Posted on 05/28/2010 5:21:58 AM PDT by Homer_J_Simpson
While I tend to agree that from a military standpoint, Belgian resistance was pretty much at an end by this time, it still doesn’t excuse Leopold III from being pretty much worthless as a king.
The Germans knew how to hit a weak spot and they were hammering the Belgians relentlessly. The Belgian Army was not nearly as well equipped as their French and British counterparts. Plus, as noted in the excerpts I posted from Shirer’s “Collapse of the Third Republic” yesterday, the French, British and Belgians were all acting at cross purposes in the conduct of operations anyway. The Brits were bugging out, and the French knew they had the second ticket out. Both of them were counting on the Belgians to shed blood to make good their escape, abandoning Belgium to it’s fate. All while not telling their Belgian comrades in arms what they were up to. But the Belgians did figure it out.
The war was over for Belgium and it was obvious. There was no longer any reason for the Belgians to fight as there was nothing left of their country to fight for. Even in WW1, when only a tiny sliver of Belgium was not occupied, their army was part of a unified allied front. In 1940, they only hold part of an encircled pocket that is going to be eliminated.
The main problem is that Leopold quit in violation of his constitution, was duplicitous with his allies, and generally a worthless leader. And keep in mind that Leopold helped cook up this mess to begin with. Despite obvious signs that Belgium would once again be a battleground in this war he failed to prepare for it. Despite repeated entreaties by the French and British to collaborate in staff talks and strategic coordination, Leopold insisted in clinging to the fiction of neutrality and didn’t coordinate with his allies.
I don't know about your priorities, but I guess I will just have to accept it.
The good news is that our man in London will be in the press gallery when Churchill speaks and has promised to send us a wire with the text of the P.M.'s statement. We will publish it in tomorrow's issue.
Well thank goodness for that. I’m currently in the future examining the culpability of Great Britain and the United Nations for the start of 1948 Arab-Israeli War. On the plus side, this should be the last major paper with the exception of my thesis.
http://users.skynet.be/on5np/keyes.wma
BBC radio
interview
King Leopold III of the Belgians - The Scapegoat Who Saved the British from
Defeat in 1940.
When the true story of the Belgian capitulation comes to be known King
Leopold III of the Belgians
will emerge, not as the cowardly traitor depicted by Reynaud, but rather as
one of the great heroic figures of the war.
I know that this is a startling statement to those unfamiliar with the
facts; but it is a statement that will be borne out by history. The facts
are there and our sources are unimpeachable.
.
It is with humility and with a clear conscience that I provide for you
a BBC radio interview with Lord Keyes, 2nd Baron, naval officer
and author of Outrageous Fortune and son of his famous father, Admiral of
the Fleet Sir Roger (later Lord) Keyes
I recall at this moment the words of our King on May 28th 1940
” Our cause is just and pure “
“ History will relate that our army did its duty to the full, Our Honour is
safe “
“We are calmly waiting for the impartial verdict of honest men. “
http://users.skynet.be/on5np/leopold.pdf
Sir, you use the words Coward
You no not of what you speak.
Now even the Churchill Society admit that they lied about Leopold III
http://users.skynet.be/on5np/keyes.wma
He surrendered his army in the field against the wishes of his cabinet and without the constitutional authority to do so. He broke the law of his country. Period, end of statement.
With regards to the issue of the ‘gap in the North’ leading up to the Belgian capitulation on 28 May .
Did this gap occur because the Belgians were giving way ? Or because the British were retreating without word to Belgians that they were pulling out ?
In a message to Gort from Churchill “It is now necessary to tell the Belgians. I am sending to Keyes, but your personal contact with the King is desirable. Keyes will help. We are asking them to sacrifice themselves for us.”
Therefore the historical fact is that the gap was created by the British need to escape after the failure of the Weygand offensive.
Although Gort had his orders to tell King Leopold, he did not. Meanwhile the fight on the Belgian front had been continuous for four days.
Every road, village and town in the small part of Belgium left was thronged with hundreds of thousands of refugees, and low flying aircrafts were mercilessly bombing the refugees and the troops.
The Belgian army was created solely for defence; it had neither tanks nor aircraft to mount any kind of offensive.
From the moment it was ordered to retreat to weaker positions, its fate was doomed. With no Royal Air Force (RAF) support, it maintained a 90 kilometre front.
Most British and French account fails to recognize the significance of the battle along the Lys. Here the Belgian army suffered 40.000 casualties. Yet, it may well be asked what would have happened to the British Expeditionary Force and the Northern French armies if the Belgians had not prepared to fight to the last. Before this important battle, the King promised his troops, no matter what happens, I will share your fate.
This noble decision cost King Leopold his throne because he went against the wishes of his government, but he had already made his promise to his troops and he was not going to renege on that promise.
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