Re: Anglo-French war plans in 1940?

"Andrew Clark" <aclark@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

"Georg Schwarz" <georg.schwarz@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote

why should Belgium have done so?

Why should Belgium have not done so?

Explicit military cooperation with the Allies
would give Germany both excuse and incentive
to attack Belgium.

Germany needed neither excuse or incentive,
but one cannot fault Belgium for wanting to
stay out what was predicted to be the most
destructive war in history.

The recent example of Norway showed the
risks of inciting German pre-emption.
Not that Norway did anything, but Norway
showed that Germany would act to pre-
empt a rumored Allied move; if Belgium
actually collaborated with the Allies,
that would be at least as much reason.
The Belgians preferred not to give any
reason.
--
| He had a shorter, more scraggly, and even less |
| flattering beard than Yassir Arafat, and Escalante |
| never conceived that such a thing was possible. |
| -- William Goldman, _Heat_ |

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Anglo-French war plans in 1940?
    ... the Allies didn't try all that hard to make the Belgians ... So there was a strong case made within Belgium that not calling the ... most of the country) unless called before a German invasion. ... German plans in January 1940 made it clear that Germany intended to ...
    (soc.history.war.world-war-ii)
  • Re: Belgian neutrality
    ... A risk-neutral calculation would probably define joining the Allies ... Belgium would be a battleground. ... believe that Germany was planning the invasion of the country. ... invasion if Germany chose to attack France. ...
    (soc.history.war.world-war-ii)
  • Re: Did The Italians Do Anything Right??
    ... I'm aware of Turkey entering a defensive Balkan pact with Greece, ... country attacked one of the pact signatories (i.e. if Italy or Germany ... Allies and Turkey to the effect that IF the Allies deployed troops to ...
    (soc.history.war.world-war-ii)
  • Re: "Combatants exchange qualities"
    ... Whether it was due to a crazed dictator, or stupidity of officers who knew better and should have intervened, it was still all inside Germany. ... There is no way whatsoever the allies can be blamed for continuing eliminating the most odious western regime seen in hundreds of years, at any means they had available. ... I realize that there are some who think the air war against Nazi Germany was an act of terror against civilians and of no military value, but I do not buy that. ... While the Allies had already agreed on unconditional surrender, the Germans could still have surrendered unconditionally without waiting until the Russians and western Allies had overrun their homeland, something that was obviously just a matter of time. ...
    (soc.history.war.world-war-ii)
  • Re: Belgian neutrality
    ... Belgian fears of being drawn into the war came from a - very realistic ... Belgium would be a battleground. ... believe that Germany was planning the invasion of the country. ... Where can Germany attack? ...
    (soc.history.war.world-war-ii)