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Land Component Composante terre / Landcomponent Landkomponente
A detachment of the 2nd/4th Regiment Mounted Rifles at the 2007 Bastille Day Military Parade.
Active	1830-2002: Army 2002-present: Land Component
Country	Belgium
Allegiance	Belgium
Size	24,361 military personnel; 10,000 civilian personnel
Commanders
Commander	Major-General Eddy Testelmans

The Land Component (French: Composante terre, Dutch: Landcomponent), formerly the Belgian Land Force, is the land-based branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Eddy Testelmans.

Ranks in use by the Belgian Army are listed at Military of Belgium.

Organisation 1870s[link]

According to the Law of 16 August 1873, the army was to consist of:^{[citation needed]}

Infantry[link]

• 14 régiments of infantry of the line (3 active bataillons, 1 non active and 1 depot company in each regiment)
• 3 régiments de chasseurs à pied (idem)
• 1 régiment of grenadiers
• 1 régiment de carabiniers (4 active bataillons, 2 non-active battalions and 1 depot company)
• 2 compagnies sédentaires
• 1 corps de discipline
• 1 école d'enfants de troupe

Each battalion of 864 men was divided into four companies of 216 men.

Cavalerie[link]

• 4 régiments de lanciers (4 escadrons actifs et 1 de renfort dans chaque régiment)
• 2 régiments de guides (idem)
• 2 régiments de chasseurs à cheval (idem)

N. B. : un escadron compte environ 130 chevaux

Artillerie[link]

• 4 régiments d'artillerie de campagne (10 batteries dans chaque régiment)
• 3 régiments d'artillerie de forteresse ou artillerie de siège (16 batteries, 1 batterie de réserve et 1 batterie de dépôt dans chaque régiment)
• 1 compagnie de pontonniers
• 1 compagnie d'artificiers
• 1 compagnie d'armuriers
• 1 compagnie d'ouvriers d'artillerie

N. B. : une batterie compte 6 pièces d'artillerie

Engineers & Train[link]

• 1 engineer régiment (3 active bataillons and one depot bataillon)
• 1 compagnie de chemin de fer
• 1 compagnie de télégraphes de campagne
• 1 compagnie de télégraphes de place
• 1 compagnie de pontonniers de place
• 1 compagnie d'ouvriers
• 7 compagnies de train

World War I[link]

A major reorganisation of the army had been authorised by the government in 1912, providing for a total army of 350,000 men - 150,000 in the field forces, 130,000 in fortress garrisons and 70,000 reserves and auxiliaries. However, this reorganisation was nowhere near complete - it was planned for completion by 1926 - and only 117,000 men could be mobilised for the field forces, with the other branches equally deficient.

The Commander-in-Chief was King Albert I, with Lieutenant-General Chevalier de Selliers de Moranville as the Chief of the General Staff.

• 1st Division (Lieutenant-General Baix) - around Ghent.
• 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Dassin) - Antwerp.
• 3rd Division (Lieutenant-General Leman) - around Liège.
• 4th Division (Lieutenant-General Michel) - Namur and Charleroi.
• 5th Division (Lieutenant-General Ruwet) - around Mons.
• 6th Division (Lieutenant-General Albert Lantonnois van Rode) - Brussels.
• Cavalry Division (Lieutenant-General de Witte) - Brussels.

In addition, there were garrisons at Antwerp, Liège and Namur, each placed under the command of the local divisional commander.^[1]

Each division contained three mixed brigades (of two infantry regiments and one artillery regiment), one cavalry regiment, and one artillery regiment, as well as various support units. Each infantry regiment contained three battalions, with one regiment in each brigade having a machine-gun company of six guns. An artillery regiment had three batteries of four guns.

The nominal strength of a division varied from 25,500 to 32,000 all ranks, with a total strength of eighteen infantry battalions, a cavalry regiment, eighteen machine-guns, and forty-eight guns. Two divisions (the 2nd and 6th) each had an additional artillery regiment, for a total of sixty guns.

The Cavalry Division had two brigades of two regiments each, three horse artillery batteries, and a cyclist battalion, along with support units; it had a total strength of 4,500 all ranks with 12 guns, and was - in effect - little more than a reinforced brigade.

