title: 1940 in Belgium
text: # 1940 in Belgium
  
  Events in the year 1940 in Belgium
  
  ## Incumbents
  
  * Monarch: Leopold III (prisoner of war from 28 May)
  * Prime Minister: Hubert Pierlot (in exile from 28 May)
  * Head of the occupying Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France: Alexander von Falkenhausen
  * Head of the administrative staff of the Occupation: Eggert Reeder
  
  ## Events
  
  * 10 January – Mechelen incident: German military plane crashes near $Maasmechelen.^{:847}$
  * 26 April – King Leopold III rejects the government's $resignation.^{:847}$
  * 10 to 28 May – Battle of Belgium
     * 10 to 11 May – Battle of Fort Eben-Emael
     * 12 to 14 May – Battle of Hannut
     * 14 to 15 May – Battle of Gembloux
     * 22 May – Alexander von Falkenhausen appointed to the head of the Military Administration in Belgium and Northern France
     * 23 to 28 May – Battle of the Lys
     * 25 May – Leopold III declares that he will remain with his troops and share their fate
     * 25 to 28 May – Vinkt Massacre
     * 26 May – Dunkirk evacuation begins
     * 28 May – Leopold III capitulates to the invading forces, contrary to ministerial $advice.^{:848}$
  * 31 May – Belgian parliament in exile meets in Limoges
  * 6 June – Civil-service secretaries-general empowered to keep Belgian ministries running while the government is in $exile.^{:848}$
  * 10 June – The International Red Cross estimates Belgian refugees in France to number 2.2 $million.^{:849}$
  * 28 June – Belgian Labour Party $dissolved.^{:848}$
  * 15 August – Newspaper La Libre Belgique begins clandestine $publication.^{:847}$
  * 10 October – Jews banned from public office by decree of the occupying $forces.^{:847}$
  * 28 October – Belgian government in exile, having been dispersed in France, Spain and Switzerland, re-established in $London.^{:848}$
  * 19 November – King Leopold III in Berchtesgarden makes a personal appeal to Hitler for the release of Belgian prisoners of $war.^{:849}$
  * 22 November – Single overarching trade union $established.^{:849}$
  
  ## Births
  
  * 2 January – Florent Bessemans, fencer
  * 4 January – Léon Semmeling, footballer
  * 18 January – Élisabeth Burdot, journalist (died 2021)
  * 5 February – Henri Van Herwegen, artist (died 2019)
  * 23 February – Remi Vermeiren, banker
  * 24 May – Hilde Houben-Bertrand, politician
  * 6 June – Nicolas Dumont, Olympic athlete
  * 7 July – Irène Sweyd, Olympic athlete
  * 7 August – Jean-Luc Dehaene, Prime Minister 1992-1999 (died 2014)
  * 12 October – Yvan Covent, cyclist (died 2011)
  * 27 December – William Cliff, poet
  
  ## Deaths
  
  * 10 January – Pierre Imperiali (born 1874), politician
  * 27 January – Léon Frédéric (born 1856), painter
  * 30 January – André Léon Tonnoir (born 1885), entomologist
  * 10 February – Paulin Ladeuze (born 1870), theologian
  * 11 February – Joseph Henri Honoré Boex (born 1856), author
  * 22 February – Eugène Laermans (born 1864), painter
  * 14 March – Flori van Acker (born 1858), painter
  * 19 March – Gustave Sap (born 1886), politician
  * 29 April – Jules Feller (born 1859), academician
  * 12 May – Michel D'Hooghe (born 1912), cyclist
  * 20 May – Joris Van Severen (born 1894), far-right politician
  * 18 June – Robert Feyerick (born 1892), Olympic athlete
  * 24 June – Frédéric-Vincent Lebbe (born 1877), missionary
  * 29 August – Arthur De Greef (born 1862), composer
  * 30 August — Hélène Mallebrancke (born 1902), engineer and resister
  * 5 September – Charles de Broqueville (born 1860), former Prime Minister
  * 9 September – Albert du Roy de Blicquy (born 1869), general
  * 23 September – Marcel Van Crombrugge (born 1880), Olympic athlete
  * 7 October – Marie de Bièvre (born 1865), painter
  * 17 October – Lucien Linden (born 1851), botanist
  * 3 November – Julien Vervaecke (born 1899), cyclist
  * 8 November – Arthur Vierendeel (born 1852), civil engineer
  * 16 November – Léon Dens (born 1869), politician
  