Successful British delaying action
59-721: Luxembourg The Netherlands Belgium France Britain 1941–1943 1944–1945 Germany Strategic campaigns The Battle of the Ypres–Comines Canal was a battle of the Second World War fought between the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and German Army Group B during the BEF's retreat to Dunkirk in 1940. Part of the Battle of Belgium and the much larger Battle of France , it started in
118-427: A brief stop, her party crossed the border at 07:45. Meanwhile, Hereditary Grand Duke Jean and two of his sisters, accompanied by an aide-de-camp , Guillaume Konsbruck , were to wait at the border for confirmation of occupation. Around 08:00 the prime minister and his entourage passed over the border before making contact with French troops at Longlaville . Last minute telephone calls with Luxembourg City revealed
177-684: A careful non-belligerent stance towards its neighbours. In accordance with the treaty's restrictions, the only military force Luxembourg maintained was its small Volunteer Corps under Captain Aloyse Jacoby , reinforced by the Grand Ducal Gendarmerie under Captain Maurice Stein . Together they formed the Corps des Gendarmes et Volontaires under Major-Commandant Émile Speller . At noon on 1 September Radio Luxembourg announced that in order for
236-583: A crossroads manned by German units, and was forced to detour through the countryside to avoid capture. French Ambassador Jean Tripier followed the government party but was stopped by the Germans and forced to return to the capital. Belgian Ambassador Kervyn de Meerendré was also stopped by German soldiers at the border and ordered to turn back, as was the Luxembourgish Minister of Education, Nicolas Margue, who had attempted to escape by taxi. Bodson later fled
295-594: A direct phone call to his superiors at Longwy. Also that day a German national working in Luxembourg as a gardener and a member of the German fifth column warned his Luxembourgish employer, Carlo Tuck, that an invasion was impending. Tuck passed the warning on to government officials. Late that evening, the Grand Ducal government came into possession of a document from a German divisional command. Dated 23 April 1940, it detailed
354-423: A flight of Fairey Battle bombers from the 226 Squadron to attack German tank columns. They went unescorted and encountered heavy anti-aircraft fire. Most were damaged by flak but managed to escape. One received a direct hit and crashed near Bettendorf . German soldiers pulled the three injured crew from the burning wreckage, one of whom later died in a local hospital. The Grand Ducal Gendarmerie resisted
413-601: A gap between them and the British was opening up north of the Lys. This left the German forces space to carry out their planned change of direction. Lord Gort , the commander of the BEF, had intended to take part in a French led attack southwards in order to bridge the gap between the Allied forces in the pocket and the main French forces further south. However, by mid-afternoon on the 25th information
472-608: A military conflict between Germany and France grew. Germany stopped the export of coke for the Luxembourgish steel industry . Abwehr agents under Oskar Reile infiltrated the country, posing as tourists. This was observed by Captain Fernand Archen, an undercover senior French intelligence officer in Luxembourg City , posing as a wine merchant. He reported his findings to his superiors at Longwy on 7 May, understanding that
531-760: A remote farm near the Moselle . At 11:45 on 9 May he radioed Longwy: "Reports of important German troop movements on the German-Luxembourg frontier." Throughout the night his messages became more and more frantic. Two Luxembourgish customs officials at Wormeldange heard horses and soldiers across the Moselle, but were unable to make out the Germans' activities due to heavy fog. At around midnight, Captain Stein, Minister of Justice Victor Bodson , and Police Commissioner Joseph Michel Weis held an emergency meeting. Bodson requested that
590-452: A result, ID 31's attack in the centre was halted while ID 61 in the south was driven back almost to the Canal. In the north, however, ID 18 continued to advance on the southern side of Ypres. On the 28th the German advance restarted, but made little progress in the centre and south. Some further advances were made in the north but Brooke had switched 10 Brigade from 4th Division and it stabilised
649-756: The Durham Light Infantry , East Yorkshire Regiment , Green Howards and Royal Northumberland Fusiliers . German invasion of Luxembourg The German invasion of Luxembourg was part of Case Yellow ( German : Fall Gelb ), the German invasion of the Low Countries — Belgium , Luxembourg and the Netherlands —and France during World War II . The battle began on 10 May 1940 and lasted just one day. Facing only light resistance, German troops quickly occupied Luxembourg. The Luxembourgish government, and Grand Duchess Charlotte , managed to escape
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#1732844618533708-649: The 13th mortar company in the 15th infantry regiment in Kassel (1924-1925). Then he joined the staff of the 3rd Infantry Division in Potsdam . In early 1926, he was transferred to the army personnel Office in Berlin . Schwedler with the rank of Oberstleutnant took command of the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Prussian Infantry Regiment in Berlin-Lichterfelde On February 1, 1929 . Two years later, he became Chief of Staff of
