Events in the year 1944 in

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

Incumbents

Monarch A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority ...

: Leopold III ** Regent:

Prince Charles, Count of Flanders nl, Karel Theodoor Hendrik Anton Meinrad , image = Karel van België Charles de Belgique Karl von Belgien.jpg , image_size = 230px , spouse = Jacqueline Peyrebrune , issue = Isabelle , birth_date = , birth_place = Bruss ...

(from 21 September) *

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Hubert Pierlot Hubert Marie Eugène Pierlot (, 23 December 1883 – 13 December 1963) was a Belgian politician and Prime Minister of Belgium, serving between 1939 and 1945. Pierlot, a lawyer and jurist, served in World War I before entering politics in the 192 ...

Events

;January * 14 January – Occupying German authorities order evacuation of civilians from the Belgian coast.Alain de Gueldre et al., ''Kroniek van België'' (Antwerp and Zaventem, 1987). * 16 January – Groupe G resistance organisation dynamites pylons to sabotage electricity supply. ;February * 5 February – Occupying authorities streamline procedure for death sentences on charges of "terrorism". ;April * 11 April – Heavy allied bombing of industrial targets and transport infrastructure in Belgian cities. * 19 April – Mechelen and Leuven bombed. ;May * 21 May –

Cardinal Van Roey Jozef-Ernest van Roey (13 January 1874 – 6 August 1961) was a Belgian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Archbishop of Mechelen from 1926 until his death, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1927. He was significant fig ...

appeals to Allies to cease bombing civilian targets in Belgium. ;June * 7 June – Leopold III, under house arrest since 1940, deported to Germany together with his wife and children. ;July * 18 July – Military occupation under General

Alexander von Falkenhausen Alexander Ernst Alfred Hermann Freiherr von Falkenhausen (29 October 187831 July 1966) was a German general and military advisor to Chiang Kai-shek. He was an important figure during the Sino-German cooperation to reform the Chinese Army. In 19 ...

replaced by

Reichskommissariat of Belgium and Northern France The Reichskommissariat of Belgium and Northern France (german: Reichskommissariat Belgien-Nordfrankreich) was a Nazi German civil administration (''Zivilverwaltung'') which governed most of occupied Belgium and northern parts of occupied Franc ...

under Reichskommissar

Josef Grohé Josef Grohé (6 November 1902 – 27 December 1987) was a German Nazi Party official. He was the long-serving ''Gauleiter'' of Gau Cologne-Aachen and ''Reichskommissar'' for Belgium and Northern France toward the end of the Second World War ...

. * 22 July – Delegates of the

Belgian government in exile The Belgian Government in London (french: Gouvernement belge à Londres, nl, Belgische regering in Londen), also known as the Pierlot IV Government, was the government in exile of Belgium between October 1940 and September 1944 during World W ...

are among the founding signatories of the

Bretton Woods system The Bretton Woods system of monetary management established the rules for commercial and financial relations among the United States, Canada, Western European countries, Australia, and Japan after the 1944 Bretton Woods Agreement. The Bret ...

establishing the

International Monetary Fund The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a major financial agency of the United Nations, and an international financial institution, headquartered in Washington, D.C., consisting of 190 countries. Its stated mission is "working to foster gl ...

and the

International Bank for Reconstruction and Development The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) is an international financial institution, established in 1944 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, that is the lending arm of World Bank Group. The IBRD offers ...

* 27 July – Collaborationist leaders

Jef van de Wiele Fredegardus Jacobus Josephus (Jef) van de Wiele (Deurne, Belgium, 20 July 1903 – Bruges, 4 September 1979) was a Belgian Flemish Nazi politician. During the Nazi occupation of Belgium he became notorious as the leader of the most virulently pro-Na ...

and

Hendrik Elias Hendrik Jozef Elias (12 June 1902 – 2 February 1973) was a Belgian politician and Flemish nationalist, notable as the leader of the Vlaams Nationaal Verbond between 1942 and 1944. Biography Elias was a noted academic, holding doctorates in ...

meet with

Heinrich Himmler Heinrich Luitpold Himmler (; 7 October 1900 – 23 May 1945) was of the (Protection Squadron; SS), and a leading member of the Nazi Party of Germany. Himmler was one of the most powerful men in Nazi Germany and a main architect of th ...

