The Belgian Army (Dutch: Landmacht, French: Force Terrestre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Belgian Army is Major-General Jean-Pol Baugnée.
Dating back to Belgium's establishment in 1830, the Belgian Army is the oldest service branch of the Belgian Armed Forces, and is also the largest of the four branches, with approximately 10,000 active military personnel and over 2,000 reservists as of 2022.
History
Early history
The Belgian Army was established in 1830 after Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands after the Belgian Revolution. It was initially expected that as neutral buffer state with borders guaranteed by France, Britain, and Prussia, Belgium could avoid the need for an expensive permanent military, relying instead on the part-time militia of the existing Garde Civique (Civil Guard); however, the need of a regular full-time army was soon acknowledged, and the Belgian Army was promptly established.
According to the Law of August 1837, the Belgian Army was to consist of:
Infantry
14 line infantry regiments (3 active battalions, 1 reserve battalion and 1 company at each regiment's depot)
3 Jäger regiments (3 active battalions, 1 reserve battalion and 1 company at each regiment's depot)
1 grenadier regiment (3 active battalions, 1 reserve battalion and 1 company the regiment's depot)
1 carabinier regiment (4 active battalions, 2 reserve battalions and 1 company the regiment's depot))
2 companies settled
1 disciplinary body
1 military school for the children of servicemen
Note: A battalion (864 men) consisted of four companies of 216 men
Cavalry
4 lancer regiments (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement squadron in each regiment)
4 guides regiments (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement squadron in each regiment)
2 chasseur regiments (4 active squadrons and one reinforcement squadron in each regiment)
Note: A squadron had approximately 130 horses
Artillery
4 regiments of artillery (10 batteries in each regiment)
3 regiments of fortress artillery or siege artillery (16 batteries, 1 battery and 1 spare battery at each regiment's depot)
1 pontoon company
1 company of artificers
1 company of gunsmiths
1 company of artillery workers
Note: A battery had 6 guns
Engineering
1 Engineer Regiment (3 active battalions and one depot battalion)
1 railway company
1 field telegraph company
1 telegraph company
1 pontoon room company
1 workers company
Train
7 train companies
First World War
A major reorganisation of the army had been authorised by the government in 1912, providing for a total army of 350,000 men by 1926: 150,000 in the field forces, 130,000 in fortress garrisons and 70,000 reserves and auxiliaries. At the outbreak of war this reorganisation was nowhere near complete and only 117,000 men could be mobilised for the field forces, with the other branches equally deficient.
The Commander-in-Chief was King Albert I, with Lieutenant-General Chevalier Antonin de Selliers de Moranville as the Chief of the General Staff from 25 May 1914 until 6 September 1914 when a Royal Decree abolished the function of Chief of Staff of the army. In this way the King secured his control of the command.
1st Division (Lieutenant-General Baix) – around Ghent.
2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Dossin) – Antwerp.
3rd Division (Lieutenant-General Leman) – around Liège.
4th Division (Lieutenant-General Michel) – Namur and Charleroi.
5th Division (Lieutenant-General Ruwet) – around Mons.
6th Division (Lieutenant-General Lantonnois van Rode) – Brussels.
Cavalry Division (Lieutenant-General de Witte) – Brussels.
In addition, there were garrisons at Antwerp, Liège and Namur, each placed under the command of the local divisional commander.
Each division contained three mixed brigades (of two infantry regiments and one artillery regiment), one cavalry regiment, and one artillery regiment, as well as various support units. Each infantry regiment contained three battalions, with one regiment in each brigade having a machine-gun company of six guns. An artillery regiment had three batteries of four guns.
The nominal strength of a division varied from 25,500 to 32,000 all ranks, with a total strength of eighteen infantry battalions, a cavalry regiment, eighteen machine-guns, and forty-eight guns. Two divisions (the 2nd and 6th) each had an additional artillery regiment, for a total of sixty guns.
The Cavalry Division had two brigades of two regiments each, three horse artillery batteries, and a cyclist battalion, along with support units; it had a total strength of 4,500 all ranks with 12 guns, and was, in effect, little more than a reinforced brigade.
Second World War
In 1940, the King of Belgium was the commander in chief of the Belgian Army which had a mobilised strength of 610,000 troops. The army was composed of seven infantry corps and one cavalry corps. The corps were as follows:
I Corps with the 4th and 7th Infantry Divisions
II Corps with the 6th and 9th Infantry Divisions
III Corps with the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions
IV Corps with the 12th, 15th, and 18th Infantry Divisions
V Corps with the 13th and 17th Infantry Divisions
VI Corps with the 5th and 10th Infantry Divisions
VII Corps with the 2nd Chasseurs Ardennais Division and 8th Infantry Division