767-417: The 2nd Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) ( 13 Brigade ) in the centre, and the 6th Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) , 13th/18th Royal Hussars , 1/7th & 8th Royal Warwickshire Regiment and Royal Engineers units further south. Later another counter-attack in the south was launched by the 2nd North Staffordshire Regiment and the 3rd Grenadier Guards , borrowed by Brooke from 1st Infantry Division . As
826-557: The 3rd Infantry Division in Frankfurt-Oder . He was promoted to the rank of Oberst in 1932. He was selected as the head of the army personnel Office in October 1933. Schwedler was promoted to the rank of Generalmajor in October 1934 and exactly two years later to the rank of Generalleutnant . Following the seizure of power by the Nazi Party and the removal of some elements opposed to
885-1294: The BEF. Much of the success was the result of Alan Brooke's prompt actions. During the 27th he borrowed the Guards and North Staffords , who participated in the second counterattack in the south, from 1st Division, and moved 10th Brigade to reinforce the centre and north. Apart from units listed above, other British units involved in the battle included the following: 2nd battalion of the City of London regiment, Royal Fusiliers ', 2nd Royal Scots Fusiliers , 2nd Northamptonshire Regiment , 6th Seaforth Highlanders (all 17 Brigade); 2nd Wiltshire Regiment , 2nd Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers (both 13 Brigade); 1st Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry , 1/7th and 8th Royal Warwickshire Regiment (all 143 Brigade); 12th Royal Lancers (GHQ reconnaissance regiment); 2nd Sherwood Foresters (1st Division); 2nd Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry , 2nd Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Regiment , 1/6th East Surrey Regiment (all 10th Brigade, (4th Division); 1/7th Middlesex Regiment , 1/9th Manchester Regiment and 4th Gordon Highlanders (all machine-gun battalions); 1/6th South Staffordshire Regiment (pioneer battalion); and in 50th Division, battalions of
944-471: The British forces south of the Lys—four divisions in all—crossed and made their way northwards. 5th and 50th divisions pulled out on the night of 28-29 May. 5th Division's stand had been critical in allowing a substantial part of the fighting strength of the BEF to reach Dunkirk . Therefore, although total British casualties (including captured) exceeded those of the Germans, the battle was an important success for
1003-412: The Canal during 26 May. The 5th Division was commanded by Major-General Harold Franklyn . During the battle the division was part of British II Corps commanded by Lieutenant-General Alan Brooke . The 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division was also sent to Ypres on 26 May, arriving during the night of 26–27 May. However, it played relatively little part in the battle, which mainly took place south of
1062-557: The French 3rd Light Cavalry Division under General Petiet, supported by the 1st Spahi Brigade under Colonel Jouffault and the 2nd company of the 5th Armoured Battalion, crossed the southern border to conduct a probe of German forces; these units later retreated behind the Maginot Line . Five Spahis were killed. British Air Marshal Arthur Barratt , impatient with the reluctance of the French Air Force to conduct air strikes , ordered
1121-750: The German General Staff at the beginning of World War I and spent the entire war in staff duties. He was promoted to the rank of Captain in November 1914. During the Weimar Republic , Schwedler served as a staff officer in the 3rd Cavalry Division in Kassel (1919), the 5th Military District in Stuttgart (1921–1919), and the Command Group 2 in Kassel. In 1923, he was promoted to the rank of major and commanded
1180-516: The German troops, but to little avail; the capital city was occupied before noon. The Gendarmerie chain of command in the south was thrown into disarray by the influx of refugees and the arrival of German and French troops. Most gendarmes escorted refugees over the border, while some abandoned their posts and fled to France. Total Luxembourgish casualties amounted to six gendarmes and one soldier wounded, while 22 soldiers (six officers and 16 non-commissioned officers ) and 54 gendarmes were captured. By
1239-460: The Luxembourgish government and Grand Ducal court of the invasion. Foreign Minister Joseph Bech , in the presence of Prime Minister Pierre Dupong , attempted to contact the German ambassador at the legation and at his private residence, but they were informed that he was present at neither. At 06:30 the majority of the government, including Dupong and Bech, evacuated the capital by motorcade to
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#17328446185331298-516: The River Lys east of Menin. This achieved rapid success and as a result Army Group B conceived the idea of changing the direction of attack from northwest to west, in order to cut off the British and French forces in the pocket from the coast. Orders to that effect were issued by German 6th Army, part of Army Group B, at 23.30 on 24 May. By 25 May the Belgian armies were retreating in a northerly direction and