. ;August * 18 August – Courcelles Massacre in retaliation for the assassination of the collaborationist mayor of

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

by the

Belgian Resistance The Belgian Resistance (french: Résistance belge, nl, 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 sep ...

. * 31 August – Many Belgian collaborators flee to Germany. ;September * 2 September – Allied ground forces enter Belgium. * 4 September – Liberation of Brussels and Antwerp;

Independent Belgian Brigade The Independent Belgian Brigade was a Belgian and Luxembourg military unit in the Free Belgian forces during World War II, commonly known as the Piron Brigade (''Brigade Piron'') after its commanding officer Jean-Baptiste Piron. It saw action i ...

(Brigade Piron) enters Brussels. * 5 September – Customs Convention between Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg signed.H.F. van Panhuys, L.J. Brinkhorst, and H.H. Maas (eds.), ''International Organisation and Integration'' (Deventer and Leyden, 1968), p. 978. * 7 September – Liberation of Liège. * 8 September – Battle of Geel begins (to 23 September) * 15 September – Cinemas reopened in liberated parts of Belgium. * 21 September –

appointed Prince Regent in the king's absence. * 27 September – Government in exile becomes government of national unity. ;October * 2 October –

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allie ...

begins (to 8 November) * 12 October – First

V-1 flying bomb The V-1 flying bomb (german: Vergeltungswaffe 1 "Vengeance Weapon 1") was an early cruise missile. Its official Reich Aviation Ministry () designation was Fi 103. It was also known to the Allies as the buzz bomb or doodlebug and in Germany ...

attack on Belgium. ;November * 1 November –

Operation Infatuate Operation Infatuate was the code name given to an Anglo-Canadian operation in November 1944 during the Second World War to open the port of Antwerp to shipping and relieve logistical constraints. The operation was part of the wider Battle of the ...

launched * 3 November – Last German forces in Belgium surrender at Knokke. * 8 November – Belgian Parliament lifts parliamentary privilege of members of collaborationist organisations. * 18 November – Resistance groups disarmed. * 25 November – Resistance groups demonstrate in Parliament to demand official recognition. * 28 November – Allied shipping starts to use the

Port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...

. ;December * 16 December – German counter-offensive into Belgium:

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive campaign on the Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted from 16 December 1944 to 28 January 1945, towards the end of the war in ...

begins with

Battle of Lanzerath Ridge The Battle of Lanzerath Ridge was fought on December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge during World War II, near the village of Lanzerath, Belgium, along the key route for the German advance on the northern shoulder of the op ...

, Battle of Losheim Gap, Battle of St. Vith and

Battle of Elsenborn Ridge The Battle of Elsenborn Ridge refers to the northernmost German attacks during the Battle of the Bulge. The area from Elsenborn Ridge itself to Monschau was the only sector of the American front line attacked during the Battle of the Bulge wher ...

* 17 December –

Malmedy massacre The Malmedy massacre was a German war crime committed by soldiers of the on 17 December 1944, at the Baugnez crossroads near the city of Malmedy, Belgium, during the Battle of the Bulge (16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945). Soldiers of su ...

* 20 December –

Siege of Bastogne The siege of Bastogne () was an engagement in December 1944 between American and German forces at the Belgian town of Bastogne, as part of the larger Battle of the Bulge. The goal of the German offensive was the harbor at Antwerp. In order to ...

begins (to 27 December)

Births

* 31 March –

Jean-Marie André Jean-Marie André (born 31 March 1944, in Charleroi, Belgium and deceased 3 January 2023, in Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of W ...

, scientist * 5 April – Willy Planckaert, road bicycle racer * 1 June –

Freddy Herbrand Freddy Herbrand (born 1 June 1944 Malmedy, Belgium) is a former Belgian decathlete. Herbrand finished sixth at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich. Herbrand became Belgian champion in the 110 metres hurdles in 1971 and 1972; high jump in 1964, 19 ...

