The 1st Infantry Division ( nl, 1 ème Infanteriedivisie) was an Infantry Division of the Belgian Army that fought in the

Battle of Belgium The invasion of Belgium or Belgian campaign (10–28 May 1940), often referred to within Belgium as the 18 Days' Campaign (french: Campagne des 18 jours, nl, Achttiendaagse Veldtocht), formed part of the greater Battle of France, an Military o ...

during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

History

First World War

At the start of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the 1st Infantry Division was classified as 1st Division, commanded by Lieutenant-General Baix. The headquarters were located at

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

and the division was composed of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Mixed Brigades with limited Cavalry support from the 3rd Lancers Regiment. Artillery units came from the 1st Artillery Regiment.

Second World War

Source: The 1st Infantry Division was active before mobilization was announced, therefore, the units of the division already had a reconnaissance unit, a transportation unit, and a medical unit, making it one of the most strongest divisions in the entire Belgian Army. The 1st Infantry Division is placed near the

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...

sector of the Albert Canal. The 1st Infantry Division heavily fortified its position when the German attack was confirmed. Yet, the Germans breach the line, and fierce fighting erupts. The 1st Infantry Division had to retreat from the Albert Canal. The 1st Infantry Division was recalled to the K-W line and part of its division(3rd Line Regiment) was sent to the Demer position. When recalled for action again, the 1st Infantry Division was now responsible for a large section of the K-W line, extending the defenses from

Beigem Grimbergen () is a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, 10 km north of the capital Brussels. It comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Humbeek, and Strombeek-Bever. In 2017, it had a population of 37,030 and an ...

to Nieuwenrode. On May 15, redeployment helped bolster the lines. On May 16, an unexpected retreat and abandonment of the K-W line by the Allied forces (

French 1st Army The First Army (french: 1re Armée) was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. First World War On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the ch ...

, and the British Expeditionary Force) forced the Belgians to withdraw, and the 1st Infantry Division was assigned the task of slowing the German advance in the Northern sector while a new defense was being constructed in the south. The 1st Infantry Division succeeds in their operations and thousands of troops make it to the newly coordinated Terneuzen-Oudenaarde line. But soon, a counterattack by the Germans in the North resulted in threatening the flanks of forces defending the Scheldt Canal, and so, the 1st Infantry Division construct new positions near the town of Sint-Amands. The line was untenable and the Division was pushed to

. After the encirclement of the Allied forces in Northern France and

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

, things escalated from bad to worse. The German pressure steadily increased and eventually,

was evacuated. The 1st Infantry Division had taken up positions on the new defense in the Korkrijk-Menen sector, and Korkrijk specifically, was heavily reinforced. There was a concern about

Menen Menen (; french: Menin ; vls, Mêenn or ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Be ...

though. No British forces were ever seen in the city, with only some French Sappers manning the bridges. In Korkrijk, things developed really badly for the 1st Infantry Division. The German attack heavily deterred the regiments deployed there and after some time, a breach was already made. The division had to retreat to a new defense by May 26. Only three antitank weapons survived the German attack. Out of all the Infantry Divisions now under the single command of I Corp, the 1st Infantry Division took the most damage, having one mixed

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

left, formed out of only 4 companies. This battalion was transferred to

6th Infantry Division 6th Division may refer to: Infantry divisions * 6th Division (Australia) * 6th Division (Austria) *6th (United Kingdom) Division * Finnish 6th Division (Winter War) *Finnish 6th Division (Continuation War) * 6th Division (Reichswehr) * 6th Divisi ...

, meaning that the 1st Infantry Division is stripped of strength. The remainder of this division will be dissolved following Belgian surrender.

Structure

1914

After mobilization, 1st division's structure in 1914 was as follows:Handbook, p. 106. * Headquarters, 1st Infantry Division, in

** 1st Administration Company ** Administration Detachment ** Field Telegraph, in Antwerp ** x 2

Gendarmerie Wrong info! --> A gendarmerie () is a military force with law enforcement duties among the civilian population. The term ''gendarme'' () is derived from the medieval French expression ', which translates to " men-at-arms" (literally, ...

Reconnaissance Squadrons, in Bruges and Ghent ** 1st Battalion, Carabinier Regiment, in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

** 1st Field Artillery Regiment, in Ghent and

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

** 1st Company, 1st Engineer Battalion, in Antwerp ** x 1 Engineer Park Section, in Antwerp ** 1st Train Company, in Antwerp ** x 2 Infantry Ammunition Columns, in Termonde ** x 2 Artillery Ammunition Column, in Termonde ** Supply Column, in Termonde ** Provisional

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