1357-547: The Schuster Line's tank traps. Fire was exchanged, but the Germans did not encounter any significant resistance except for some bridges destroyed and some land mines since the majority of the Luxembourgish Volunteer Corps stayed in their barracks. The border was defended only by soldiers who had volunteered for guard duty and gendarmes . A handful of Germans secured the Moselle bridge at Wormeldange and captured
1416-462: The afternoon of 26 May and reached its maximum intensity on 27 and 28 May. Locally it is referred to as the Battle of the Canal and it is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Battle of Wytschaete . Its official British Army name, which is borne on the battle honours of a number of regiments , is that given here. The origins of the battle lay in the decision by Colonel-General Gerd von Rundstedt ,
1475-657: The agents were to be used to seize key bridges over the Sauer , Moselle and Our rivers. Luxembourg authorities also took notice, and Captain Stein worked to stop the Germans' activities. On 3 March, the French Third Army was ordered to occupy Luxembourg in the event of a German attack. On the evening of 8 May, the Grand Ducal Government ordered for the first time that all doors of the Schuster Line be closed at 11:00 and remain so regardless of circumstance until 06:00
1534-423: The attack westwards were captured by a British unit and made their way back to Gort. It has often been said that this capture caused Gort to take his decision, but it seems clear that he had, in fact, taken it before he was shown the captured orders. The British 5th Division, comprising 13th and 17th Infantry brigades augmented by 143rd Brigade , from 48th (South Midland) Infantry Division , took up position on
1593-467: The border town of Esch . Bodson stayed behind at the Saint-Esprit Barracks to monitor the situation. In Esch a group of 125 German special operations troops had landed by Fieseler Storch , with orders to hold the area until the main invasion force arrived. A gendarme confronted the soldiers and asked that they leave, but he was taken prisoner. The government motorcade encountered a roadblock at
1652-480: The capital and, having learned many of the secondary roads by memory, was able to avoid German roadblocks and navigate his way to France. Following consultation with her ministers, Grand Duchess Charlotte decided to abandon the palace. Accompanied by her husband, Prince Felix , her mother, Dowager Grand Duchess Marie Anne , and members of the Grand-Ducal suite, she departed for the border village of Redange . After
1711-448: The capital be reinforced by gendarmes from the south, and told Weis to forward this information to the capital's district commissioner to give the necessary orders. Weis later tried to contact the district commissioner by phone, but failed to reach him; reinforcements never came. A short time later the gendarmes at Diekirch were ordered to patrol the local railway bridge and be wary of unfamiliar persons. Luxembourgish authorities received
1770-460: The capital to be completely surrounded. Charlotte's party was able to link up with the government motorcade at Longwy. Meanwhile, Jean's party's car was strafed by a German aircraft while stopped at a cafe. Near Esch, the group was delayed by a German roadblock, and they escaped when their chauffeur drove straight through the soldiers. The party ultimately joined Charlotte and the Grand Ducal government at Sainte-Menehould . At 08:00, elements of
1829-459: The commander of German Army Group A , on 23 May to halt his armoured forces. This 'Halt Order' was later confirmed by Hitler. The responsibility for attacking the British, French and Belgian forces trapped in the pocket formed by Army Group A's advance to the coast now lay with Army Group B, on the Allies' eastern front. On 24 May Army Group B launched an attack on the Belgian forces stationed along
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1888-546: The country and a government-in-exile was created in London . On 1 September 1939 Germany invaded Poland , initiating World War II . This put Luxembourg's Grand Ducal government in a delicate situation. On one hand, the population's sympathies lay with the UK and France; on the other hand, due to the country's policy of neutrality since the Treaty of London in 1867, the government adopted
1947-439: The country to remain unambiguously neutral it would cease broadcasting. Exceptions were a daily 20 minute-long message at midday and in the evening reserved for government announcements. For the rest of the month, the government supplied full transcripts of its broadcasts to the foreign legations in the country. Later that day several German stations posed as Radio Luxembourg by broadcasting in the Luxembourgish wavelength, making, in
2006-413: The country's gold reserves to Belgium, and began stockpiling funds in its Brussels and Paris legations in the event it was forced to flee due to German attack. The Paris legation was also given a sealed envelope detailing a formal request of military assistance from the French government in case communications were cut-off in an invasion. After several false alarms in the spring of 1940, the probability of
