Learn about WHAT caused WORLD WAR ONE: ua-cam.com/video/v_h03jDXuEw/v-deo.html Check out the WORLD WAR ONE OVERVIEW: ua-cam.com/video/o2XJrtqmRnU/v-deo.html Learn about how the GREAT WAR ENDED: ua-cam.com/video/-gGEypRkXfc/v-deo.html
Good but uniforms. The British used dog drawn machine guns for a while too; but not at the front, they event reported the dogs enjoyed it (but they would wouldn't they?). The uniforms of the Belgians are fascinating and fall into 3 phases: pre-war, Yser phase, post-1915 phase. The cavalry pre-war was in different forms so had really cool varieties. However the documentation for the uniforms start of war are well available but comfort and camouflage adjustments were made. The Yser phase of uniforms are less well documented but were simpler and so were easy to identify and more well uniform. Plus unlike your comment not exactly khaki. Later post-1915 uniforms including the French helmet with Belgian lion plate and British uniforms with adjusted collars came later worn often with the french greatcoats in their colonial drab. Oddly for much of the war Belgian Grenadiers continued to wear their undress hats in the style similar to the German undress cap. Very nice to see a Nederlander presenting and at last someone doing a piece on the Belgian Army of the Great War. However this attempt was a little to sparse to get a like but I hope I have wet your appetite to dive in some more. The Guides units, or Marie Currie's field hospital? Not to mention the forthcoming air force..
The Belgian gouvernement selected the Mauser 1889 as the new army rifle but for strategic and political reasons deceided to build them in Belgium under license. So in 1889 FN Herstal was founded to build these rifles.
My great grandfather was a WW 1 hero...when the Belgian army began its tactical retreat, a suprise counter attack out of the city of Antwerp towards the direction of Heverlee ( Leuven ) was launched against the German army, to bow the Germans away from our capital Brussels, in that battle my great grandfather was captured by the enemy, but not without a good old school Belgian fight....when the Belgian counter attack failed against the much bigger German armies, my grandfathers platoon got isolated from the rest of the army, they took shelter in a ditch, and prepared to fight hand to hand combat with fixed bajonet. He managed to kill 8 enemy soldiers, whith his bajonet and daggers, they fought for hours against overwhelming odds, eventually he got captured, and was taken to a German POW camp, there he organised an uprising but was betrayled by a Dutch guy that worked for the Germans, my great-grandfather was executed by the Germans....whilst shouting Leve België / Vive la Belgique !! in honor of him, he was the only Belgian soldier to obtain a plaque in the Antwerp Cathedral. with inscription Here lies Theofiel Lauwers Belgian war hero
Greetings from Portsmouth, Southern England. Love watching your videos. Find myself learning about lots of the lesser known parts of history. Keep up the good work 👍🏻
There was an American charity set up in the U.S. to provide warm clothing such as cordoroy pants, socks, jackets and hats with ear flaps. It was called “The Belgian Soldiers Cap” and it’s stated goal was to provide the cap that looks similar to an American baseball cap with ear flaps, to prevent illnesses and prevent accidental shootings. This was done while we too were neutrals.
Hi History Hustle, the Belgian shakos were issued with cover for use in the field. There are also a lot of pictures from during the invasion which took place in summer with soldiers wearing the field cap with a piece of cardboard as a visor to protect them from the sun. As mentioned in the comments earlier, the 3 raids out of Antwerp were very important and played a big role in the rest of the course of the war but sadly something that is often overlooked, even in Belgian history books.
World wars are not only England, Germany, France and Russia. In this story there are also armies and forgotten peoples, whom no one takes into account or are simply overlooked. If someone thinks, that They have not influenced on our lives, let them think again Well done Stefan, as usual;)
Thank you for this video and a Big thanks for mentioning the Battle of Halen. At Halen there is a Belgian military cemetery and a nice private museum covering the battle... I encourage you to visit the place 👌Warm greetings from Diest, Belgium. (4km from Halen)
About the Belgian fortresses: the size of the German guns wasn't the main factor in their downfall. At Liège, it was a small group of German soldiers that got displaced, found themselves right next to the headquarters of the Belgians and made the Belgian commander think the defences were broken (they weren't). This caused him to order a partial retreat, which gave the Germans the opportunity to start shooting the fortresses from the back, from inside the city. At Antwerp, the main problem was supplies and good troops weren't available in large enough numbers to really hold off the Germans for too long. Still, both these battles caused the Germans to keep a sizable portion of their army in Belgium, and slowed them down enough to give their allies a chance to push the Germans away from Paris. So, the fortresses weren't ineffective and weren't quickly dealt with. After the war, Belgium and France started to build even more fortresses, so they weren't disappointed in their usefulness.
