Belgium–France border Belgium–France border The <dfn>Belgium–France border</dfn> separates France and Belgium countries and is 620 km long. Part of it is defined by the Leie river. The western end is at the North Sea ( near De Panne and Bray-Dunes). The eastern end is at the Belgium–France–Luxembourg tripoint (at near Athus and Mont-Saint-Martin). The straight distance between these points is 289 km. Since 1995 Belgium–France are parts of the Schengen Area. This means there are no permanent border controls at this border, but there has been temporary controls. The Belgian side of the border is shared by, from north to south, the
France–Germany relations “phony war”. When the Germans launched their blitzkrieg invasion of France in 1940, the French Army crumbled within weeks, and with Britain retreating, an atmosphere of humiliation and defeat swept France. A new government under Marshal Philippe Pétain surrendered, and German forces occupied most of the country. A minority of the French forces escaped abroad and continued the fight under General Charles de Gaulle (the “Free French” or “Fighting French”). On the other hand, the French Resistance conducted sabotage operations inside German-occupied France. To support the invasion of Normandy of 1944, various groups increased their sabotage and guerrilla attacks; organizations