| I think the Belgians were caught between a rock and a hard place. After the surrender the French laid into Leopold something rotten (as did the British press) but Reynaud could hardly do anything less, he could not be seen to advance the cause of defeat or surrender when France was fighting for its life. Churchill was a little more magnanimous with his words at the time.
And lets face it, its a bit like Germany in the cold war, Belgium was aware of the physical fact that by the plans made etc, Britain and especially France was intending to do the fighting on Belgian soil and not Frances this time around, hence Maginot, the idea being if havoc and destrucion should reign once more than France must be spared the ruination and Belgium would be the land to be ruined if necessary. Even when the allies blindfold was removed and they realised the main thrust was south of the mobile armies 1st, Bef and 7th, the French were trying to withdraw the Belgian forces into dispositions that would benefit France not as the Belgian soldier would view as his own king too as defending Belgian soil but French soil. The bigger picture may well have been that the line must be held with a view to relief at a later date but to the king of the Belgians all he must have seen was his country and his troops being used to defend French soil and British by now obvious run for the coast.
The British in their own turn, didnt help by destorying much in their retreat (British minds may well have been correct in this and as a supporter of Gorts actions I too can see his reasons), phone systems in Lille, blocking or trying to block harbours with block ships at Bolougne and Calais, Dunkirk later too, obvsiously Frenchmen still fighting and seeing like the Belgians were seeing British on their way out no matter when the official Dynamo date orders started from.The Belgian king did what he thought was right in surrendering when he did and again he thought it was correct to stay with his people. We can now say that was the wrong decision and he maybe should have followed his govt into exile, but as Brits who have not been invaded for centuries we should look on the Belgian actions with some leniancy. |