I was unsure were to be putting this so I thought to just put it in the general section. If this is wrong, could a moderator please kindly move it to the section that they are thinking to be appropriate. I would like to ask the forum if anyone has knowledge of Luxembourg's involvement during World War II. I am aware that the Duke of Luxembourg was present when there was the Landing at Normandy beach. However I am not knowing very much greater details that this. Can the forum tell me anything else as to what Luxembourg did during the war. I have read that there were possible more Luxembourgians at the Normandy landings, after escaping from the occupation by Germany. Could the forum tell me if this is truth. If this is truth can the forum tell me which allied country they were fighting with and what units this may be in. Finally I am also wanting to know what weapons and other equipments they may have been using. I know that I have asked many questions in this writing and I would be happy to get any answers the forum is having. Thank you very kindly for the reading of these questions. Enjoy the day
I don't know the in-depth specifics, but as far as I'm aware Luxemboug were neutral and were invaded and occupied by Germany en-route to invading France (just like Belgium). There was a resistance, and also collaboration, but most of the population just accepted the situation. EDIT - Have just read that some men managed to escape to Britain and joined the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade. They landed in France on July 30th 1944 and took part in the Battle of Normany under the command of the British 6th Airbone Division German occupation of Luxembourg in World War II - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
SquirrelMonkey, Hello and welcome to the forum. A good question for your first post and I hope that you receive some detailed replies. tmm's link is very useful as a starting point. Regards Tom
This will make for interesting reading (Hopefully). I was only thinking the same the other day regarding 1940. In books (1940 Campaign) it always seem to place the order of France, Belgium then Holland in detail hardly ever mentioning Luxembourg. A
Thank you very much for the already answers. The information about Belgian 1st says that they are being trained by British in World War II. Is this to mean that they would have been had British weapons and equipments?
Good question, but im curious why were the Belgians, attached to 6TH Airborne I know ther were Belgian SAS elements as part of 6th Airborne but where did their Infantry BGDE fit in
You might find this useful. It's the website of the Luxembourg National Library. There's a local equivalent of "Life" magazine called "A-Z : Luxemburger illustrierte Wochenschrift" on there, but unfortunately it ceased publication on May 1st 1940. You can also access the "Biographie nationale du pays de Luxembourg" and there are some thumbnails of postcards: those can only be examined full-size within the library though. Luxemburgensia online
Historical photos of villages across Luxembourg with pictures taken in the present day, seventy years after the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge, the military campaign that would liberate Luxembourg from Nazi rule. https://www.wort.lu/en/luxembourg/silent-witnesses-of-the-war-what-luxembourg-looked-like-during-ww2-5491a0800c88b46a8ce48da8
I can make only a very limited contribution to this interesting discussion I believe there were two components to the "Free Belgian Army" in World War Two. Firstly the aforementioned Parachute, retitled Special Air Service, Battalion which ended the War in North West Germany under command 1st Canadian Army but then deployed elements to Schleswig Holstein in support of the British 8th Corps. Secondly the Brigade Piron a conventional Force which fought mainly under Canadian Command from the Normandy Landings onwards. Following the Liberation of Belgium it was briefly withdrawn from the Operational 21 Army Group ORBAT to expand and reorganise. Its final tasks were Occupation Duties in the Oelde area south east of Munster in Summer 1945. The Luxembourgers could have served in either component.
From the assault in the West on 10 May 1940,Luxembourg became an occupied country but in August 1942,the country was annexed and became part of the Third Reich. As the rest of occupied Europe,there was those who resisted and those who collaborated and as Alsace, forced conscription to the Wehrmacht was effected despite resistance from its citizens.
I only just realized that this thread is over 6 years old. I remember reading somewhere that Luxembourg (or was it Liechtenstein?) was the only European country to ignore the order in 1945 to return Russian citizens to the USSR under the Yalta agreement.
Didn't the last Grand Duke (Jean) serve in the Guards Armoured Division as an officer in the Irish Guards? I remember him turning up on Trooping as Colonel of the IG for many years.
As stated above, troops from Luxembourg were part of the Piron Brigade. This Brigade was part VIII corps during Operation Market Garden, protecting the right flank of XXX Corps. There is a memorial to the Piron Brigade in Thorn, just south of Weert which I visited a couple of years ago(see photo). Haven't done any reserch, so I don't know if any of the men commemorated are from Luxembourg.
Luxembourg was mostly undefended and neutral at the time of German invasion. Only the border patrol officers guarded the different crossings. Road blocks were constructed on the country's border with Germany at the crossings over the rivers Our and Sûre. There was a French Army ready at the border with France to enter Luxembourg in case of a German invasion. However they were not to cross before reports of any Germans entering Luxembourg, to ensure neutrality (about the same situation with Belgium and Holland). Essential to the german plans was the speedy occupation of the small country. In the night of May 10th German commando's overran the Luxembourg border patrols, the family of the Grand Duke evaded to France en and by the time the French moved in at about 08.00 it was already too late. German engineers used woorden slopes at the Oure bridge to be able to drive over any obstacles. They also made a replica of the concrete road block at the Sûre bridge, to find out how many explosives were necessary to blow it up.
Germany regarded the country (and a small German speaking part of Eastern Belgium) as part of Germany, so it was to be a part of the Reich. Its governement was replaced by civilians with Nazi sympathies and men were forced to fight in the Wehrmacht. Most of them were sent to the Eastern front. Quite a few managed to escape to Britain were they joined the Allied forces. Eventually most were incorporated int he newly formed 1st Belgian Group, especially in the artillery battery, where they formed Battery C. With the Belgian Brigade they took part in the Normandy campaign from August. Together with 6th airborne they fought there way from the Ranville area up to Pont Audemer and the Seine river.
