Groupe G

General Sabotage Group of Belgium
Groupe G
Groupe Général de Sabotage de Belgique
Participant in the Second World War
Active 1942-September 1944
Leaders Jean Burgers (founder)
Area of operations Across Belgium
Strength ~3,000 men[1]
Opponents Nazi Germany German Occupying Forces

Groupe G was a Belgian resistance group during the Second World War, founded in 1942 and opposed to the Nazi occupation of the country. The group's common name is abbreviated from it more full title of General Sabotage Group of Belgium (French: Groupe Général de Sabotage de Belgique). Groupe G's activities concentrated particularly on sabotage of German rail lines and it is widely considered to have been the most effective resistance group in Belgium during the period.[2]

History

Groupe G was founded in 1942, by a group of former students of the Université libre de Bruxelles and its ranks were mainly filled by students.[2] Unusually for a resistance cell of the period, the unit's activities were not restricted to a single area as it operated across the country.

Actions

In 1944, Groupe G was responsible for a co-ordinated action on all electric train lines in Belgium.[2] This action alone is estimated to have cost German forces around 10 million man-hours of reparations before the communications were restored.

References

  1. "The Belgian Resistance". www.historylearningsite.co.uk. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "A Brief - History of Belgian Resistance". Retrieved 26 December 2012.

External links