The Belgian Army stubbornly resisted during the early days of the war, with the army - around a tenth the size of the Germany Army - holding up the German offensive for nearly a month, giving their French and British allies time to strengthen for the Marne counteroffensive later in the year.^{[citation needed]}

World War II[link]

• See article: Battle of Belgium
• See article: Belgian Army 1940
• See article: Battle of France

The Belgian Army was organized as follows in 1940. The King of Belgium was the commander in chief. There were 100,000 active duty personnel with army strength reaching 550,000 when mobilized. There were five corps, including three Active Army Corps (Infantry); Brussels, Antwerp, and Liege and later as follows:

The I Corps with the 1st, 4th, and 7th Infantry Divisions, the II Corps with the 6th, 11th, and 14th Infantry Divisions, the III Corps with the 1st Chasseurs Ardennais and the 2nd and 3rd Infantry Divisions, the IV Corps with the 9th, 15th, and 18th 18th Infantry Divisions, and the V and VI Corps with three divisions each. Army Corps consisted of Corps Staff, two active and several reserve Infantry Divisions, Corps Artillery Regiment of 4 battalions of two batteries with 16 artillery pieces per battalion, and a Pioneer regiment.

The infantry divisions had a division staff and three infantry regiments each of 3,000 men. each regiment had 108 light machineguns, 52 heavy machineguns, nine heavy mortars or infantry gun howitzers, and six antitank guns.

There was also a cavalry Corps of two divisions.

Within the Free Belgian Forces that were formed in Great Britain during the occupation of Belgium between 1940–45, there was a land force formation, the 1st Belgian Infantry Brigade. An additional three divisions were raised and trained in Northern Ireland, but the war ended before they could see action. However they joined the initial Belgian occupation force in Germany instead, I Belgian Corps, whose corps headquarters moved to Luedenscheid in October 1946. (Isby and Kamps, 1985, 59)

During the Cold War, Belgium provided the I Belgian Corps (HQ Haelen Kaserne, Junkersdorf, Lindenthal (Cologne)), consisting in the 1980s of the 1st Division and 16th Mechanised Division (HQ Nehiem, FRG), to NATO's Allied Forces Central Europe for the defence of West Germany.^[2] There were also two reserve brigades (10th Mechanised Brigade, Zonhoven, and the 12th Motorised Brigade, Liege), slightly bigger than the four active brigades, which could act independently if necessary. Interior forces comprised the Para-Commando Regiment, the 31st-39th independent cadre para-commando companies, three national defence light infantry battalions (5 Ch, 3 Cy, and 4 Cy) and nine provincial regiments with two to five light infantry battalions each. (Isby and Kamps, 1985, 64, 72)

After the end of the Cold War, forces were reduced. Initial planning in 1991 called for a Belgian-led corps with 2 or 4 Belgian brigades, a German brigade, and possibly a U.S. brigade.^[3] However, by 1992 this plan was looking unlikely and in 1993 a single Belgian division with two brigades became part of the Eurocorps.^[4]

Structure[link]

Medium Brigade

Light Brigade

Belgian Army - brigade locations

The Land Component is organised using the concept of capacities, whereby units are gathered together according to their function and material. Within this framework, there are five capacities: the command capacity, the combat capacity, the support capacity, the services capacity and the training capacity.

The command capacity groups the following levels of command: COMOPSLAND (Operational Command of the Land Component), Medium Brigade at Leopoldsburg (formed from the 1st Mechanised Brigade in 2011) and Light Brigade (formerly the 7th Mechanised Brigade) at Marche-en-Famenne.

The combat capacity comprises the main fighting units of the Land Component. It consists of two Para-Commando battalions, the Special Forces Group and five infantry battalions. The infantry battalions are the Regiment Liberation - 5th of the Line, the Regiment Carabiniers Prince Baudouin - Grenadiers, the Regiment of Ardennes Rifles, the Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line and the 1st/3rd Lancers Regiment.

The support capacity is, as its name suggests, the support arm of the Land Component and comprises one reconnaissance units, a unit for information analysis, civilian-military cooperation and operational communication unit (known as the Information Operations Group or 17 Recce, based at Heverlee), one artillery unit and two engineer battalions. The reconnaissance unit is the Bataillon de Chasseurs à Cheval. The artillery unit is the 2nd Field Artillery Regiment. The engineer battalions are the 4th and the 11th Engineer Battalion.

