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.
In aerial combat the battles were also one-sided. Two He 111s, two Do 17s and three Messerschmitt Bf 109s were shot down by Gloster Gladiators and Hurricanes. In return, eight Belgian Gladiators, five Fairey Foxs and one CR42 was shot down by JG 1, 21 and 27. No. 18 Squadron RAF sent two Bristol Blenheims on operations over the Belgian front, but lost both to Bf 109s. By the end of the 10 May, the official German figures indicate claims for 30 Belgian aircraft destroyed on the ground, and 14 (plus the two RAF bombers) in the air for 10 losses. The victory claims are likely an undercount. A total of 83 Belgian machines–mostly trainers and "squadron hacks", were destroyed. The AéMI flew only 146 sorties in the first six days. Between 16 May and 28 May, the AéMI flew just 77 operations. It spent most of its time retreating and fuel withdrawing in the face of Luftwaffe attacks.
Such an order ignored the fact that the Belgian Army could not withdraw to the Yser, and there was little chance of any Belgian Cavalry joining in the attack. The plan for the Belgian withdrawal was sound; the Yser river covered Dunkirk to the east and south, while the La Bassée Canal covered it from the west. The ring of the Yser also dramatically shorted the Belgian Army's area of operations. Such a move would have abandoned Passchendaele and Ypres and would have certainly meant the capture of Ostend while further reducing the amount of Belgian territory still free by a few square miles. And it would have meant the loss of all Belgian ports to the east of the Yser, such as Zeebrugge and Ostend.
The Belgian Army was stretched from Cadzand south to Menen on the river Leie, and west, from Menin, to Bruges without any sort of reserves. With the exception of a few RAF sorties, the air was exclusively under the control of the Luftwaffe, and the Belgians reported attacks against all targets considered an objective, with resulting casualties. No natural obstacles remained between the Belgians and the German Army, retreat was not feasible. The Luftwaffe had destroyed most of the rail networks to Dunkirk, just three roads were left: Bruges–Torhout–Dixmude, Bruges–Ghistelles–Nieuport and Bruges–Ostend–Nieuport. Using such axes of retreat was impossible without losses owing to German air supremacy (as opposed to air superiority). Water supplies were damaged and cut off, gas and electricity supplies were also cut. Canals were drained and used as supply dumps for whatever ammunition and food-stuffs were left. The total remaining area covered just 1,700 km², and compacted military and civilians alike, of which the latter numbered some 3 million people. Under these circumstances Leopold deemed further resistance useless. On the evening of 27 May, he requested an armistice.
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Holmes 2001, p. 324.
↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Shirer 1990, p. 729.
↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Bond 1990, p. 8.
↑ 12.0 12.1 Bond 1990, p. 22.
↑ 15.0 15.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 2.
↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 3.
↑ 17.0 17.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 4.
↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, pp. 32–33.
↑ 29.0 29.1 29.2 29.3 29.4 29.5 29.6 Dunstan 2005, p. 34.
↑ 33.0 33.1 Keegan 2005, p. 95.
↑ 36.0 36.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 32.
↑ 37.0 37.1 37.2 Keegan 2005, p. 96.
↑ 39.0 39.1 Hooton 2007, pp. 48-49.
↑ 43.0 43.1 43.2 Healy 2008, p. 37.
↑ 44.0 44.1 44.2 44.3 44.4 Bond 1990, p. 58.
↑ 49.0 49.1 49.2 49.3 49.4 Healy 2008, p. 32.
↑ 53.0 53.1 Hooton 2007, pp. 45–46.
↑ 54.0 54.1 Hooton 2007, p. 48.
↑ 55.0 55.1 55.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 33.
↑ 57.0 57.1 57.2 57.3 57.4 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 35.
↑ 58.0 58.1 58.2 58.3 58.4 58.5 58.6 Hooton 2007, p. 52.
↑ 61.0 61.1 61.2 Hooton 2007, p. 53.
↑ 67.0 67.1 67.2 67.3 Frieser & Greenwood 2005, pp. 126–127.
↑ 71.0 71.1 71.2 71.3 Hooton 2007, p. 56.
↑ 73.0 73.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 36.
↑ 76.0 76.1 Hooton 2007, p. 51.
↑ 77.0 77.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 37.
↑ 78.0 78.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 38.
↑ 85.0 85.1 85.2 85.3 Ellis 1993, pp. 56–57.
↑ 86.0 86.1 86.2 86.3 Frieser & Greenwood 2005, p. 240.
↑ 89.0 89.1 89.2 89.3 89.4 89.5 89.6 Frieser & Greenwood 2005, p. 241.
↑ 90.0 90.1 90.2 Frieser & Greenwood 2005, p. 242.
↑ 94.0 94.1 Frieser & Greenwood 2005, p. 243.
↑ 98.0 98.1 98.2 Frieser & Greenwood 2005, p. 246.
↑ 100.0 100.1 100.2 Bond 1990, p. 64.
↑ 103.0 103.1 103.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 39.
↑ 104.0 104.1 104.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 40.
↑ 107.0 107.1 107.2 Bond 1990, p. 67.
↑ 108.0 108.1 108.2 Bond 1990, p. 69.
↑ 109.0 109.1 109.2 109.3 Bond 1990, p. 70.
↑ 110.0 110.1 Ellis 2004, p. 105.
↑ 116.0 116.1 Bond 1990, p. 76.
↑ 118.0 118.1 118.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 43.
↑ 119.0 119.1 119.2 119.3 119.4 Bond 1990, p. 84.
↑ 121.0 121.1 121.2 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, p. 44.
↑ 123.0 123.1 Bond 1990, p. 85.
↑ 126.0 126.1 Belgium, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères 1941, pp. 44–45.
↑ 128.0 128.1 128.2 128.3 128.4 Bond 1990, p. 92.
↑ 130.0 130.1 Bond 1990, p. 93.
↑ 135.0 135.1 Ellis 1993, p. 255.
↑ 136.0 136.1 136.2 Keegan 2005, p. 326.
↑ 137.0 137.1 Hooton 2007, p. 57.
↑ 138.0 138.1 138.2 138.3 Holmes 2001, p. 130.
↑ 139.0 139.1 139.2 139.3 139.4 139.5 Oberkommando der Wehrmacht 1941, p. 189.
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