Belgian Resistance

Members of the Belgian resistance with a Canadian soldier in Bruges, September 1944[a]

The Belgian Resistance (French: Résistance belge, Dutch: Belgisch verzet) collectively refers to the resistance movements opposed to the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Within Belgium, resistance was fragmented between many separate organizations, divided by region and political stances. The resistance included both men and women from both Walloon and Flemish parts of the country. Aside from sabotage of military infrastructure in the country and assassinations of collaborators, these groups also published large numbers of underground newspapers, gathered intelligence and maintained various escape networks that helped Allied airmen trapped behind enemy lines escape from German-occupied Europe.

During the war, it is estimated that approximately five percent of the national population were involved in some form of resistance activity,[2] while some estimates put the number of resistance members killed at over 19,000; roughly 25 percent of its "active" members.[3]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference DeVidts92 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Conway, Martin (2012). The Sorrows of Belgium: Liberation and Political Reconstruction, 1944–1947. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 21. ISBN 978-0-19-969434-1.
  3. ^ Henri Bernard's estimate puts resistance casualties at 19,048 of around 70,000 active members. Quoted in Bailly, Michel (8 October 1990). "20,000 Résistants Belges Tués". Le Soir. Retrieved 15 February 2013.


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