Fusilier Battalions (Belgium)

Last updated
Fusilier Battalions
# 1-39 and 45-62 [1]
Charleroi-Caserne Tresignies-1945 12e bat. fusiliers.jpg
Plaque commemorating the 12th Fusilier Battalion which participated in the Battle of Remagen in March 1945
ActiveOctober 1944 – June 1945
CountryFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
TypeInfantry, engineer, logistics, auxiliary and guard units.
Size53,700 (total)
Engagements

The term fusilier battalions (French : Bataillons de fusiliers, Dutch : Bataljon Fusiliers) denotes 57 separate military formations which were raised in Belgium to fight alongside the Western Allies in the final months of World War II. Unlike the Free Belgian Forces which were raised in exile, the fusilier battalions were raised within Belgium after its Liberation from German occupation in September 1944. In total, 57 battalions (each numbered between 1-39 and 45-62) with a total of 53,700 men were raised between October 1944 and June 1945. [1]

Contents

Origins and creation

The concept of the fusilier battalions originated in plans by the Belgian government in exile to rebuild the Belgian Army once its national territory was liberated from German occupation. In June 1943, they created a formal plan to raise 18 battalions of soldiers in Belgium once the territory was regained. The core of the new force would be six battalions of front-line infantry to augment the existing Independent Belgian Brigade, known popularly as the "Piron Brigade" which had originally been formed in exile, and six battalions of fusiliers, intended to serve in auxiliary roles such as guarding lines of communication. A further six logistics (pionniers) battalions would be created. [2] This was approved by the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) in May 1944. Supply constraints, however, meant that the original targets were subsequently revised to create 12 battalions of fusiliers and four of pioneers, making a total of 6,000 men. [3] The creation of the new units began after the liberation of Belgium in September 1944 and 12 battalions had been raised by the end of the year. They were equipped with surplus British uniforms and equipment. [4]

Plaque commemorating the 5th Fusilier Battalion formed in Charleroi in October 1944 Charleroi-Caserne Tresignies-1944 5e bat. fusiliers.jpg
Plaque commemorating the 5th Fusilier Battalion formed in Charleroi in October 1944

After the failure of Operation Market Garden, however, the Allies decided to review the agreement. In December 1944, the Allies signed an agreement on Liberated Manpower Units (LMU) that called for the raising of 77 battalions of fusiliers and eight auxiliary logistics battalions over two years. [5] If completed, the agreement would have resulted in the mobilisation of 91,000 men. [6] In addition, the Belgian government had already begun a project of expanding the Piron Brigade into a new brigade of infantry, plus regiments of armour and artillery in a separate programme. [7]

In all, 57 of the planned 77 fusilier battalions were created before the programme ended on VE Day. [5] They were numbered between 1–39 and 45–62. A further four battalions of pioneers were created, as well as 34 companies of road transport and smaller auxiliary units. [5] In total, 53,700 men served in the units. Many of those recruited into the battalions had been members of the Belgian Resistance, with 80 percent having been members of the right-wing Secret Army and National Royalist Movement groups. [8]

Although the majority were still in training at the end of the war, 20 battalions saw active service on the Western Front in the final months of the war. [1] These included the 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions which served in the Netherlands, the 4th Battalion which was at the Rhine, the 5th and 6th which fought during the Battle of the Bulge, the 12th which participated in the Battle of Remagen, and the 17th which finished the war at Plzeň in Czechoslovakia. [1] From December 1944, the remaining fusilier battalions were formed into 16 "Fusilier Brigades".

The fusilier battalions were separate from the five so-called Ireland Brigades (Brigades d'Irelande, Ierse Brigades) raised in 1945 which went sent to Northern Ireland for training and which were intended to serve as the basis for a post-war Belgian army. [9] Soldiers from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 11th fusilier battalions were, however, folded into the 6th "Deinze" Infantry Brigade.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luxembourg Armed Forces</span> Land warfare branch of Luxembourgs public forces

The Luxembourg Armed Forces are the national military force of Luxembourg. The army has been a fully volunteer military since 1967. As of December 2018, it has 939 personnel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Independent Belgian Brigade</span> Unit of the Free Belgian forces during World War II

The Independent Belgian Brigade was a Belgian and Luxembourgish military unit in the Free Belgian forces during World War II, commonly known as the Piron Brigade after its commanding officer Jean-Baptiste Piron. It saw action in Western Europe and participated in the Battle of Normandy, the Liberation of Belgium, and fighting in the Netherlands over 1944-1945.

<i>Chasseur</i> French military designation

Chasseur, a French term for "hunter", is the designation given to certain regiments of French and Belgian light infantry or light cavalry to denote troops trained for rapid action.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garderegiment Fuseliers Prinses Irene</span> Military unit

The Princess Irene Fusiliers Guards Regiment is a regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army, named after Princess Irene, the Granddaughter of Queen Wilhelmina, daughter of Queen Juliana, sister of Princess Beatrix and aunt of King Willem-Alexander. It is one of two regiments, along with the Garderegiment Grenadiers en Jagers, to be classed as 'Guards'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Scots Fusiliers</span> Military unit of the British Army

The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers which was later itself merged with the Royal Scots, King's Own Scottish Borderers, the Black Watch, the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and the Highlanders to form a new large regiment, the Royal Regiment of Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walloon Legion</span> German infantry division

The Walloon Legion was a unit of the German Army (Wehrmacht) and later of the Waffen-SS recruited among French-speaking collaborationists in German-occupied Belgium during World War II. It was formed in the aftermath of the German invasion of the Soviet Union and fought on the Eastern Front alongside similar formations from other parts of German-occupied Western Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers</span> Military unit

The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence from 1881 until 1968. The regiment was formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot.