The service capacity comprises communication and information systems (CIS) groups, three logistics battalions, the Military Police Group and the Military Detachment Palace of the Nation, the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (known as DOVO in Dutch and SEDEE in French, the Movement Control Group and the training centres and camps. The three CIS groups are: the 4th, the 6th and the 10th Group CIS. The logistics battalions are: the 4th, the 18th and the 29th. The Belgian Military Police Group (Groupe Police Militaire / Groep Militaire Politie - Gp MP) is a joint force made up of about 200 personnel assigned to five detachments located around the country. The Military Police Group staff is located in the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in the Brussels suburb of Evere. Alpha Detachment located at Evere covers the province of Flemish Brabant and the capital, Brussels. Bravo Detachment covers Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and Namur areas and is located at Nivelles. Charlie Detachment located at Marche-en-Famenne covers the Liege and Luxembourg areas. Delta Detachment covers the Limburg and Antwerp areas and is located at Leopoldsburg. Echo Detachment located at Lombardsijde covers West and East Flanders.

The training capacity comprises four departments: the Training Department Infantry at Arlon, the Training Department Armour-Cavalry at Leopoldsburg, the Training Department Artillery at Brasschaat and the Training Department Engineers at Namur.

Some of the regiments in the Land Component, such as the Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line, have names consisting of multiple elements. This is the result of a series of amalgamations which took place over the years. The Regiment 12th of the Line Prince Leopold - 13th of the Line was created in 1993 as a result of the merger of the 12th Regiment of the Line Prince Leopold and the 13th Regiment of the Line.

Structure of the Belgian Land Forces

There are two Brigades and they are organised as follows:

Equipment[link]

Weapons[link]

Belgian soldiers with FN FNC assault rifles.

• FN Five-seven - 5.7 mm pistol (Pilots and Special Forces).
• FN P90 - 5.7 mm submachine gun. (personal defence weapon used by selected troops, including special forces).
• FN FNC - 5.56 mm assault rifle. (standard service rifle).
• FN F2000 - 5.56 mm assault rifle. (used by special forces, and elsewhere in limited quantities to serve alongside the FN FNC).
• Accuracy International Arctic Warfare. - 7.62 mm sniper rifle.
• FN Minimi - 5.56 mm light machine gun.
• FN MAG - 7.62 mm general purpose machine gun.
• M2HB - 12.7 mm heavy machine gun.
• M72 LAW - 66 mm anti-tank rocket.
• Mecar M72 HE grenade - fragmentation hand grenade
• M18 grenade - coloured smoke hand grenade.
• Mecar M93BG grenade - rifle grenade for the FN FNC.
• HAFLA - small flame thrower / incendiary device.
• / Germany MILAN - guided anti-tank missile.
• MISTRAL - infra-red surface-to-air missile.
• LG1 Mark II - 105 mm towed howitzer (14).
• 120 RT Mortar - 120 mm mortar.
• M1 Mortar - 81 mm mortar.
• M19 Mortar - 60 mm mortar.
• M6A2 Mine - anti-tank mine.

Vehicles[link]

The Belgian Army is currently undergoing a major re-equipment programme of most of its vehicles. The aim is to phase out all tracked vehicles in favour of wheeled vehicles. In 2010 all Leopard 1 tanks were transferred to Lebanon, except for 40 units which not have been sold yet, the tank units have been replaced by 24 Mowag Piranhas armed with a 90mm anti-tank gun. As of 2011 only the M113s remain in service, but will be due to be decommissioned by 2011. The overall transition will be complete by 2012.

Armoured Fighting Vehicles[link]

Model	Image	Type	Number	Dates	Builder	Details
Mowag Piranha III		8 × 8 Wheeled AFV	242	N/A	General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems	replacing the Leopard 1A5 main battle tank and the AIFV-B tracked infantry fighting vehicles
Pandur		6 × 6 Wheeled AFV	60	N/A	General Dynamics European Land Combat Systems  Austria	replacing the AIFV-B and M113 tracked infantry fighting vehicles

Utility Vehicles[link]

Model	Image	Type	Number	Dates	Builder	Details
Krauss-Maffei Wegmann Dingo 2		armoured reconnaissance vehicle	220	N/A	Krauss-Maffei Wegmann,  Germany	+132 options
Iveco LMV 4 × 4		Light Utility Vehicle	960	N/A	Iveco,  Italy	lightly armoured utility vehicle replacing the Volkswagen Iltis
M-Gator		Light Utility Vehicle/All Terrain Vehicle	N/A	N/A	Deere & Company,  United States	6x4 light utility buggy for medical evacuation
JCB Groundhog	N/A	Light Utility Vehicle/All Terrain Vehicle	N/A	N/A	J. C. Bamford,  United Kingdom	4x4 light utility buggy for airborne units
BMW R 1150 RT	N/A	Military Police motorcycle	N/A	N/A	BMW  Germany	Military Police motorcycle
Unimog U1350L	N/A	Light Utility Vehicle	N/A	N/A	Unimog,  Germany
Volvo Trucks N10	N/A	Medium Logistic Vehicle, Wheeled	N/A	N/A	Volvo Trucks,  Sweden	10T 6x4 medium truck