, Olympic athlete * 8 October –

Maurice Bodson Maurice Bodson (8 October 1944 – 24 October 2020) was a Belgian politician and a member of the Socialist Party (Belgium), Socialist Party. Biography Bodson graduated from the Écoles normale de Mons and Morlanwelz. He became a member of the Jeu ...

, politician (died 2020) * 21 December –

Jacques Beurlet Jacques Beurlet (21 December 1944 – 26 September 2020) was a Belgian footballer who played as a right-back for Standard Liège and Union SG. He earned three caps for the Belgium national team in qualifying matches for the 1970 FIFA World Cu ...

, footballer (died 2020)

Deaths

* 14 January –

Walthère Dewé ''La Dame Blanche'' (French; ) was the codename for an underground intelligence network which operated in German-occupied Belgium during World War I. It took its name from a German legend which stated that the fall of the Hohenzollern dynasty ...

, resistance leader, shot in the street * 28 January –

Aloïs Biebuyck Aloïs Biebuyck ( 28 June 1860 – 28 January 1944) was a Belgian Lieutenant General who fought in the First World War. Aloïs lost both parents at a young age and was raised by his uncle in Brussels. He followed a military career and became a ...

, officer in the First World War * 23 February –

Leo Baekeland Leo Hendrik Baekeland (November 14, 1863 – February 23, 1944) was a Belgian chemist. He is best known for the inventions of Velox photographic paper in 1893, and Bakelite in 1907. He has been called "The Father of the Plastics Industry ...

, chemical engineer * 3 March –

Paul-Émile Janson Paul-Émile (Paul Emil) Janson (30 May 1872 – 3 March 1944) was a francophone Belgian liberal politician and the prime minister from 1937 to 1938. During the German occupation, he was arrested as a political prisoner and died in a German conce ...

, liberal politician (

Buchenwald concentration camp Buchenwald (; literally 'beech forest') was a Nazi concentration camp established on hill near Weimar, Germany, in July 1937. It was one of the first and the largest of the concentration camps within Germany's 1937 borders. Many actual or s ...

) * 21 March – Pierre de Caters, aviator * 12 April –

Emmanuel de Blommaert Emmanuel de Blommaert de Soye (15 October 1875 – 12 April 1944) was a Belgian horse rider who competed in the 1912 and 1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van ...

, Olympic rider * 10 May – Adolphe De Meulemeester, colonial official * 27 May –

Adrienne Barbanson Adrienne Barbanson van der Noot (1875–1944), Marquise of Assche and Wemmel, was an aristocratic patron of the arts in Belgium before and during the Second World War.Ch. van den Borren, "Assche et de Wemmel, comtesse van der Noot, Adrienne Barba ...

, musical patron * 12 August –

Suzanne Spaak Suzanne Spaak, ''née'' Augustine Lorge known as Suzette Spaak (6 July 1905 – 12 August 1944) was a World War II French Resistance operative. On 21 April 1985, Yad Vashem recognized Spaak as Righteous Among the Nations, for helping to smuggle s ...

, resister * 17 August – Oswald Englebin, collaborationist mayor of Charleroi, assassinated * 20 August –

Hippolyte De Kempeneer Hippolyte De Kempeneer (1876–1944) was a Belgian film producer and director. He was one of the pioneers of the Belgian film industry during the silent era.Mathijs p.16 Selected filmography Producer * '' A Farmyard Drama'' (1921) * '' The Judg ...

, film producer * 7 October –

Abraham Leon Abraham (Abram) Leon (1918–1944) (born Abraham Wejnstok), was a Belgian Jewish Trotskyist party leader and theorist, who was murdered in 1944 by the Nazis at the Auschwitz death camp. Biography Leon was born in Warsaw in 1918. His parents, adher ...

, Trotskyist theorist ( Auschwitz concentration camp) * 1 December – Balthazar De Beukelaer, Olympic fencer * 11 December –

Joseph Maréchal Joseph Maréchal, SJ (; 1 July 1878 – 11 December 1944) was a Belgian Jesuit priest, philosopher, theologian and psychologist. He taught at the Higher Institute of Philosophy of the University of Leuven and was the founder of the school o ...

, Thomist philosopher

References

{{Year in Europe, 1944 1940s in Belgium