Economic Problems of Liberated Belgium

Abstract

While, on the whole, one can say that the country's economic equipment suffered comparatively minor damage, one needs to inventory the damage in any discussion of the country's economic problems. Let us begin with railways. The marshaling yards and workshops of Belgian railways suffered damage from Allied strategic bombing in the advance of 1944. Numerous bridges were similarly destroyed. Even worse, more than half the rolling stock was incapacitated for lack of attention and repair. Nevertheless, in a comparatively short time the railways were provisionally reorganized after liberation through the assistance of Allied military authorities. During the fighting in Germany the Belgian railways were loaded with an enormous military traffic, and after VEday they were able to meet only partially the demands of civilian traffic. The most acute lack was that of rolling stock, which up to this time has not been satisfactorily met. The canals suffered little, and the only pressing necessity with respect to them was to remove damaged bridges which hampered navigation. As for roads, they also were in fairly good condition, except for a few damaged bridges. Traffic had not affected them up to liberation, but the heavy midwinter traffic of 1944-45, caused by the Rundstedt offensive in the Ardennes, caused serious deterioration. As regards industrial equipment, material damage was on a small scale. A certain number of factories were destroyed by bombing, but it is now apparent that here, as in Germany, damage to machinery was comparatively small. On the whole, Belgian equipment for production was in better condition than after the Great War of 1914-18, when most of it was carried off. It needed modernizing, of course, for during the occupation it could not be repaired or renewed, and new ideas could not be introduced. In short, the economic value of the equipment which remained was considerably lowered. During the occupation little alteration was made in Belgian industry. In view of the passive resistance which existed, the Germans were unable, to a great extent, to turn the Belgian economic assets to their advantage. The metallurgical industry, for instance, only fulfilled 40 per cent of its usual productive capacity, and a part of this was for Belgian needs. The only new addition was the construction of a fibranne factory, the production of 26