Liberation of Belgium

2 Sep 1944 - 2 Nov 1944

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

With northern France just won, Allied troops under general command of the Canadians pushed into Belgium in early Sep 1944. Major cities of Brussels and Antwerp were liberated quickly, and the V-1 rocket launching bases nearby fell along with the cities. German troops attempted to hinder the usefulness of the Antwerp port by attacking with V-1 and V-2 rockets, but the rockets were not accurate in their attacks and the port facilities remained standing. The city itself, however, bore the burden of the rockets that ran astray.

Source:

Liberation of Belgium Timeline

2 Sep 1944	Canadian troops crossed into Belgium.
3 Sep 1944	In Belgium, British Second Army captured Brussels and US First Army captured Tournai.
4 Sep 1944	British 11th Armoured Division captured Antwerp, Belgium.
5 Sep 1944	US Third Army crossed the Meuse River while the British forces reached Ghent, Belgium.
7 Sep 1944	British 11th Armoured Division crossed the Albert Canal in Belgium.
8 Sep 1944	In Belgium, US First Army captured Liége and Canadian forces captured Ostend.
10 Sep 1944	Allied patrols in Belgium crossed the German border near Aachen, Germany.
11 Sep 1944	Scottish 15th Division crossed into the Netherlands near Antwerp, Belgium.
2 Nov 1944	Canadian forces captured Zeebrugge, which was the last pocket of German occupation in Belgium.
4 Feb 1945	Belgium was reportedly free of German forces as of this date.

Photographs

German prisoners of war, captured by men of US 82nd Airborne Division, Sep 1944

Men of the 8th Infantry Regiment attempted to move forward but were pinned down by German small arms from within the Belgian town of Libin, 7 Sep 1944

M4 Sherman tank covered the advance of men of US 60th Infantry Regiment, Belgium, 9 Sep 1944

African-American US Army soldiers of 4185th Quartermaster Service Company unloading rations from a truck, Liege, Belgium, 1944

Maps

Map depicting the western front of the European War, 1 Sep 1944

Map depicting the dispositions of the US 3rd Army at the evening of 5 Sep 1944

Map depicting the Allied campaign toward Germany, 26 Aug-14 Sep 1944

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Visitor Submitted Comments

john cuddy says:
5 Nov 2009 01:54:43 AM

my uncle patrick cuddy was in the 2nd world war and was involved in the liberation of belgium i wud b gratefull if any one could give me more information about my uncle my number is 07514085487
Charles Lundsberg says:
29 Oct 2011 10:01:39 PM

My grandfather was one of the first Americans to set foot in Brussels having been forced to land his B-17 there Sept 12, 1944. Am looking for any pictures of the crew or the B-17. The B-17 Serial # was 42-97307 and it sat on the runway until it was scrapped in March of 1945. Crew had nose art of the plane on their jackets - Plane was called Flak Shak.

All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.

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