Belgian II Corps
  - 6th Infantry Division
  - 11th Infantry Division
  - 14th Infantry Division
- Belgian III Corps
  - 1st Chasseurs Ardennais
  - 2nd Infantry Division
  - 3rd Infantry Division
- Belgian IV Corps
  - 9th Infantry Division
  - 15th Infantry Division
  - 18th Infantry Division
- Belgian V Corps
  - 12th Infantry Division
  - 13th Infantry Division
  - 17th Infantry Division
- Belgian VI Corps
  - 5th Infantry Division
  - 10th Infantry Division
  - 16th Infantry Division
- Belgian VII Corps
  - 8th Infantry Division
  - 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais
- Belgian Cavalry Corps ^[2]
  - 1st Cavalry Division
  - 2nd Cavalry Division

Cavalry

Brussels Cavalry Corps - which had the following:

Corps Staff

1st and 2nd Cavalry Divisions, both of which were partially motorized. Each with three Mixed Cavalry Regiments each of which had a Horse cavalry battalion, a motorcycle battalion, an armored car squadron, and a training squadron
Corps Artillery Regiment
Bicycle Pioneer battalion

Ardennes

Chasseurs Ardennais - 1st and 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais, both of which were partially motorized.

French First Army Group

German armed forces

German Army Group B

Commanded by Colonel General Fedor von Bock

(Chief of Staff - Lt.Gen. Hans von Salmuth).
German Sixth Army —Colonel General Walter von Reichenau
- (Chief of Staff - Maj.Gen. Friedrich Paulus).
- IV Corps - Gen.of Infantry Viktor von Schwedler
  - 15th Infantry Division - Maj.Gen. Ernst-Eberhard Hell (reserve)^[3]
  - 205th Infantry Division - Lt.Gen. Ernst Richter
- XI Corps- Lt.Gen. Joachim von Kortzfleisch
  - 7th Infantry Division - Maj.Gen. Eccard von Gablenz^[4]
  - 211th Infantry Division - Maj.Gen. Kurt Renner
  - 253rd Infantry Division - Lt.Gen. Fritz Kuhne^[5]
- IX Corps^[6]
- XVI Corps
  - 3rd Panzer Division^[7]
  - 4th Panzer Division^[7]
- XXVII Corps^[8]
German Eighteenth Army — Georg von Küchler
- Reserves
  - 208th Infantry Division^[9]
  - 225th Infantry Division
  - 526th Infantry Division
- SS "Verfügungstruppe" Division
- 7th Airborne Division^[10]
- 22nd Air Landing Infantry Division
- 9th Panzer Division^[11]
- 207th Infantry Division
- X Corps^[6]
  - SS "Adolf Hitler" Division
  - 227th Infantry Division
  - 1st Cavalry Division
- XXVI Corps^[8]
  - 256th Infantry Division
  - 254th Infantry Division^[5]
  - SS "Der Führer" Division

Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe order of battle for operations over Belgium:^[12]

IV. Fliegerkorps (General der Flieger, Generaloberst Alfred Keller)
- Lehrgeschwader 1 (Stab. I., II., III., IV. Düsseldorf)
- Kampfgeschwader 30 (Stab. I., II., at Oldenburg III. at Marx)
- Kampfgeschwader 27 (III. at Wunstorf)
Jagdfliegerführer 2 (Oberst Kurt-Bertram von Döring)
- Jagdgeschwader 26 (Stab., II at Dortmund, III. at Essen-Mühlheim)
- Jagdgeschwader 3 (III. at Hopsten)
- Jagdgeschwader 51 (Stab. at Bönninghardt, I. at Krefeld)
- Jagdgeschwader 27 (II. Bönninghardt)
- Jagdgeschwader 20 (I. at Bönninghardt)
VIII. Fliegerkorps (Generalmajor Wolfram von Richthofen)
- Jagdgeschwader 27 (Stab.,I.)
- Jagdgeschwader 21
- Jagdgeschwader 1 (I.)
- Sturzkampfgeschwader 76 (I.)
- Sturzkampfgeschwader 2 (Stab., I., III.)
- Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 (Stab., I, II.)
- Lehrgeschwader 1 (IV(St.))
- Lehrgeschwader 2 II.(Shl)
- Kampfgeschwader 77 (Stab., I., II., III.)

Citations

↑ Aéronautique Militaire Belge Order of Battle
↑ Belgian Cavalry Corps Order of Battle, 10 May 1940
↑ Mitcham 1985, p. 52.
↑ Mitcham 1985, p. 46.
1 2 Mitcham 1985, p. 185.
1 2 Mitcham 1995, p. 505.
1 2 Mitcham 1985, p. 352.
1 2 Mitcham 1995, p. 509.
↑ Mitcham 1985, p. 163.
↑ Mitcham 1985, p. 422.
↑ Mitcham 1985, p. 360.
↑ Hooton 2007, pp. 45-48.

References

Mitcham, Samuel. Hitler's Legions: The German Army Order of Battle, World War II. Dorset Press, New York. 1985. ISBN 0-88029-214-8 (Formerly ISBN 0-8128-2992-1)
Hooton, E.R. (2007). Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West. London: Chervron/Ian Allen. ISBN 978-1-85780-272-6.
Gunsburg, Jeffrey A., 'The Battle of the Belgian Plain, 12–14 May 1940: The First Great Tank Battle', The Journal of Military History, Vol. 56, No. 2. (Apr., 1992), pp. 207–244.
Belgian Cavalry Corps Order of Battle, 10 May 1940
Aéronautique Militaire Belge Order of Battle

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