 The military held out against German forces for 18 days , against overwhelming odds . On 28 May , forced into a small pocket along the Leie river and after failed attempts to broker a ceasefire on the 27th , the Belgian king and military surrendered unconditionally . Belgian casualties during the campaign numbered some 6 @,@ 000 killed and 15 @,@ 850 wounded . Some 112 @,@ 500 French and Belgian troops escaped to the UK via Dunkirk but the majority of the Belgian survivors were made prisoners of war and many were not released until the end of the war . 
