This is the order of battle for the Battle of Belgium, a World War II battle between German and Allied forces in Belgium on 10âÂÂ28 May 1940.
Allied armed forces
Belgian air service
The Belgian Air Service (Aéronautique Militaire Belge) comprised three main aerial regiments:
- 1<sup>er</sup> Régiment d'Aéronautique (1st Air Regiment - Observation and Army Cooperation aircraft)
- 1<sup>er</sup> Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 2<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 3<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 4<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 5<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Renard R.31)
- 6<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Renard R.31)
- 2<sup>e</sup> Régiment d'Aéronautique (2nd Air Regiment - Fighter aircraft)
- 1<sup>er</sup> Groupe (Gloster Gladiator & Hawker Hurricane)
- 2<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Fiat CR.42)
- 3<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 3<sup>e</sup> Régiment d'Aéronautique (3rd Air Regiment - Reconnaissance and Bomber aircraft)
- 1<sup>er</sup> Groupe (Fairey Fox)
- 3<sup>e</sup> Groupe (Fairey Battle & Fairey Fox)
The Aéronautique Militaire Belge was reinforced by the Royal Air Force:
Belgian Army
The strength of the Belgian Army extended to seven Corps, a Cavalry Corps and several ad hoc units and fortresses. In the following overview, the position of each division at the start of hostilities on May 10, 1940 is given in parentheses.
French First Army Group
General Lord Gort
German armed forces
Army Group B
Commanded by Colonel General Fedor von Bock
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe order of battle for operations over Belgium:
- 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
References
- Mitcham, Samuel. Hitler's Legions: The German Army Order of Battle, World War II. Dorset Press, New York. 1985. (Formerly )
- Hooton, E.R. (2007). Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West. London: Chevron/Ian Allan. .
- Gunsburg, Jeffrey A., 'The Battle of the Belgian Plain, 12âÂÂ14 May 1940: The First Great Tank Battle', The Journal of Military History, Vol. 56, No. 2. (Apr., 1992), pp. 207âÂÂ244.
- Belgian Cavalry Corps Order of Battle, 10 May 1940
- Aéronautique Militaire Belge Order of Battle
External links