Introduction
Before we start off, it is important to
make a few notes. Following World War I and the annexation of the German
territories of Eupen and Malmedy, Belgium has been a country with 3 official
languages, those being French, Dutch, and German. Given the lack of German
manuals used and seeing as how these territories were annexed, it seems that
German was not an important language in the army.
For the sake of this post, I will translate
the majority of sources from Dutch. First of all,
Dutch is my native language, and as such, my command of it is far stronger than
my French. Secondly, the main sources available to me are in Dutch.
It can very well be argued that it would be
more correct to use French when it comes to describing the Belgian army. French
has historically been the language of the elite in Belgium, indeed, in most of
Western Europe. As a result, officers were expected to have an understanding of
the French language. It should however be noted that at the platoon level, a
single language was used. Therefore, we can think of what is described below as
applicable to infantry platoons in the Dutch-speaking units.
The Belgian Duke of Brabant and heir
apparent firing the F.M. at camp Beverloo
Prologue
Much as in World War I, the German armed
forces marched through Belgium to attack France. Under the Manstein plan, German
Panzer forces would attack through the Belgian Ardennes, bypassing the French
Maginot line. As such, the Germans faced the Belgian Army’s fusilierspeloton
between the 10th and 28th of May, 1940.
For a complete overview of the equipment
used by the rifle platoon, the “Uitrusting van het voetvolk”, dated January 9th,
1940 is used.
On page 8 and 9, this document gives us the
following table:
To translate this complete table:
It important to note the translation for “Bajonet-draaglengsel
voor F. M.” is not perfect. As such, it is perhaps better to simply illustrate
what is meant by this rather enigmatic term. This item is a bayonet-mounted
anti-aircraft mount, which on one end attaches to the F.M., and the rifle on
the other.
The platoon
The platoon consists of a commander,
bugler, batman, four rifle squads, and one D.B.T. light mortar squad, for a
total of 65 men.
The platoon commander was a luitenant or
onderluitenant (1st or 2nd lieutenant), and armed with a Browning
High-Power, known in Dutch as the G. D.-pistool, with holster, and 3 13-round magazines. His gear consisted of a pair of artillery binoculars,
a compass, and a flashlight.
The bugler and batman are similarly
equipped, both carrying a Model 1935 or 1936 Belgian Mauser with 120 rounds of 7.65×53mm
ammunition carried. As far as equipment went, they both carried a spade with
cover, flare pistol, and 10 flares without parachutes. They are assumed to be soldaten
(privates).
The squad
The squad is made up of 13 men, divided
into two equal groups of 6. The leader was a sergeant armed with a rifle, a
standard load of 120 rounds, a hammer-axe with cover, infantry binoculars, a
compass, a demarcation cloth, and 2 green hand flares. We can safely assume
that the most senior squad leader also took on the role of second-in-command,
in case the platoon commander fell in battle.
Belgian
soldiers resting near Leuven, 14th of May 1940
The light machine gun group
This first group of 6 men was responsible
for operating the sole automatic weapon in the squad, the fusil-mitrailleur
(F.M.), also known as the mitrailleusegeweer (M.G.) in Dutch. Both terms mean
as much as “machine-rifle” or automatic rifle. [i]
The group consisted of a group leader
holding the rank of korporaal (corporal). He commanded the gunner and 4
ammunition bearers, all of whom are assumed to be privates. The corporal carried
a rifle, wirecutters, and a demarcation cloth. As ammunition, he carried 30
rounds on stripper clips for use in his rifle, 6 20-round magazines, and 4
20-round packages for a total of 230 rounds of 7.65×53mm.
The gunner carried the F.M., which was a
Belgian modification of the Browning Automatic Rifle, with a sling, receiver cover, and cleaning kit. He carried a total of 80
rounds in 4 magazines, 60 rounds of which was standard ball ammo, whilst one
magazine was loaded with armour-piercing ammunition. Furthermore, the gunner
carried a spade.
The 1st
ammunition bearer (who can perhaps be seen as more of an assistant gunner)
carries a G. D.-pistool with holster, detachable
buttstock, and 3 13-round magazines. He carried 5 magazines of ball ammunition,
and 1 filled with armour-piercing rounds. Additionally, a load of 120 rounds in 6 20-round packets was carried, bringing the total to 240 rounds. For
entrenching purposes, he carried the standard spade. Finally, he carried the AA mount, as illustrated above.
The team was completed by 3 more ammunition
bearers, all of whom carried a rifle, 30 rounds of rifle ammunition loaded on
stripper clips, 6 magazines, of which 1 loaded with AP ammunition, 4 packs of
20 rounds, and a spade.
