World War 2
When the German Army crossed the frontier of neutral Belgium on may 10th 1940, the Aeronautique Militaire, or Belgian Airforce had about 3,000 personnel and some 180 mostly obsolescent aircraft. Against the overwhelming might of the Luftwaffe, the Belgians fought bravely but in vain. Many of the Belgian aircraft were destroyed on the ground in the first few days of the german breakthrough, but the rest made valiant attempts at interception. When the resistance collapsed, a number of Belgian airmen escaped to England by way of France and North Africa. Thirty immediately took part in the Battle of Britain. These pilots had been trained before the war on Hurricanes and they quickly adapted to the Royal Airforce. They were credited with 21 victories against the loss of 5 of their own number.
An all-Belgian unit in the RAF, No 350 Squadron, was formed with Spitfires in November 1941, and another, No 349 squadron in West Africa with P-40's. For the next several years, these airmen were often called upon to fight in the skies above their captive homeland. By the end of the war, Belgian fighter squadrons had served in every theatre of operations and their pilots in most Commands of the RAF. They claimed 161 confirmed victories, 37 probables and 61 damaged. More than 200 of the final 1,200 trained Belgian airmen were lost in action.
thanks to and copyright of Russell Huff