Belgium
Belgium in the First World War →Tag
(97)1914
July
August
- 03
- Belgium 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.
- Britain pledges to defend Belgian neutralityOn 3 August 1914 Sir Edward Grey set out Britain's obligations to Belgium and France in the Commons. London promised support for the Belgians.
- 04
- Belgium 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.
- Key eventGermany declares war on BelgiumOn 4 August 1914 Germany announced to Belgium that it would use force and entered its territory. The chancellor admitted he was breaking international law.
- German troops enter Belgium and attack LiègeAt 8.02 a.m. on 4 August 1914 German troops crossed the Belgian border at Gemmenich and advanced on the fortress of Liège. The battle for Liège had begun.
- German airships over BrusselsContemporary chronicles state that on the night of 4 August 1914 two German airships flew over Brussels. For the first time the war took to the air.
- 22
- Key eventAustria-Hungary declares war on BelgiumContemporary chronicles date Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Belgium to 22 August 1914, but the Belgians received the note only on 28 August.
- Germany accepts the proposal to neutralise the Congo BasinOn 22 August 1914 Germany agreed to Belgium's proposal to neutralise the African free trade zone. Britain and France did not support it.
- 25
- Germans capture NamurOn 25 August 1914 the last forts of Namur capitulated. The Belgian fortress at the confluence of the Sambre and the Meuse fell after a five-day siege.
- Battle 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.
- 27
- Battle of Mechelen endsOn 27 August 1914 the Belgian army's first sortie from Antwerp ended. After three days of fighting near Mechelen the Belgians returned behind the line of forts.
- British marines land at OstendOn 27 August 1914 a Royal Marines brigade landed at Ostend in Belgium, accompanied by Charles Samson's Royal Naval Air Service squadron.
September
October
- 03
- German cavalry in YpresThe British chronology records the capture of Ypres by German cavalry on 3 October 1914. Its main body entered the town several days later.
- British marines arrive in AntwerpOn 3 October 1914 Winston Churchill arrived in Antwerp. That night the Royal Marine Brigade arrived and took up positions on the Nete near Lier.
- 09
- Germans occupy MeninThe British chronology records the German capture of Menin on the Lys around 9 October 1914. Belgian sources date the town's occupation from 14 October.
- Fall of the last forts of AntwerpOn 9 October 1914 the Germans found the inner ring forts abandoned and entered Antwerp. The burgomaster signed the fortress's surrender at Kontich.
- 12
- Belgians abandon Ostend and ZeebruggeOn 12 October 1914 the Belgians abandoned Ostend and Zeebrugge. The King and government left, the army fell back to the Yser and the ports were left undefended.
- Germans occupy GhentOn 12 October 1914 the Germans entered Ghent, abandoned by the Allies after the fighting at Melle. The city remained under occupation until November 1918.
- 13
- Allies return to YpresIn mid-October 1914 Rawlinson's British IV Corps, falling back from Ghent, reached Ypres. French Territorial divisions took up positions beside it.
- Belgian government in Le HavreOn 13 October 1914 the Belgian government sailed from Ostend to Le Havre. It settled in Sainte-Adresse, and France granted its buildings extraterritoriality.
- 15
- Germans reach the Belgian coastOn 15 October 1914 the Germans reached the North Sea in Belgium. The race to the sea was ending; the Belgians dug in on the Yser between Nieuport and Dixmude.
- Germans occupy Ostend and ZeebruggeOn 15 October 1914 the Germans took Ostend and Zeebrugge without a fight. Both ports became bases for U-boats and torpedo boats threatening shipping.
- 18
- British ships shell the Belgian coastOn 18 October 1914 Admiral Hood's flotilla backed the Belgians on the Yser from the sea, shelling the Germans on the coast between Nieuport and Ostend.
- Germans take RoeselareOn 18–19 October 1914 the Germans took Roeselare after fighting the French. Taking the inhabitants for francs-tireurs, they murdered dozens of civilians.
November
- 01
- Germans take MessinesIn the night and early morning of 1 November 1914 the Germans took Wytschaete and the Messines ridge. British cavalry left the town and fell back to Wulverghem.
- Marie Skłodowska-Curie's X-ray carsIn autumn 1914 Marie Skłodowska-Curie and her daughter Irène set off in the first X-ray car for the front-line hospitals. Soldiers called them "little Curies".
- 10
- Battle of the Yser endsOn 10 November 1914 the fall of Diksmuide ended the Battle of the Yser. Belgium kept a scrap of its land, held for four years behind a flooded plain.
- Germans take DiksmuideOn 10 November 1914 the Germans took Diksmuide on the Yser, held since mid-October by French marines and Belgians. The defenders fell back across the Yser.
December
1915
1916
1917
1918
January
April
May
September
October
November
- 21
- Belgian government in BrusselsOn 21 November 1918 Léon Delacroix's unity government, the first led by a titled prime minister, took office in Belgium. Fulgence Masson became war minister.
- British occupy NamurOn 21 November 1918 the British entered Namur, the Belgian fortress taken by the Germans in 1914. Here the troops marching to the Rhine halted.