The rifle group
The fusilier-grenadier ploeg, or rifle group,
consisted of 6 men and was led by a corporal, much like the light machine gun
group. That is however where the similarities end. All men, the corporal and 5
privates, were uniformly equipped. Their equipment consisted of the standard
rifle, 120 rounds of ammunition, 3 O.F. grenades, and a spade. Additionally,
the corporal carried a demarcation cloth.
King
Leopold III (centre) inspecting Belgian troops, with on his left General Denis.
The light mortar squad
When it came to fire support, the light
mortar squad was integral to the platoon. With its 3 50mm mortars, the platoon
had quite a bit of indirect firepower.
The squad leader of the light mortar squad
was a sergeant, equipped with a G.
D.-pistool with holster, detachable buttstock, and 3 13-round magazines.
He carried a total of 14 D.B.T. “grenades”, 10 of which in a bag, the rest were
spread between the greatcoat and bread bag or rucksack.
For propelling these so-called grenades, 3
packages of 5 grenade-launching cartridges were carried. Finally, he carried
infantry binoculars and a hammer-axe.
The 3 mortar gunners carried a D.B.T.
mortar each. 4 D.B.T. grenades were carried in the greatcoat and bread bag or
rucksack, in addition to one 5-round pack with propelling cartridges. For the purpose of
personal protection, they were issued pistols with detachable stocks, and 3
magazines. As it may be required to entrench the mortars, spades were carried by each of the
gunners.
To supply these 3 gunners, 6 ammunition
bearers were available. Much like the sergeant, they carried 14 grenades spread
between a bag, the greatcoat, bread bag, and rucksack. For propelling 3
packages were available. Their personal equipment consisted of a rifle with 60
rounds of ammunition, and they all carried a spade.
All men
of the light mortar squad carried 3 signalling flares
and 1 light flare with parachutes each.
Armament
When it came to small arms, the Belgian
army had equipment comparable to that of other nations. Indeed much like the
Polish forces discussed earlier,
it used a Mauser rifle, Browning-style pistol, and Browning Automatic Rifle
variant.
The standard rifles were the Models 35 and
36, both Mauser actions, based on the 1898 and 1889 respectively.
The Geweer Mod. 35 or Fusil 35 weighed in
at 3.93 kilogrammes. It was 1108mm long, with a 23.5 inch long barrel. The
Model 36 weighed the same, but was a touch shorter at 1096mm. The barrel was
marginally longer at 23.6 inches.
The
Model 35 Belgian Mauser
Both used Model 30 7.65×53mm cartridges, principally
the ball round. The spitzer bullet weighed approximately 174 grains and was propelled
to a velocity of 2460 feet per second by 38.6 grains of smokeless powder. In
the metric system, this would be equal to 11.25 grams, 750 metres per second,
and 2.5 grams. [ii]
The
Model 36 Belgian Mauser
For volume of fire, the squad possessed a
single automatic rifle, based on the American Browning Automatic Rifle. This
variant, known as the Model 30, was developed by FN Herstal, more specifically,
Dieudonne Saive, the designer of the later FN FAL rifle. [iii]
The
Browning Model 30
This weapon, also known as the
Fusil-Mitrailleur or Mitrailleusegeweer, weighed approximately 9 kilograms, and
had a total length of 1180mm when equipped with the 23.6 inch barrel. Much like
the American BAR it was based on, it used 20-round magazines and could fire at
both a slow and rapid rate. As such, the fire selector was marked S-R-M, for
safe, slow, and rapid respectively.
Apart from standard ball ammunition, armour
piercing rounds were also available to the crew, as has been noted above. These
Model 30 AP cartridges had a 161 grain tombac-jacketed bullet with hardened
steel core, whilst the propellant charge consisted of 41 grains. A velocity is not given, but it can
be assumed to be somewhat higher to that of the rifle.
High Power, Grande Puissance, Grote Dracht. Effective no matter the language
By no coincidence, the Belgian service
pistol was a Browning design as well, and much like the Model 30, part of its
design was the work of Dieudonné Saive. The pistol was developed in response to
a French requirement for a “High Power” pistol after WWI. [iv] It was on this
design John Browning was working when he died at his workbench. [v] As such,
Saive took up the task of completing the design, which resulted in the ultimate
evolution of Browning-style design dating back to 1896. [vi]
In 1935, the weapon that would be known to
the Belgian army as the Grande Puissance or Grote Dracht. [vii] This 9mm
Parabellum pistol had a reasonable weight at 0.89 kilos, whilst the length was
as one would expect from a service pistol, at 197mm with a 4.6 inch barrel. The
main feature of the pistol was its 13-round magazine, which was very generous for a
1935 design. Indeed, it would take until 1966 until a 9mm with a higher capacity was developed. [viii] One rather archaic oddity however was the sight, marked from 50
metres out to a rather optimistic 500 metres.
