The flag of Belgium.
Belgium (officialy known as the Kingdom of Belgium) is a developed country in Western Europe. Its capital is Brussels.
History
Historically, Belgium layed in the area known as the Low Countries, a somewhat larger area than the current Benelux group of states that also included parts of Northern France and Western Germany. From the 16th century until the Belgian Revolution in 1830, when Belgium seceded from the Netherlands, the area of Belgium served as the battleground between many European powers, causing it to be dubbed the "Battlefield of Europe", a reputation strengthened by both World Wars.
World War I
Before the start of the First World War, fearing the expansion of German influence, Britain guaranteed Belgium's neutrality, meaning that an attack on Belgium was an attack on Britain, and the Empire would join the fight.
Germany invaded Belgium in August 1914 as part of the Schlieffen Plan to attack France, and much of the Western Front fighting of World War I occurred in western parts of the country. The opening months of the war were known as the Rape of Belgium due to German excesses.
World War II
German forces again invaded the country in May 1940, and 40,690 Belgians, over half of them Jews, were killed during the subsequent occupation and The Holocaust. From September 1944 to February 1945 the Allies liberated Belgium. After World War II, a general strike forced King Leopold III to abdicate in 1951, since many Belgians felt he had collaborated with Germany during the war.
Contemporary history
Belgium joined NATO as a founding member and formed the Benelux group of nations with the Netherlands and Luxembourg. Belgium became one of the six founding members of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1951 and of the European Atomic Energy Community and European Economic Community, established in 1957. The latter has now become the European Union, for which Belgium hosts major administrations and institutions, including the European Commission, the Council of the European Union and the extraordinary and committee sessions of the European Parliament.
In Battlefield
Battlefield 1942
In Battlefield 1942, the map Battle of the Bulge takes place in Belgium, with the US Army engaging the Wehrmacht.
Battlefield 1
Two maps in multiplayer, namely Zeebrugge and Passchendaele, are set within the country of Belgium. More specifically, they are set in the West Flanders region and pit the British against the German Empire.
On Zeebrugge, the Royal Marines take part of the famous Zeebrugge Raid, with the goal to occupy the canal and prevent German ships and U-Boats from leaving port.
Likewise, the British Army fights the Germans at the completely obliterated village of Passchendaele, during the infamous Third Battle of Ypres.