Oct
30
2008
The Battle of Liege
The Battle of Liege was a World War I battle fought between Belgium and Germany from August 5 until August 16, 1914, when the last Belgian fort finally surrendered. The Battle of Liege was not only the opening battle of the German invasion into Belgium, but it was also the first land battle of the Great War.
As Germany wanted to avoid a two-front war that would sap and divide the strength of its army, the Schlieffen plan was conceived to strike quickly in the west to defeat France first, as had been done successfully in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, then deal with Russia in the east. In order to do this, neutral Belgium had to be attacked and crossed within a few days. But there were two problems with this plan; 1) the violation of the neutrality of Belgium would possibly make the United Kingdom enter the war on France’s side; 2) also, the highly fortified city of Liege was in the path of the German forces.
On August 4, 1914, as the Germans made their way into Belgium following the Schliefen plan, six infantry brigades and two cavalry divisions, under the command of General Otto von Emmich, detached from the German 2nd Army to smash quickly through the defences of Liege. The city of Liege was the gateway into the country, lying between Limburg and the Ardennes. It was defended by a ring of twelve heavily armed fortifications built on high ground, six on each side of the Meuse River, each 3 kilometers apart. The strongholds had a total of 400 retractable guns, up to 210mm in size. To some extent these forts offset the relatively small force of 70,000 men under the command of General Gerard Leman.
In the early hours of August 5, the Germans attacked against Fort Barchon, sustaining heavy losses and making little progress. Instead of keeping attacking the forts, Otto von Emmich’s staff officer Erich Ludendorff called in the use of zeppelins to drop bomb into the citadels. Then he personally led a brigade through two forts and into the city, forcing a garrison to surrender on August 7. However, the Germans could not continue their advance through Belgium without first taking all the other forts. In order to accomplish this mission, the Germans introduced a weapon which until that point remained unknown to the Allies, Austrian-built 17-inch howitzers. With the significant aid of the howitzers and the 420mm Big Bertha howitzer the strongholds were finally captured on August 16, 1914.
On August 17, the German Second Army, along with First and Third, began a wide sweeping movement through Belgium, forcing the Belgian army back to Antwerp. Brussels itself was captured without resistance by General Alexander von Kluck, commander-in-chief of the First Army on August 20, 1914.
[...] invaded Belgium on August 4, 1914, to strike France from the north on weak points. Thus, the Battle of Liege ensued. It lasted twelve days, from August 5 until August 16, 1914. It was the first land battle of [...]
I really liked the part when the guy shot the other guy he didnt die of the bullet but the infection. I bet he was mad.