This is the complete order of battle of Allied and German forces involved during Operation Market Garden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2nd Armored Division (France)</span> Formation of the French Army (1943–1999)

The French 2nd Armored Division, commanded by General Philippe Leclerc, fought during the final phases of World War II in the Western Front for the liberation of France. The division was formed around a core of units that had fought in the North African campaign, and re-organized into a light armored division in 1943. The division embarked in April 1944 and shipped to various ports in Britain. On 29 July 1944, bound for France, the division embarked at Southampton. During combat in 1944, the division liberated Paris, defeated a Panzer brigade during the armored clashes in Lorraine, forced the Saverne Gap and liberated Strasbourg. After taking part in the Battle of the Colmar Pocket, the division was moved west and assaulted the German-held Atlantic port of Royan, before recrossing France in April 1945 and participating in the final fighting in southern Germany, even going first into Hitler's "Eagle's Nest". Deactivated after the war, the 2nd Division was again activated in the 1970s and served through 1999, when it was downsized to the now 2nd Armored Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Free Belgian forces</span> Soldiers from Belgium after Belgiums surrender in WW2

The Free Belgian forces were soldiers from Belgium and its colonies who fought as part of the Allied armies during World War II, after the official Belgian surrender to Nazi Germany. It is distinct from the Belgian Resistance which existed in German-occupied Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS</span> German infantry division

The 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS(1st Belarusian), originally called the 30th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS , was a short-lived German Waffen-SS infantry division formed largely from Belarusian, Russian, Polish, and Ukrainian personnel of the Schutzmannschaft-Brigade Siegling in August 1944 at Warsaw in the General Government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Free French Division</span> Military unit of the Free French Forces during World War II

The 1st Free French Division was one of the principal units of the Free French Forces (FFL) during World War II, renowned for having fought the Battle of Bir Hakeim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1st Armored Division (France)</span> French Army formation

The 1st Armored Division is a unit of the French Army formed during World War II that took part in the Liberation of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tonkin Expeditionary Corps</span> Military unit

The Tonkin Expeditionary Corps was a French military command based in northern Vietnam (Tonkin) from June 1883 to April 1886. The expeditionary corps fought the Tonkin Campaign (1883–86) taking part in campaigns against the Black Flag Army and the Chinese Yunnan and Guangxi Armies during the Sino-French War and the period of undeclared hostilities that preceded it, and in important operations against Vietnamese guerrilla bands during the subsequent 'Pacification of Tonkin'.

1er Bataillon de Fusiliers Marins Commandos was a Fusiliers marins commando unit of the Free French Navy, raised in 1942, which served during the Second World War. Its initial Commandant was then-Lieutenant de Vaisseau (Captain) Philippe Kieffer of the Free French Navy, under whose command they participated in the Normandy landings in 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jean-Baptiste Piron</span> Belgian military commander (1896–1974)

Jean-Baptiste Piron was a Belgian military officer, best known for his role in the Free Belgian forces during World War II as commander of the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade, widely known as the "Piron Brigade", between 1942 and 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latvian Auxiliary Police</span> Latvian collaborationist police units during World War II

Latvian Auxiliary Police was a paramilitary force created from Latvian volunteers and conscripts by the Nazi German authorities who occupied the country in June/July 1941. It was part of the Schutzmannschaft (Shuma), native police forces organized by the Germans in occupied territories and subordinated to the Order Police. Some units of the Latvian auxiliary police were involved in the Holocaust.

Estonian Auxiliary Police were Estonian police units that collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luxembourg government in exile</span> Government in exile of Luxembourg during World War II

The Luxembourgish government in exile, also known as the Luxembourgish government in London, was the government in exile of Luxembourg during the Second World War. The government was based in London between 1940 and 1944, while Luxembourg was occupied by Nazi Germany. It was led by Pierre Dupong, and also included three other Ministers. The head of state, Grand Duchess Charlotte, also escaped from Luxembourg after the occupation. The government was bipartite, including two members from both the Party of the Right (PD) and the Socialist Workers' Party (LSAP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">French Liberation Army</span> Reunified French Armed Forces during WWII

The French Liberation Army was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces during World War II. The military force of Free France, it participated in the Italian and Tunisian campaigns before joining in the Liberation of France with other Western Allies of World War II. It went on to join the Western Allied invasion of Germany.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Thomas, Nigel (1991). Foreign Volunteers of the Allied Forces: 1939-45. London: Osprey. p. 16. ISBN   9781855321366.
  2. ↑ Champion 1973, p. 17.
  3. ↑ Champion 1973, p. 22.
  4. ↑ Champion 1973, p. 25.
  5. 1 2 3 Champion 1973, p. 28.
  6. ↑ Champion 1973, pp. 28–30.
  7. ↑ Champion 1973, p. 29.
  8. ↑ Deleuze, Lucien (1958). "Aperçu sur l'Armée Secrète, Groupement Militaire de Résistance Armée". Revue d'histoire de la Deuxième Guerre mondiale. 8 (31): 52. JSTOR   25731813.
  9. ↑ "Brigades d'Irlande". Belgium-WWII (in French). CEGESOMA . Retrieved 9 August 2024.

Bibliography

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.