Although it is often forgotten today. “The recognition in France is much greater than in the home country. That hurts, "says Georges Gabriel, one of the last remaining Belgian liberators.
The Independent Belgian Brigade was a Belgian and Luxembourg
military unit in the Free Belgian forces during World War II, commonly known as
the Piron Brigade (Brigade Piron) after its commanding officer Jean-Baptiste
Piron. It saw action in Western Europe and participated in the Battle of
Normandy, the Liberation of Belgium, and fighting in the Netherlands over 1944-1945.
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| "In the end, we fought for our country. We have never received anything in return." |
Brigade Piron originated in 1940, with hundreds of Belgian
soldiers who had escaped to Britain, as had the Belgian Government. A new
command of the Belgian Army, under Lieutenant-General Victor van Strydonck de
Burkel, was created in Tenby on 25 May 1940, three days before the Belgian
capitulation.
The Belgian Forces in Britain were officially made available
to the Allies on 4 June 1942.. A Luxembourgian unit was assigned to Brigade
Piron in March, forming an artillery troop. Because the Belgians had arrived
from around the world, thirty-three languages were spoken in the Brigade in
1944.
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| René Herpol - Brigade Piron Veteran |
Brigade Piron formed the basis of the new Belgian Army.
Thanks Frans
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