Made during WWII for the home market in Germany, this silent newsreel shows the invasion of Belgium in May of 1940. The film begins with invasion forces clearing debris so that the Wehrmacht can advance. At :38 a halftrack pulls a large artillery piece down a narrow road. At :44 infantry supported by horse-drawn artllery are shown . At 1:00 Panzer tanks rumble into Belgium. At 1:06 paratroops board a Fokker trimotor for a drop. At 1:28 a Stuka dive bomber is loaded with a large bomb and then it and sister aircraft take off on a mission. At 2:00 torn-up railroad tracks are shown, the result of an air raid. At 2:15 engineers work to secure a bridge while others board boats. At 2:28 a Panzer rumbles while at 2:33 bicycle riding infantry take position along a road. At 2:39 artillery hammers Belgian lines. At 3:00 more Stukas — Junkers Ju 87 — are seen on missions. At 3:25 the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael is seen. This battle took place between 10 May and 11 May 1940, and was part of the Battle of Belgium and Fall Gelb, the German invasion of the Low Countries and France. An assault force of German paratroopers, Fallschirmjäger, was tasked with assaulting and capturing Fort Eben-Emael, a Belgian fortress whose strategic position and strong artillery emplacements dominated several important bridges over the Albert Canal. The airborne troops suffered heavy casualties during the operation, but succeeded in holding the bridges until the arrival of German ground forces, who then aided the airborne troops in assaulting the fortress a second time and forcing the surrender of the remaining members of the garrison. Highlights of this section of the film include amazing shots of artillery barrages especially at 4:57 as railway guns blast the fort.
The Battle of Belgium or Belgian Campaign, often referred to as the 18 Days’ Campaign in Belgium, formed part of the greater Battle of France, an offensive campaign by Germany during the Second World War. It took place over 18 days in May 1940 and ended with the German occupation of Belgium following the surrender of the Belgian Army.
On 10 May 1940, Germany invaded Luxembourg, the Netherlands, and Belgium under the operational plan Fall Gelb (Case Yellow). The Allied armies attempted to halt the German Army in Belgium, believing it to be the main German thrust. After the French had fully committed the best of the Allied armies to Belgium between 10 and 12 May, the Germans enacted the second phase of their operation, a break-through, or sickle cut, through the Ardennes, and advanced toward the English Channel. The German Army (Heer) reached the Channel after five days, encircling the Allied armies. The Germans gradually reduced the pocket of Allied forces, forcing them back to the sea. The Belgian Army surrendered on 28 May 1940, ending the battle.
The Battle of Belgium included the first tank battle of the war, the Battle of Hannut. It was the largest tank battle in history up to that date but was later surpassed by the battles of the North African campaign and the Eastern Front. The battle also included the Battle of Fort Eben-Emael, the first strategic airborne operation using paratroopers ever attempted.
The German official history stated that in the 18 days of bitter fighting, the Belgian Army were tough opponents, and spoke of the “extraordinary bravery” of its soldiers. The Belgian collapse forced the Allied withdrawal from continental Europe. The British Royal Navy subsequently evacuated Belgian ports during Operation Dynamo, allowing the British Army to escape and continue military operations. France reached its own armistice with Germany in June 1940. Belgium was occupied by the Germans until the autumn of 1944, when it was liberated by the Western Allies.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
