Groupe G
{{short description|Belgian resistance group during WWII}}
{{infobox war faction
|name=General Sabotage Group of Belgium
Groupe G
|native_name= Groupe Général de Sabotage de Belgique
|native_name_lang= ISO 639-1
|war=the Belgian Resistance (World War II)
|image=200px
|caption=
|active= 1942 – September 1944
|ideology=
|leaders= Andre Wendelen (founder), Jean Burgers (founder) {{cite book
| last = O'Connor
| first = Bernard
| title = *Sabotage in Belgium in World War Two*
| date = 2013
| isbn = 9781291408492
| accessdate = November 9, 2015
| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hmcNBgAAQBAJ&q=Jean+Burgers+belgium&pg=PA42 }}
|groups=
|headquarters=
|area= Across Belgium
|size= 4,046 (total)
|partof=
|predecessor=
|successor=
|allies=
|opponents=
|battles=
|url=
}}
The General Sabotage Group of Belgium ({{langx|fr|Groupe Général de Sabotage de Belgique}}), more commonly known as Groupe G after its leader Jean Burgers's codename "Gaby", was a Belgian resistance group during the Second World War, founded in 1942. Groupe G's activities concentrated particularly on sabotage of German rail lines and it is widely considered to have been the most effective resistance group in Belgium during the period.{{cite web|title=A Brief – History of Belgian Resistance|url=http://groupeg.webs.com/briefhistory.htm|accessdate=26 December 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029193123/http://groupeg.webs.com/briefhistory.htm|archivedate=29 October 2013}}
History
Groupe G was founded in 1942, by a group of former students of the Free University of Brussels and its ranks were mainly filled by students. Unusually for a resistance cell of the period, the unit's activities were not restricted to a single area as it operated across the country.
=Actions=
In 1944, Groupe G was responsible for a co-ordinated action on all high voltage electric lines in Belgium. This action alone is estimated to have cost German forces around 10 million man-hours of repairs before the communications were restored.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web|title=Groupe G – Living History|url=http://www.groupeg.webs.com/|accessdate=26 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110817131101/http://groupeg.webs.com/|archive-date=17 August 2011|url-status=dead}}
{{Belgian resistance groups}}
Category:World War II resistance movements
Category:Military units and formations established in 1942