• Iveco M250.45WM - 8T 6x6 medium truck
• URO VAMTAC - 4x4 light truck for NBC decontamination
• Iveco EuroCargo - 7.5T 4x2 light truck
• Mercedes-Benz 814 Transporter - light truck
• Iveco EuroTrakker MP410 E44H - 16T 8x4 heavy truck for containerised transport
• Scania T144 - 6x4 tank transporter
• Scania P124 CA - 6x4 heavy plant transporter
• Renault Kerax - 30T 8x4 heavy recovery vehicle
• Caterpillar D6 - tracked bulldozer
• Case 9013 - tracked excavator
• Liebherr Litronic 912 - tracked excavator
• / Fiat-Hitachi W170 - wheeled loader
• Krupp AS35 - wheeled lifting crane
• Grove GMK3050 - wheeled all-terrain crane
• Volkswagen Iltis

In addition a number of other light utility vehicles are used.

Former heavy equipment of the Belgian Land Forces[link]

An M75 APC at the Brussels army museum.

• Post-1945 years, MAP and NATO : M4A4 Sherman Firefly - M4 105mm - M24 Chaffee - various types of US Half-track - Indigenous Cati Tank hunter,...
• MAP - NATO :
  • Armor :M24 Chaffee - M26 Pershing - M46 Patton - M47 Patton - M41 Walker Bulldog - Leopard Tanks
  • AIFVs - Armored Personnel Carriers : M75 (APC) - AMX-13 APC - CVR(T) family - AIFV - M113 armored personnel carrier including indigenous variants
  • SP artillery : M7 Priest - 155mm Gun Motor Carriage M41 - Jagdpanzerkanonne JPK - Flakpanzer Gepard - M108 Howitzer - M109 howitzer
  • Others : M74 Armored Recovery Vehicle + Bergpanzer Leopard

Future[link]

On 13 October 2009 the Belgian minister of Defence, De Crem, announced a new reorganization of the Belgian Armed Forces. According to the plans published on www.mil.be the new organization will be as follows ^[5] :

• Staff of the Land Component
• Staff of the mechanized brigade
• Staff of the light brigade
• 2 para-commando battalions (2nd Commando Regiment and 3rd Parachutist Regiment)
• 1 light infantry battalion (12th/13th Infantry of the Line Regiment)
• 4 mechanized battalions (Liberation/5th Infantry of the Line Regiment, Carabiniers 'Prince Boudewijn'/Grenadiers Regiment, Ardennes Rifles Regiment, 1st/3rd Lancers Regiment)
• 1 ISTAR group (reconnaissance and intelligence) (1st Mounted Rifles Regiment)
• 1 special forces group (1st Parachutist Regiment)
• 1 artillery group (field artillery and air-defence artillery) (2nd Artillery Regiment)
• 2 engineer battalions (4th and 11th Engineer Battalions)
• 3 logistics battalions (4th, 18th and 29th Logistics Battalions)
• 3 groups communications and informations systems (4th, 6th, 10th Communications and Informations Groups)
• 1 group Military Police
• 1 DOVO
• 1 Mouvement Control Group
• 4 military camps (Beverlo, Elsenborn, Lagland, Marche)
• 2 formation schools (manoeuvre and engineers)
• 2 training centers (parachutists and commandos)

Notes[link]

1. ^ George Nafziger's order of battle for the Belgian Army in 1914 can be seen at http://usacac.army.mil/cac2/CGSC/CARL/nafziger/914WAAA.pdf
2. ^ Steven J. Zaloga, Tank War: Central Front NATO vs Warsaw Pact, Osprey Elite 26, 1989, p.25. See also (Fr) Les Forces Belges en Allemagne, accessed April 2009
3. ^ "Cold War Battle Orders Make Way for a New NATO Era", Jane's Defence Weekly, June 8, 1991, p. 961.
4. ^ Decision Soon on Division, JANE'S DEFENCE WEEKLY, 20-Mar-1993, and Belgian Division Joins Eurocorps, Jane's Defence Weekly, 23 October 1993
5. ^ http://www.mil.be/transfo/subject/index.asp?LAN=fr&ID=1884 (in French)

External links[link]

• Belgian Army website (in French)
• Belgian Army website (in Dutch)
• http://www.sfg.be - The Special Forces Group of the belgian army

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