BELGIAN KING SURRENDERS : CABINET DEFIED

Southland Times, Issue 24138, 29 May 1940, Page 7

BELGIAN KING SURRENDERS : CABINET DEFIED

NORTHERN ALLIED ARMY IN GRAVE DANGER , / u Road To Dunkirk Left Open NO WARNING OF ACTION TO FRENCH AND BRITISH

(United Press Association. —Telegraph Copyright) (Received May 28, 10.30 p.m.) LONDON, May 28.

Without giving any warning to the Allies, King Leopold of the Belgians early this morning ordered the main Belgian Army, which was fighting north of Dunkirk, to surrender to the Germans. The action of the Belgian King has left the way to Dunkirk open to the Germans, thus placing the British Expeditionary Force and several French divisions, which comprise the northern Allied Army, in an extremely grave and dangerous position. This army was provisioned through Dunkirk.

Strong condemnation of King Leopold’s action was offered by the French Prime Minister (M. Paul Reynaud), when he announced the surrender to the French people in a special early morning broadcast. M. Reynaud said that not only had King Leopold capitulated without telling the British or French commanders, but he had gone against the unanimous advice of his Ministers. M. Reynaud emphasized the seriousness of the position of the northern Allied Army but said that the Allies would fight on and win.

The Belgian Prime Minister (M. Hubert Pierlot) declared that the Government had had no share in the capitulation of King Leopold and said that the act of one man did not affect the entire nation. The Government had ordered the reorganization of a Belgian army in France. Showing the unexpectedness of King Leopold’s action, M. Pierlot, in a statement made shortly before, had said that King Leopold had not left his troops for three weeks. In the grave trial through which the nation was passing one figure dominated all their thoughts—King Leopold was the incarnation of the fatherland. King Leopold was a man and a leader. M. Pierlot had also announced that the Belgian Government had met in Paris. He added that, having examined the situation, and envisaged all possible developments, the Government was unanimous in affirming its will to continue, whatever happened, the struggle at the side of the Allies until a common victory was won.

A German communique from the Fuhrer’s headquarters stated: “The King of the Belgians, impressed by the destructive effect of German arms, decided to cease further senseless resistance and complied with a German demand to capitulate unconditionally. The Belgian Army accordingly laid down its arms today and ceased to exist.” Informed circles in Berlin estimated that 400,000 Belgians surrendered.