10 Astounding World War 2 Facts You Didn't Know
1. A Belgian Unit Stopped Rommel's Army
Belgium was not in a good position when the war began. France had been trying to persuade the nation to continue the Maginot Line through the Belgian-German border, but Belgians feared this would waste resources and that the Germans could just outflank them by invading the Netherlands. France and Belgium were also not on great terms, diplomatically.
In the end, Germany invaded Belgium and the Allied forces came to its defense. Of course it was all a ploy and the Germans waged a second attack against France, encircling the Allied forces and forcing them out of the region to eventually conquer central Europe. The Germans did, however, note that the small nation of Belgium fought valiantly during their invasion.
One particularly respected unit was Belgium's Chasseurs Ardennais (The Hunters of the Ardennes). One of the units of the battalion - numbering only forty soldiers - held a position against the overwhelming German advance, including General Erwin Rommel's infamous 7th Panzer Division. Successful in destroying several German tanks - including five in a single engagement - the Belgian light infantry unit eventually surrendered after holding the Germans off for 18 days. The reason they surrendered? Ran out of ammo.