Belgium prepares for war in 1939

[Penny for The Guy]

Assuming the Belgians do all this in conjunction with the Germans invading Poland, just how would this affect the invasion? I thought they had the bulk of the Heer and Luftwaffe in the East, and relatively minimal forces in the West. It also took a while for the invasion forces to get R&R and move across Germany and reposition in order to attack France through Belgium.
Would they drain off a significant number of troops to guard their back, thus slowing the invasion, or even threatening its success (as a propaganda tool). What would the General Staff think of a threat of this magnitude? Would any of them think the Allies would not strike at once?
Most of all, what would good old paranoid Adolf think?

 

[Carl Schwamberger]

Used to be a good web site on the Belgian fortifications. Cant open it any more

 

[Carl Schwamberger]

... What would the General Staff think of a threat of this magnitude? Would any of them think the Allies would not strike at once?
...

They had a fairly clear idea of the problems the French would have mobilizing, & the state of training. Ditto for the Belgians. The Germans were confident the French Series A & B divisions would be unready for offensive combat in part because their own second & third wave reserve divisions were unready for offensive operations.

Assuming the Belgians do all this in conjunction with the Germans invading Poland, just how would this affect the invasion? I thought they had the bulk of the Heer and Luftwaffe in the East, and relatively minimal forces in the West.

They did have a large portion in the east. During September all the newly mobilized or ready formations were sent to the west, so the build up there was fairly rapid.

 

[Oldbill]

Both French and German intel was very good in this time frame. However the French intel was disregarded by the govt. and high command, in part due to the propensity of the intel service to overestimate the enemy and to do so in order to gain additional funding. Additionally, German intel was geared more towards operational usage, and utilized by the military more efficiently. Ernest May's 'Strange Victory" goes into detail regarding this.

 

[Michel Van]

Both French and German intel was very good in this time frame. However the French intel was disregarded by the govt. and high command, in part due to the propensity of the intel service to overestimate the enemy and to do so in order to gain additional funding. Additionally, German intel was geared more towards operational usage, and utilized by the military more efficiently. Ernest May's 'Strange Victory" goes into detail regarding this.

In case of Belgium
There were allot of Hitler Youth on visit at Flemish Boy scouts meetings and they hikes from Germany
mostly along the Belgium Fortress or other military installation, but who would suspect teenagers as spy ?
also were allot East Belgium germans active in gathering information for military intel
and some times a german Aircraft "flown away" over Belgium, before it find way back to third Reich bringing it's onboard cameras back...

On Belgium Air force
they had 69 fighter aircraft before 1939
mostly biplanes Fiat CR.42 Falco, Gloster Gladiator and 20 Hawker Hurricane monoplane

in begin of 1939 the military order next to bomber those fighters
40 Brewster F2A Buffalo (substantially inferior fighter who production was terminated in 1941)
10 Grumman F4F Wildcat
32 Breguet 690 to license build in Belgium
to compensate until the Orders arrived the Air Force Modified there light bomber Fairey Fox into fighter

Means this has to fight...

...against that