Secret Army (Belgium)
Belgian resistance group during World War II / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Légion Belge (resistance)?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Secret Army (French: Armée Secrète or AS, Dutch: Geheim Leger, GL) was an organisation within the Belgian Resistance, active during the German occupation of Belgium during World War II. Founded in August 1940 as the Belgian Legion, the Secret Army changed its name on a number of occasions during its existence, adopting its final appellation in June 1944. With more than 54,000 members, it was by far the largest resistance group active in the country.[1]
Secret Army Armée Secrète (French) Geheim Leger (Dutch) | |
---|---|
Also known as | Belgian Legion (1940–43) Army of Belgium (1943–44) Secret Army (1944) |
Leaders | Charles Claser Jules Bastin Jules Pire |
Dates of operation | August 1940–October 1944 |
Active regions | German-occupied Belgium |
Ideology | Right-wing Catholic Leopoldist |
Size | 54,000+ members (1944) |
Preceded by Belgian Legion (1940–41) Reconstructed Belgian Army (1940–41) |
The Secret Army incorporated many former officers from the defeated Belgian Army and, politically, was dominated by right-wing conservatives and royalists. Though sometimes strained, the Secret Army enjoyed the closest relations of any large resistance movement with the Belgian government-in-exile.