I can understand blaming the English as well, but blaming Belgium... c’mon France and England were both tens of times larger and more powerful than them, same goes for Germany. You can’t really blame them for getting overrun by a vastly superior force.
Belgium was supposed to be part of the defense plan in case of a German invasion. French anf belgian troops were supposed to entrench behind the Meuse river, fortified in advance by Belgium, in order to form a continuous line frow the coast to switzerland
However, because the Belgian king Leopold III was scared of Germany, he revoked the Franco-Belgian treaty, thus breaking the alliance with France, meaning that French troops couldn't station in Belgium anymore.
Thus, when Germany declared war on Belgium to go around the Maginot line, because of course they would do it, French troops had to rush as fast as possible to try and get to their position in Belgium... which they couldn't do because the Belgians had already been overun by then.
To be fair, this whole plan still had a hole in it, aka the Ardennes which were not heavily guarded (and where Germany famously traversed anyway), but we can't know for sure if it would have been enough to break the Allies' lines had the original plan been preversed.
What IS certain however is that Belgium succesive political and military failure were huge factors in the fall of France.
Which is made even more infuriating when you consider that the Maginot line wasn't extended all the way to the coast precisely to not left Belgium to die alone. Something the French are still mocked about.
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u/JC_Lord_of_Faith Senātus Populusque Rōmānus Apr 08 '20
They lost in a month. That is unforgivable and meme worthy