Battle of Mechelen ends
- Category:
- Military operations
- Front:
- Western Front
- Date:
- 27 August 1914
- Author:
- Łukasz Skowroń
- Battle:
- Battle of Mechelen
On 27 August 1914 the Battle of Mechelen came to an end, the first great sortie of the Belgian army from the fortress of Antwerp. After three days of fighting south of the town of Mechelen (French: Malines), the Belgian divisions withdrew back under the cover of the forts.
King Albert I had led the army out of Antwerp on 25 August, as we describe in the article Battle of Mechelen begins. The attack was meant to tie down the German reserve corps watching the fortress and to relieve the French and British, who were just then retreating after the Battle of the Frontiers. The Belgians at first pushed the Germans back, but the latter brought up reinforcements and counter-attacked. In the face of growing resistance and losses, the King ordered a retreat.
The sortie brought no territorial gains, but it showed the Germans that the Belgian army in Antwerp was still a threat to their rear. The fighting also had a tragic side effect. On the evening of 25 August, in the confusion caused by the Belgian attack, panic and shooting broke out among German units in Leuven. The Germans blamed civilians for it, which marked the beginning of the destruction of the town.
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Meanwhile
(04)Elsewhere in the same days.
- 27 August 1914 · PoliticsAlexandre Millerand becomes French minister of warOn 27 August 1914 Alexandre Millerand was named minister of war. He replaced Messimy in Viviani's reshuffled government, a government of national unity.
- 27 August 1914 · AfricaFirst attack on MoraOn 27 August 1914 a British force from Nigeria attacked the German post on Mora mountain in northern Kamerun. It was repulsed; Mora held out until 1916.
- 26 August 1914 · PoliticsDismissal of war minister Adolphe MessimyOn 26 August 1914 the French war minister Adolphe Messimy lost his post in Viviani's reshuffled government and soon went to the front.
- 26 August 1914 · War at seaHMS Highflyer sinks Kaiser Wilhelm der GrosseOn 26 August 1914 the British cruiser Highflyer attacked the German auxiliary cruiser Kaiser Wilhelm der Grosse off the coast of Río de Oro.
Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 25 August 1914 · Western FrontBattle of Mechelen beginsOn 25 August 1914 the Belgian army sallied out of the fortress of Antwerp and attacked the Germans near Mechelen. It was the first Belgian sortie from Antwerp.
- 19 August 1914 · Western FrontBelgian army withdraws from the Gete to AntwerpOn 19 August 1914 the Belgian army withdrew from the Gete to the fortress of Antwerp. In the towns it left, German troops committed crimes against civilians.
- 18 August 1914 · Western FrontBattle of the GeteOn 18 August 1914 the Belgian army faced the Germans on the Gete. Threatened with encirclement, King Albert I ordered a retreat to the fortress of Antwerp.
- 27 September 1914 · Western FrontSiege of Antwerp beginsOn 27 September 1914 the Germans began the siege of Antwerp, Belgium's last fortress. The next day heavy mortars began to smash the outer forts.