The
stock-holsters, stock, and magazine pouch accessories.
The ammunition was, as the Kennblatter
Fremdes Geräts points out, completely identical to German Pistolenpatrone 08.
As such, a 124-grain bullet must have been used in conjunction with a 4.9 grain
charge. Muzzle velocity would be somewhere around 1040 feet per second. In
metric terms, this would be 8 gram bullet propelled by a 0.32 gram charge of
powder, for an approximate muzzle-velocity of 317 metres per second. [viv]
The grenades used by the rifle group were
the so-called O.F. grenades. These grenades are of an offensive type, and
therefore have a limited fragmentation effect when compared to defensive
grenades. The total weight of the grenade is approximately 255 grammes, and the
fuse delays the detonation to around 5 seconds after the spoon is released.
[x]
O.F.
grenades, normal view and sectioned view
To give the reader an overview of the
nomenclature used for the weapons, the below table is of much use.
Conclusion
With all that being said, we can conclude
the Belgian rifle platoon was equipped comparably to many other Allied forces. Even
more so, it compares favourably to the Dutch rifle platoon.
The equipment it used can be regarded as modern for its time, with the Browning pistol standing out. Undeniably, the Belgian army was ahead of the curve when it adopted this 13-shot pistol, and it still sees service to this day. [xi]
When it came to the organisation and doctrine of the Belgian army, it was clearly based on World War I experiences, and much like the French, consisted of what can be termed a bomber team and a gunner team. This layout has generally been abandoned in favour of a unified squad as the war progressed. The platoon itself was large, which may has its disadvantages, but this wasn't uncommon for the time.
When it came to the organisation and doctrine of the Belgian army, it was clearly based on World War I experiences, and much like the French, consisted of what can be termed a bomber team and a gunner team. This layout has generally been abandoned in favour of a unified squad as the war progressed. The platoon itself was large, which may has its disadvantages, but this wasn't uncommon for the time.
All in all, nothing stands out in particular, and it cannot be said that the Belgian
army was defeated due to tactical disadvantages. Rather, it was simply overpowered by a
foe which had been preparing for war since 1933.The Belgian Army had prepared the best it could in a difficult strategic situation, and its men fought valiantly against the Blitzkrieg.
In the next post, we will have a look at the French army's Nord-Est platoon.
________________________________________________________________________
Sources:
The main sources used have been the "Uitrusting van het voetvolk", and three Belgian manuals, namely:
Opleiding van den Infanterist 1932 (Dutch)
Handboek voor de Opleiding van den Infanterist Tweede deel Bijzondere Opleiding van den Fusilier-Mitrailleur 1932 (Dutch)
Manuel pour la Formation du Fantassin Deuxieme partie Formation Particuliere du Fusilier-Mitrailleur 1932 (French)
For most technical data, the Kennblatter
Fremdes Geräts, parts Handwaffen and Munition bis 3.6 cm were used.
[i] Opleiding van den Infanterist 1932,
page 94
[ii] Cartridges of the World, 13th edition,
page 342
[viv] http://www.munizioni.eu/tedesche2/12-tedesche/42-le-9-x-19-mm-parabellum-tedesche-nella-wwii.html
[x] Handboek voor de Opleiding van den
Infanterist, pages 115 to 117
[xi] http://www.mil.be/nl/materiaal/gp-9-mm
[xi] http://www.mil.be/nl/materiaal/gp-9-mm
The final table is based on:
Kennblatter for German codes and French
names except F.M, which is derived from the Dutch and French Fusilier-Mitrailleur manual. Handboek
voor de Opleiding van den Infanterist Tweede deel Bijzondere Opleiding van den
Fusilier-Mitrailleur 1932, page 19 and Manuel pour la Formation du Fantassin
Deuxieme partie Formation Particuliere du Fusilier-Mitrailleur, page 19.
The Dutch names are derived from the platoon table.
The Dutch names are derived from the platoon table.
Pictures
Belgian
flag: https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lijst_van_vlaggen_van_Belgi%C3%AB#/media/File:Flag_of_Belgium.svg
Duke
of Brabant BAR: FN Manual Fusil-Mitrailleur
Browning Modèle 30
AA Mount: Kennblatter Fremdes Geräts
Belgian
Mausers: Kennblatter Fremdes Geräts
Browning
Model 30: FN Manual Fusil-Mitrailleur Browning
Modèle 30
Browning
High-Power and accesoiries: Kennblatter Fremdes
Geräts
O.F. grenades: Opleiding van den Infanterist
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