page_title: German occupation of Belgium during World War II
section_title: Deportation and forced labour
hierarchical_section_title: German occupation of Belgium during World War II / Economic situation / Deportation and forced labour
caption_attribution_description: English: Ostend (Belgium): German pill-box from the Second World War; part of the Atlantikwall Nederlands: Oostende (West-Vlaanderen, België): bunker van de Duitse kustbatterij 'Hundius' uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog, onderdeel van de Atlantikwall Français&#160;: Ostende (Belgique): bunker ayant fait partie de l'Atlantikwall (défense côtière allemande de la seconde guerre mondiale)
context_page_description: The German occupation of Belgium during World War II began on 28 May 1940, when the Belgian army surrendered to German forces, and lasted until Belgium's liberation by the Western Allies between September 1944 and February 1945. It was the second time in less than thirty years that Germany had occupied Belgium.
  After the success of the invasion, a military administration was established in Belgium, bringing the territory under the direct rule of the Wehrmacht. Thousands of Belgian soldiers were taken as prisoners of war, and many were not released until 1945. The German administration juggled competing objectives of maintaining order while extracting material from the territory for the war effort. They were assisted by the Belgian civil service, which believed that limited co-operation with the occupiers would result in the least damage to Belgian interests. Belgian Fascist parties in both Flanders and Wallonia, established before the war, collaborated much more actively with the occupiers; they helped recruit Belgians for the German army and were given more power themselves toward the end of the occupation.
context_section_description: Before 1941, Belgian workers could volunteer to work in Germany; nearly 180,000 Belgians signed up, hoping for better pay and living conditions. About 3,000 Belgians joined the Organisation Todt (OT), and 4,000 more joined the paramilitary German supply corps, the Nationalsozialistisches Kraftfahrkorps (NSKK). The numbers, however, proved insufficient. Despite the protestation of the Secretaries-General, compulsory deportation of Belgian workers to Germany began in October 1942. At the beginning of the scheme, Belgian firms were obliged to select 10 percent of their work force, but from 1943 workers were conscripted by age class. 145,000 Belgians were conscripted and sent to Germany, most to work in manual jobs in industry or agriculture for the German war effort. Working conditions for forced workers in Germany were notoriously poor. Workers were paid little and worked long hours, and those in German towns were particularly vulnerable to Allied aerial bombing.
  Following the introduction of compulsory deportation 200,000 Belgian workers (dubbed réfractaires) went into hiding for fear of being conscripted. The réfractaires were often aided by resistance organisations, such as Organisation Socrates run by the Front de l'Indépendance, who provided food and false papers.  Many réfractaires went on to enlist in resistance groups, swelling their numbers enormously from late 1942.
caption: A German bunker of the Atlantic Wall near Ostend, constructed by Organisation Todt
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