In , following the period known as the " Phoney War ," Nazi Germany invaded France and occupied the city of Lille , in the Nord department of northern France, from May 31 of that year until September 4, During the occupation , the city of nearly , [ 1 ] was incorporated into Belgium under a single occupation authority. On the night of May 9—10, , German armored vehicles crossed the Ardennes to the southeast.
German bombers focused their attacks on strategic points, such as the railway line in the Lille suburb of Lambersart. The German army advanced rapidly, occupying Luxembourg and Belgium before eventually reaching Lille on May Though otherwise ill-equipped, the Senegalese regiment's armored vehicles allowed them to resist the siege for four days.
To prevent strategic resources from falling into German hands, the British destroyed the Boitelle telephone center and burned a stockpile of military equipment that could not be escorted to the zone libre in time. On May 31, the last remaining resistance on the Avenue de Dunkerque in Lambersart and in the Citadel laid down their arms. The Battle of Lille officially ended on June 1, when French soldiers were marched through the city streets and the Grand'Place.
The final death toll was , including 15 civilians, French soldiers, one British soldier, and 30 German soldiers. The city center of Lille was largely left undamaged by aerial raids during the German occupation.
In contrast, outlying neighborhoods endured numerous attacks. Germany's intent was to weaken France by depriving it of two departments that contained numerous sources of wealth e. General Niehoff held full authority over Nord and Pas-de-Calais. On April 17, , an order of the OFK stated that "the execution of the following laws, orders, decrees, and decisions emanating from the French government has been forbidden with retroactive effect within the administrative area of the OFK Within the Lille administrative area, OFK handled matters such as security services, postal services, civil unrest, passive defense, prisoners, ration cards, and counter-espionage.
