1940 in Belgium

← 1939 1938 1937 1940 in Belgium → 1941 1942 1943
Decades:	1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s
See also:	Other events of 1940 List of years in Belgium

Events in the year 1940 in Belgium

Incumbents

• Monarch: Leopold III (prisoner of war from 28 May) ^[1]
• Prime Minister: Hubert Pierlot (in exile from 28 May)
• Head of the occupying Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France: Alexander von Falkenhausen
• Head of the administrative staff of the Occupation: Eggert Reeder

Events

• 10 January – Mechelen incident: German military plane crashes near Maasmechelen. ^{[2] : 847}
• 26 April – King Leopold III rejects the government's resignation. ^{[2] : 847}
• 10 to 28 May – Battle of Belgium
  • 10 to 11 May – Battle of Fort Eben-Emael
  • 12 to 14 May – Battle of Hannut
  • 14 to 15 May – Battle of Gembloux
  • 22 May – Alexander von Falkenhausen appointed to the head of the Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France
  • 23 to 28 May – Battle of the Lys
  • 25 May – Leopold III declares that he will remain with his troops and share their fate
  • 25 to 28 May – Vinkt Massacre
  • 26 May – Dunkirk evacuation begins
  • 28 May – Leopold III capitulates to the invading forces, contrary to ministerial advice. ^{[2] : 848}
• 31 May – Belgian parliament in exile meets in Limoges
• 6 June – Civil-service secretaries-general empowered to keep Belgian ministries running while the government is in exile. ^{[2] : 848}
• 10 June – The International Red Cross estimates Belgian refugees in France to number 2.2 million. ^{[2] : 849}
• 28 June – Belgian Labour Party dissolved. ^{[2] : 848}
• 15 August – Newspaper La Libre Belgique begins clandestine publication. ^{[2] : 847}
• 10 October – Jews banned from public office by decree of the occupying forces. ^{[2] : 847}
• 28 October – Belgian government in exile, having been dispersed in France, Spain and Switzerland, re-established in London. ^{[2] : 848}
• 19 November – King Leopold III in Berchtesgarden makes a personal appeal to Hitler for the release of Belgian prisoners of war. ^{[2] : 849}
• 22 November – Single overarching trade union established. ^{[2] : 849}

Births

• 2 January – Florent Bessemans, fencer
• 4 January – Léon Semmeling, footballer
• 18 January – Élisabeth Burdot, journalist (died 2021)
• 5 February – Panamarenko, artist (died 2019)
• 23 February – Remi Vermeiren, banker
• 12 April – José Gotovitch, historian (died 2024)
• 24 May – Hilde Houben-Bertrand, politician
• 6 June – Nicolas Dumont, Olympic athlete
• 7 July – Irène Sweyd, Olympic athlete
• 7 August – Jean-Luc Dehaene, Prime Minister 1992-1999 (died 2014)
• 12 October – Yvan Covent, cyclist (died 2011)
• 27 December – William Cliff, poet

Deaths

• 10 January – Pierre Imperiali (born 1874), politician
• 27 January – Léon Frédéric (born 1856), painter
• 30 January – André Léon Tonnoir (born 1885), entomologist
• 10 February – Paulin Ladeuze (born 1870), theologian
• 11 February – Joseph Henri Honoré Boex (born 1856), author
• 22 February – Eugène Laermans (born 1864), painter
• 14 March – Flori van Acker (born 1858), painter
• 19 March – Gustave Sap (born 1886), politician
• 29 April – Jules Feller (born 1859), academician
• 12 May – Michel D'Hooghe (born 1912), cyclist
• 20 May – Joris Van Severen (born 1894), far-right politician
• 18 June – Robert Feyerick (born 1892), Olympic athlete
• 24 June – Frédéric-Vincent Lebbe (born 1877), missionary
• 29 August – Arthur De Greef (born 1862), composer
• 30 August — Hélène Mallebrancke (born 1902), engineer and resister
• 5 September – Charles de Broqueville (born 1860), former Prime Minister
• 9 September – Albert du Roy de Blicquy (born 1869), general
• 23 September – Marcel Van Crombrugge (born 1880), Olympic athlete
• 7 October – Marie de Bièvre (born 1865), painter
• 17 October – Lucien Linden (born 1851), botanist
• 3 November – Julien Vervaecke (born 1899), cyclist
• 8 November – Arthur Vierendeel (born 1852), civil engineer
• 16 November – Léon Dens (born 1869), politician

References

1. "Leopold III, king of Belgium". Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved 28 March 2019.
2. Alain de Gueldre et al., Kroniek van België (Antwerp and Zaventem, 1987).