Battle of the Lys (1940)

Battle of the Lys
Part of the Invasion of Belgium of World War II
Final Defensive Positions of the Allies along the Lys River
Date 24–28 May 1940 Location Region of Kortrijk (Southwest Flanders), Belgium 51°3′18″N 3°44′3″E / 51.05500°N 3.73417°E / 51.05500; 3.73417Coordinates: 51°3′18″N 3°44′3″E / 51.05500°N 3.73417°E / 51.05500; 3.73417 Result German victory Vinkt massacre Belgian surrender on 28 May
Belligerents
Belgium  France  Britain	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Leopold III (POW) Oscar Michiels (POW) Georges Blanchard Alan Brooke	Fedor von Bock Georg von Küchler
Strength
500,000 soldiers	12 divisions
Casualties and losses
40,000+ casualties	Unknown 320–400+ captured

German victory

The Battle of the Lys (French: Bataille de la Lys, Dutch: Leieslag) was a major battle between Belgian and German forces during the German Invasion of Belgium of 1940 and the final major battle fought by Belgian troops before their surrender on 28 May. It was the bloodiest of the 18 Days' Campaign. The battle was named after the river Leie (known as the Lys in French), where the battlefield was situated.

On 24 May, a heavy German attack forced Allied troops to fall back at Kortrijk over the Lys to the 1st and 3rd Belgian divisions. The Belgians had been persuaded to abandon the Scheldt and withdraw to relieve British troops for an Allied counter-offensive, though this strategically did little to alleviate the situation at the front. With the Allied line facing four German divisions, the 9th and 10th Belgian Divisions rushed in to reinforce the position. The Belgian II Army Corps launched a counter-attack, capturing 200 German soldiers. Belgian artillery opened up effectively on the Germans, but Allied lines were subject to numerous bombing raids and strafing runs, with negligible air support of their own. A German division from Menen moved up to Ypres, threatening to cut the Belgian Army off from the British. The Belgians' 2nd Cavalry Brigade and 6th Infantry Division came in to support the area and managed to hold off the Germans.

On 25 May, the British, realizing that further counteroffensives were no longer possible, began to withdraw to the port of Dunkirk. All hopes of saving the Belgian Army were lost. It became clear from this point on that all the Belgians could do was buy enough time for the Allies to evacuate. The British spared a brigade and a machine gun battalion, their only reserves, to assist in the delay. At 06:30, the 12th Royal Lancers, an armoured car regiment, was dispatched to the north of the Lys to cover the left flank of the British 2nd Army Corps and reestablish contact with the Belgians in the area. The regiment reported that the Belgians were retreating in the face of superior forces, while they themselves sporadically engaged the Germans. In an order to his troops that day, King Leopold III informed the Army, "Whatever may happen, I shall share your fate." Low morale prompted sections of the Belgian 5th and 17th regiments to surrender the bridgehead at Meigem without a fight. This was in direct contradiction of their officer's orders, which were ignored. In one instance, fed up soldiers shot their superiors. The elite Chasseurs Ardennais were deployed to the small village of Vinkt. Here the 1st Division successfully repulsed numerous attacks by Germany's 56th Infantry Division. Lieutenant Colonel George Davy, head of the British Military Mission to the Belgian Army Headquarters, was informed that the Belgians would be unable to extend their front any further. Starting that night, 2,000 wagons were lined up side-by-side along the rail line from Roeselare to Ypres to act as an improvised anti-tank barrier.

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