2065-515: The country. Since an invasion had not yet occurred they still enjoyed diplomatic privilege and the police were forced to release them. One group of fifth columnists was arrested while attempting to reach the legation. Meanwhile, Captain Archen had received his subordinate's report, but by that point, he had been told by informants in the Gendarmerie that shots had been exchanged with German operatives at
2124-522: The division's chief of staff's orders to various units to occupy strategic points within Luxembourg. The Grand Ducal government put all border posts and Grand Ducal Gendarmerie stations on full alert. In Luxembourg City , gendarmes mobilised to defend public buildings and dispatched vehicle patrols to arrest fifth columnists. The economic councillor and the chancellor of the German legation were detained for questioning regarding allegations that they had used legation cars to organise subversive activities within
2183-450: The evening of 10 May 1940, most of the country, with the exception of the south, was occupied by German forces. More than 90,000 civilians fled from the canton of Esch-sur-Alzette as a consequence of the advance. 47,000 evacuated to France, 45,000 poured into the central and northern part of Luxembourg. On 11 May the Grand Ducal government reached Paris and installed itself in the Luxembourg legation. Fearing German aerial attack and finding
2242-430: The event of a German invasion. Charlotte decided that if possible she and the government would flee abroad in the event of an attack to advocate for the country's sovereignty. During World War I , her elder sister and then-Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde had elected to stay during Germany's occupation of the country , bringing the monarchy into disrepute; Charlotte wanted to avoid such problems. The government moved some of
2301-530: The first reports of exchanged fire at around 02:00 on 10 May when two gendarmes were ambushed near the German border by plainclothes agents. The Germans retreated to the Fels mill near Grevenmacher and around 20 soldiers who volunteered were dispatched to arrest them. The government then ordered all steel doors along the border locked. At 02:15 soldiers stationed in Bous were attacked by Germans in civilian clothes. One soldier
2360-451: The following morning. Throughout the day Luxembourgish authorities witnessed much less activity on the far side of the border and made no reports of tank or machine gun movements. On the afternoon of 9 May, a French intelligence officer stationed in Clervaux witnessed German troops preparing pontoon bridges in the Sauer . He attempted in vain to contact Captain Archen, and resorted to making
2419-496: The front here. Throughout the battle the British artillery, which was mainly stationed on the Messines–Wytschaete Ridge, had done much to break up German attacks. There were the equivalent of six field artillery regiments and five medium and heavy regiments. Because of this the British probably had a larger artillery presence than the Germans, and contributed to the British defence. During the night of 27-28 May most of
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2478-402: The invasion, but his reports never reached the 3rd Army at Metz . General Charles Condé, the army's commander, was unclear about the situation and at 05:30 dispatched aerial reconnaissance units to investigate. At 06:00 the French 3rd Light Cavalry Division was ordered to intervene. Telephone and radio messages from the border posts to the Gendarmerie and Volunteer Corps headquarters informed
2537-460: The last post to fall, in Wasserbillig , transmitted until the Germans breached the operating room. The steel doors of the Schuster Line were ordered closed on 10 May 1940 at 03:15, following reports of movement of German troops on the east side of the border rivers Our , Sauer, and Moselle. At 03:30 Luxembourgish authorities released interned French pilots and German deserters. The Royal Family
2596-422: The opinion of United States Chargé d'Affaires George Platt Waller , "grossly unneutral announcements". On the evening of 21 September, the Grand Ducal government suspended all broadcasts pending the resolution of the war. On 14 September the volunteer corps was bolstered by the addition of a 125-strong auxiliary unit. German military manoeuvres and river traffic made the population increasingly nervous, so in
2655-403: The portfolios for Interior, Transportation, and Public Works; Joseph Carmes managed Finance, Labour, and Public Health; Louis Simmer oversaw Education, and Mathias Pütz directed Agriculture, Viticulture, Commerce, and Industry. In the days after the invasion Luxembourgish officers walked about the capital freely, though the regular soldiers were mostly confined to their barracks. Colonel Speller
2714-586: The responsibility of civilian engineers, while technical advice was sought from the French, who took great interest in the line's establishment. A series of nine radio outposts were established along the German border, each manned by gendarmes, with a central radio receiver in Captain Stein's official office near the volunteers' Saint-Esprit Barracks in the capital. On 4 January 1940, the Cabinet convened under Grand Duchess Charlotte and outlined steps to be taken in
2773-575: The small facilities unsuitable, the government moved further south, first to Fontainebleau , and then Poitiers . It later moved to Portugal and the United Kingdom, before finally settling in Canada for the duration of the war. In exile, Charlotte became an important symbol of national unity. Her eldest son and heir, Jean, volunteered for the British Army in 1942. The only official representative left behind
