User:Oli4vd/Battle for Louvain La Neuve

The Battle for Louvain La Neuve was an engagement during the final stages of the liberation of Belgium during WWII. It is notable for the military tactics used in the encircling and destruction of the remaining German Forces within the town centre.

History

Louvain La Neuve is a small living community about 30km south of Brussels. During the second World War, it had(albeit limited) strategic importance due to it's elevation in respect to the surroundings. It was captured by the German forces in early may 1940 and housed several flak installations during the remainder of the war. Somewhere around january 1944, a battery of 88mm artillery guns were added to the town's armament.. The town was liberated by elements of the 1st Canadian Army on august 31st, 1944, two days before the liberation of Brussels by the British and the de facto liberation of Belgium. The village was largely destroyed during the spring and summer allied air raid campaigns of 1944 and was the theatre of fierce resistance by the Ukrainian SS forces who had dug themselves in the ruins of the village. Today it is the hometown of the largest French - speaking university of Belgium.

External links

• example.com