0523_02: The Trial of the Belgian Army - PzC 12 France '40
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| Rating: | 0 (0) |
| Games Played: | 0 |
| SM: | 4 |
| Turns: | 45 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Axis |
| Second Side: | Allies |
The Battle of the Lys, 23 May 1940: Belgium's defensive plans relied on presumed Allied support.
Despite the stubborn efforts of the Belgian cavalry to contain the Panzers the Belgian Army's
positions were untenable and King Leopold III ordered a disappointingly early retreat on the
evening of May 11th. Despite this, most of the Belgian infantry arrived at the KW Line intact by
May 14th-15th. Unfortunately, the Belgians would not be able to hold this position for long. The
collapse of the French armies on the Meuse from Sedan to Namur dictated the immediate
withdrawal of Allied forces in central Belgium. The Belgians had no choice but to following along,
incrementally abandoning large portions of their country in almost nightly marches. By May 23rd,
the Belgian Army was well-established on the Lys River from the French border to the Schipdonk
Canal, and on the Schipdonk Canal to the sea. A few divisions remained on the Scheldt south of
Gent and on the Gent-Terneuzen Canal to allow time for the evacuation of a supply depot at Eeklo
and to give the infantry on the Schipdonk Canal more time to dig in. The Belgians were running out
of room - there could be no further retreat from the Lys and it was on Lys that the Belgian Army
would make its final stand. Meanwhile, Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock of Heeresgruppe B
planned an all-out assault on the Belgian Army. He selected the sector from Kortrijk to the
Roeselare-Leie Canal, defended by Belgium's 3e division d'infanterie, as Heeresgruppe B's point of
main effort. On this narrow front he amassed all four of XI. AK's infantry divisions to deliver the
fatal blow...[Size: Medium]
Despite the stubborn efforts of the Belgian cavalry to contain the Panzers the Belgian Army's
positions were untenable and King Leopold III ordered a disappointingly early retreat on the
evening of May 11th. Despite this, most of the Belgian infantry arrived at the KW Line intact by
May 14th-15th. Unfortunately, the Belgians would not be able to hold this position for long. The
collapse of the French armies on the Meuse from Sedan to Namur dictated the immediate
withdrawal of Allied forces in central Belgium. The Belgians had no choice but to following along,
incrementally abandoning large portions of their country in almost nightly marches. By May 23rd,
the Belgian Army was well-established on the Lys River from the French border to the Schipdonk
Canal, and on the Schipdonk Canal to the sea. A few divisions remained on the Scheldt south of
Gent and on the Gent-Terneuzen Canal to allow time for the evacuation of a supply depot at Eeklo
and to give the infantry on the Schipdonk Canal more time to dig in. The Belgians were running out
of room - there could be no further retreat from the Lys and it was on Lys that the Belgian Army
would make its final stand. Meanwhile, Generalfeldmarschall Fedor von Bock of Heeresgruppe B
planned an all-out assault on the Belgian Army. He selected the sector from Kortrijk to the
Roeselare-Leie Canal, defended by Belgium's 3e division d'infanterie, as Heeresgruppe B's point of
main effort. On this narrow front he amassed all four of XI. AK's infantry divisions to deliver the
fatal blow...[Size: Medium]
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