German troops enter Belgium and attack Liège
- Category:
- Military operations
- Front:
- Western Front
- Date:
- 4 August 1914
- Author:
- Łukasz Skowroń
- Battle:
- Battle of Liège
- Tags:
- Liège, Belgium, Germany, Erich Ludendorff
On 4 August 1914 at 8.02 a.m. German troops crossed the Belgian border at the village of Gemmenich (PL), near the point where the borders of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands meet. The first Belgians to encounter the invader were two border guards approached by a detachment of uhlans. At the same time German columns set off towards the Meuse near Visé, where the Belgians had managed to blow up the bridge.
The fortress of Liège
The Germans’ first objective was Liège. The city lay in the Meuse valley, on the main road leading from Germany into the interior of Belgium, between the Dutch border and the forests of the Ardennes. It was surrounded by a ring of twelve forts, built at the end of the 19th century a few kilometres from the centre. The fortress of Liège was considered one of the strongest in Europe. Its defence was commanded by General Gérard Leman.
Six brigades under General Otto von Emmich were assigned to take Liège. The plan assumed that the surprised Belgians would be unable to defend the forts effectively and that the city would fall within a few days, opening the way for the main forces of the German army.
The course of the fighting
On the night of 5/6 August the Germans attacked between the forts, suffering heavy losses. One of the brigades, however, broke through the defensive line. When its commander was killed, command was taken over by a staff officer, Erich Ludendorff. On 7 August his soldiers entered the city and occupied the citadel. The success made Ludendorff a hero, and later one of the most important German commanders.
The forts, however, held out. The Germans brought up heavy siege mortars, including Krupp’s famous “Big Berthas” and Austro-Hungarian Škoda mortars. From 12 August their shells smashed one concrete fortification after another. On 15 August an explosion at Fort Loncin buried part of the garrison, and the badly injured General Leman was taken prisoner. On 16 August the last forts fell.
Significance
The Battle of Liège was the first great battle on the Western Front. Belgian resistance delayed the march of the German armies by several days and gave time to France and Britain, although historians disagree about how much this mattered. The defence of Liège became a symbol of Belgian courage. At the same time, from the very first days of the invasion German troops committed crimes against the civilian population, including at Visé, which foreshadowed the tragic fate of occupied Belgium.
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Meanwhile
(04)Elsewhere in the same days.
- 4 August 1914 · DiplomacyBritain declares war on GermanyAt 11 p.m. London time on 4 August 1914 the ultimatum expired. Britain and its whole empire found themselves at war with Germany.
- 4 August 1914 · DiplomacyGreat Britain issues an ultimatum to GermanyOn 4 August 1914 London demanded that Germany respect Belgian neutrality by midnight. The chancellor called the treaty a "scrap of paper".
- 4 August 1914 · War at seaGoeben and Breslau bombard ports in AlgeriaOn the morning of 4 August 1914 the German warships Goeben and Breslau shelled the French ports of Philippeville and Bône in Algeria, flying Russian colours.
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Related events
(04)The same battle, people or subject.
- 7 August 1914 · Western FrontGerman troops occupy LiègeOn 7 August 1914 a brigade led by Erich Ludendorff entered Liège and took the citadel. The forts surrounding the city, however, continued to resist.
- 16 August 1914 · Western FrontLast forts of Liège fallOn 16 August 1914 the last forts of Liège, wrecked by heavy artillery, capitulated. The road into the heart of Belgium lay open to the Germans.
- 4 August 1914 · Western FrontBelgium breaks off diplomatic relations with GermanyOn 4 August 1914, after German troops crossed the border, Belgium broke off relations with Germany and handed the German minister his passports.
- 3 August 1914 · Western FrontBelgium rejects German demandsOn the morning of 3 August 1914 Belgium rejected the German ultimatum. It held that allowing troops to pass through would mean the loss of the nation's honour.