On this day, 85 years ago, on May 28, 1940 (April 22, 1940 in the lunar calendar), Belgium surrendered to the Nazis. On May 28, 1940, the dark ages in Belgium began. King Leopold ordered the Belgian army to surrender to Germany. Surrender went against the wishes of French Prime Minister Paul Renaud, who described the current situation as "dark" and "severe" and said France remained confident of "victory" on the French front. Belgium's surrender came two weeks after the Netherlands succumbed to the relentless artillery fire of the German Blitz. On May 14, the Dutch commander-in-chief, Henri Jehad Winkelmann, asked his men to lay down their arms to prevent further bloodshed and destruction. Although France and Britain expressed contempt for the compromise made by Belgium and the Netherlands, their harsh language concealed their true feelings. In fact, Germany's victory in the Low Countries severely frustrated and even threatened Britain and France. The Nazis were now standing calmly on the Somme Aine line on the English Channel. The Allies had realized that their territory had become a target on Hitler's agenda of aggression.