The Belgian 13th Infantry Division, a standard second-rate Belgian infantry division.

As the reserve infantry division of the Belgian Army, which is commonly referred to as the reserve infantry division, the Belgian 13th Infantry Division is quite complete. The 13th Division comprises the 32nd, 33rd, and 34th Infantry Regiments, as well as a 21st Artillery Regiment equipped with 75 mm field guns. In addition, the 13th Bicycle Reconnaissance Battalion, which was directly under the division, was spun off from the Belgian High Command and used to guide the Anglo-French Allied forces into Belgium.

It can be said that the remaining troops still have a certain combat effectiveness in terms of establishment and equipment.

It is precisely because of this that this second-rate division, when the Belgian Army lost all its first-class divisions, suddenly turned into a phoenix and became one of the few units in the Belgian military department that could still handle it.

Leading the last vestige of the country's armed forces should have been a blood-pumping and critical task.

However, the commander of the 13th Infantry Division, Belgian Major General Lukaku, was not in the slightest bit excited about his current position.

Yes, with the Belgian 13th Infantry Division in his hands, it is enough to make him, the division commander, worthy of the current Belgian Army general. Looking at the remaining remnants of less than 100,000 defeated troops in Belgium, there are not many units like the 13th Infantry Division that have been retained in formation.

In addition to the engineer regiments, transport regiments, and medical regiments directly under the Belgian High Command, only some battalion and company-level units remain.

Standing infantry divisions, such as the 5th, 10th, and 14th, have long been emptied at the border. Like the 3rd Infantry Division, the 17th Infantry Division, also as a reserve infantry division, and the 2nd Ardennes Chasseur Division have now been scrapped by successive German offensives.

Formed and on a fairly considerable scale, there is only the 13th Infantry Division of Major General Lukaku!

"Division commander, there is an order from the Allied Forces Command asking us to move east as soon as possible to take over the retreating 3rd Division of the British Expeditionary Force under the command of Major General Montgomery." The lieutenant colonel's staff officer handed over a telegram.

The content of the telegram can be summed up in one sentence, the British expeditionary force was going to retreat, so the coalition command decided to use the last Belgian divisional unit to cover behind the palace and be cannon fodder.

The decision of the coalition command may be justified for the overall situation. After all, they used the 13th Division, which was still second-rate in the Belgian Army, in exchange for the safe retreat of the 3rd Division, the main force that ranked high in the British Expeditionary Force. Sacrificing weak troops and reporting strong troops is a reasonable choice that the coalition high command should have.

However, this is not the best choice for Belgians. For the army of this country, they can no longer afford to lose the last full-fledged division. This is the last remaining foundation of the Belgian Army!

"The coalition command is trying to squeeze the last trace of the Belgian Army's use......." Lukaku said leisurely.

Seeing that the division commander seemed to have quite an opinion, the lieutenant colonel staff officer who handed over the telegram reminded: "Division commander, this is an order from the coalition command, and we have no right to refuse. ”

In order to gain the support of France, the Belgian government has completely handed over the command of the army to the Allied command in Paris. In this way, the Belgian government hopes to be rewarded with support from the arrival of French troops.

Of course, if the French wished, the Belgian government would certainly not mind handing over the full force of the general command of the three armed forces to the hands of the French backers. It's just that their air force fighters are all backward and outdated waste, and the navy is a small ship that doesn't even have a single destroyer, and the French high command doesn't look down on it at all.

The only thing worth mentioning is the 220,000 Belgian army troops. This is a truly impressive force!

And if Belgium is lost, the command of the Belgian Army, which is in the hands of France, will be meaningless. After all, the Belgian army will not leave its country undefended and run to the French border to be cannon fodder, and even if they are cannon fodder, they will only be fooled on their own soil.

Therefore, the French High Command, which understood this, also followed the wishes of the Belgian government and formulated the "D Plan" for the Anglo-French troops to enter the country to support Belgium.

But now, although all the main forces of the coalition forces have reached the territory of Belgium, they are still beaten by the Germans and lose their armor. This was something that the Belgian government and the Belgian High Command had never expected before.

"Allied High Command?" Lukaku snorted coldly: "At such a time, is it necessary for us to obey the words of the coalition high command!" ”

"Divisional commander, you mean........" Staff Officer Lieutenant Colonel looked at Lukaku with some incredulity.

On the side, Lucas's adjutant and several ear-eared combat staff officers also approached inadvertently.

Looking around, seeing more and more people approaching him, Lukaku did not hide it, and said bluntly in a loud voice: "Those French people in the coalition command are already unable to protect themselves, and they are now all thinking about using us as substitutes to block the German army, so that they can escape further away from the British troops." ”

"The coalition forces have no plans to fight back, they will not save us, so we don't need to count on the coalition forces." Lukaku said with a serious expression: "Now if we pull our division to the front line, we can't beat it, what good can it be?" So that the British and French can run further, slip out of our lines, and then leave the Belgian army, which has no slightest resistance left, to be easily wiped out by the Germans?! ”

Now it is the time of the great defeat of the coalition forces, and the defeat of the three coalition forces has become an inevitability since the emergence of the German 3rd Route Army Group in the Ardennes.

Everyone could see that the Allied command was powerless, and everyone knew that the Germans had surrounded all the forces that the Allied forces could withdraw. Today's coalition forces can't even take out the troops that have broken the siege, let alone the chance of winning.

Although they were all in the encirclement, Lukaku's 13th Division was still in a relatively close position, and it would not be able to reach the German vanguard for a while and a half, and it would be safe for the time being.

But now, if it is sent to fight the German army face-to-face, it is estimated that the last Belgian divisional unit will be scrapped immediately. At that time, the troops that the Belgian high command could command, at most, were some battalion and regimental troops, and they could not even stuff the German army into their teeth.

The 13th Division, although its combat effectiveness is not high, is still an integrated division after all, and it can still play a role in such a large-scale war. If the battalions and regiments were to be fought, the Belgian army would really not be able to play any role.

"Our division must not be left here meaninglessly," Lukaku said loudly, "As the last Belgian divisional force that can be used, we must first ensure our own existence." As long as we exist, the Belgian Army will have a force that can be looked upon by the coalition command. And once we are wiped out, the coalition command will definitely completely abandon Belgium, which is no longer of use! ”