The Germans Call Off The Invasion
When Jodl learned on the 13th that the documents were probably unreadable, he called off plans to execute the attack three days early on 14 January — the same plans that would cause the crisis in Belgium — and postponed them to 15 or 16 January, to be decided as the circumstances demanded. In the evening came the surprising news that the Belgian and Dutch troops — who had already been mobilised since September 1939 — had been put on alert. This was attributed to the crash and the too obvious approach march of the German Sixth Army, the latter causing the element of surprise to be lost. On 15 January road conditions were so poor due to the snowfall and the weather prospects so bleak that Jodl advised Hitler to call the invasion off indefinitely. The Fuehrer hesitantly concurred on 16 January at 19:00.
Read more about this topic: Mechelen Incident
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