2832-467: The spring of 1940 fortifications were erected along the borders with Germany and France. The so-called Schuster Line , named after its chief constructor, consisted of 41 sets of concrete blocks and iron gates; 18 bridgeblocks on the German border, 18 roadblocks on the German border, and five roadblocks on the French border. Since the Corps des Gendarmes et Volontaires had no pioneer unit, construction fell to
2891-634: The state, Schwedler, who had relations with General Werner von Fritsch , the deposed commander in chief of the army, was promoted to the rank of General der Infanterie and was placed in command of military district IV with headquarters in Dresden on February 1, 1938. His previous key position was given to Bodewin Keitel who was a more reliable element. After the start of the World War II in September 1939, most of
2950-422: The town. British troops came across a few Belgian engineers who were prepping bridges on the western part of Ypres for demolition. The German unit involved was IV Corps , under German 6th Army which was part of Army Group B. It was commanded by General Viktor von Schwedler and consisted of Infantry divisions (ID) 18, 31 and 61. The Germans, therefore, started with a considerable superiority in numbers although this
3009-555: The two customs officers there, who had demanded that they halt but refrained from opening fire. The partly demolished bridge over the Sauer at Echternach was quickly repaired by engineers of the Großdeutschland regiment , allowing the passage of the 10th Panzer Division. Planes flew overhead, heading for Belgium and France, though some stopped and landed troops within the country. Captain Archen repeatedly alerted his superiors at Longwy of
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#17328446185333068-487: Was Albert Wehrer [ de ] , head of the Ministry of State Affairs, as well as the 41 deputies. By the end of May Wehrer and several high ranking functionaries established a provisional "Administrative Commission" to govern Luxembourg in lieu of the Grand Ducal family and the other ministers. Wehrer retained the Ministry of State Affairs and assumed responsibility for Foreign Relations and Justice; Jean Metzdorf held
3127-406: Was badly injured, as was one German who was detained. Shortly thereafter a gendarmerie lieutenant and his chauffeur were ambushed and exchanged fire with German-speaking cyclists; no one was hurt. Fifth columnists successfully severed the telephone wires between the capital and the border posts, forcing the gendarmes to communicate via shortwave radio. German agents gradually seized the radio stations;
3186-590: Was born on 18 January 1885 in Sankt Goarshausen . His father was an army officer. Viktor followed in his father's footsteps and after studying in various military schools, he joined the Imperial German army in early 1904 as a non-commissioned officer candidate. The following year, he became an officer in the 26th Infantry Regiment (1st Magdeburger) with the rank of second lieutenant. He later transferred to 88th Infantry Regiment (2nd Nassau). Schwedler served in
3245-601: Was briefly incarcerated by the Gestapo , though he was later released under close supervision. Viktor von Schwedler World War II Viktor von Schwedler (18 January 1885 – 30 October 1954) was a general in the Wehrmacht of Nazi Germany who commanded an army corps and a military district during World War II. He was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross . Schwedler
3304-578: Was evacuated from its residence in Colmar-Berg to the Grand Ducal palace in Luxembourg City. Around 30 minutes later, at dawn, German planes were spotted flying over Luxembourg City towards Belgium. The German invasion began at 04:35 when the 1st , 2nd , and 10th Panzer Divisions crossed the border at Wallendorf-Pont , Vianden , and Echternach respectively. Wooden ramps were used to cross over
3363-593: Was made commanding general of the IV. Army Corps following the Blomberg-Fritsch Affair of 1938. He was transferred to the Führerreserve in October 1942. On 1 March 1943 he was appointed commanding general of the 4th Military District in Dresden a position he held until 31 January 1945. He was still responsible for the measures after the bombing of Dresden on 13 February and 15 February 1945. Viktor von Schwedler
3422-509: Was reaching Gort about the Belgian collapse and the consequent threat to his north-eastern front. At about 18.00 hours Gort took the decision that 5th Division , which was to have participated in the attack southwards, should instead go north in order to defend the Ypres-Comines Canal running between those two towns. During the 25th the German 6th Army orders, issued on the 24th, concerning
3481-403: Was reduced as British reinforcements were fed into the battle. The Germans started probing attacks on the afternoon of the 26th and launched a full-scale attack on the morning of 27 May. By mid afternoon the British line had been forced back, with penetrations of over a mile in the south and north. From late afternoon onwards the British launched a series of counterattacks. Units involved included
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