Again our favorite honest history guy respect for you history hustle guy, let's all make him at least one million subscribers now all viewers. Wishing you all success in life sir.
The map you're showing of the fortresses around Liege shows the map prior to 1940. The red fortresses like Eben-Emael were not there in 1914, they were only constructed in the 30's.
The British Royal Naval Division in Antwerp helping out and in typical British fashion the armoured cars go out for a recce: next thing you know they meet the chaps in Northern France? "Oh what tally ho, we missed the blighters?"
I live close the the WW1 Fort of Oelegem in Antwerp. I think its amazing to have such WW1 fort's in the area very interesting to visit. Thanks for making a video about the Belgian army in WW1. I feel like alot of times in documentaries the Belgian army fighting effort gets a bit overlooked by the big picture . but anyway good video
Hi Stefan, I have another potential explanation for the different trouser colors. The person on our left seems to have rank markings on his sleeve, making him a corporal or a sergeant, perhaps? When I was in the Belgian army 30 years ago, the color of your trousers was an important marker of your seniority: new recruits had strong, new colors. The more you washed the trousers, the more they faded. People wore those faded trousers with pride, because it showed you were an "ancien", not a raw recruit. I'm not saying that is the case here, but I can imagine that in an army that consists of experienced and newly drafted soldiers that kind of distinction was just as sensitive in those days.
about the field cap for the regiments of the line (linie regimenten). They had a water resistent cover (lacked linen) before the war already issued. But this did reflected the sun as did their Sjako. To avoid this the soldiers did turn the cover inside out and put cover over their sjako. So standard issue with Belgian system D to solve a problem (system D : se debrouiller : plan trekken). For the artillery they wore the Talpak head cover as you can still see with the Royal Horse Artillery in the UK. There exists an exellent book about the Belgian uniforms : Het Belgische Leger in de Grote oorlog (Uniformen en uitrusting) and part 2 Weaponry. exists also in French. Highly recommended.
Another great video Stefan. Can highly recommend to visit the Passchendaele museum in Zonnebeke. Old school museum (to not too many flatscreens and such) but just things on display. They even a got a bit of trenches integrated into the museum.
Many thanks once again and actually, I've been to that museum a couple of times. I recorded this video there a while back: ua-cam.com/video/Y5YSO23QbbY/v-deo.html
@@HistoryHustle Have seen that video a while ago! Do like the presentation in Zonnebeke, not fancy and modern but just old school museum style. Flanders Fields I found dissapointing visiting later ,too modern for me. Yet in the th 90s they had a similar presentation as in Zonnebeke. Did you attend The Last Post in Ieper?
Very nice video, congrats, but The Belgian Field Army did not retreat from Namur tot Antwerp. The Namur forts were held by fortress troops that retreated to France. They where then transported from Rouen by boat via the sea to Antwerp. The Field Army was concentrated on the Gete (Tienen-Perwez) and Dijle Leuven-Wavre) rivers. The 3d infantry division defended the town of Liege togheter with the local fortress troops. But after initial good results had to withdraw before the might of the First German Army (Von Kluck). After the Battle of Haelen, for a German perspective and significance of this check Guderian's "Achtung Panzer", The Field Army retreated to Antwerp. After three spirited and costly breakouts in the flank of the German Army the forts around Antwerp were destroyed by heavy artillery. Finally then there was a narrowly escape to that part of Flanders behind the IJzer.
I always rememberd Belgium having about 200 000 men in the army at the start of ww1. The field army being about 120000 men and the rest where yoused to guard fortresses or am i wrong?
My source states: "The army was still only 120,500 strong, of which 3,500 were gendarmes, and had a shortfall of 2,300 officers. In addition to this first-line strength it was planned that some 65,000 older men should serve in static fortress regiments, while the 46,000 members of the Civil Guard were intended mainly to maintain order and security in rear areas behind the lines." The Belgian Army in World War I [Men-at-Arms 452] page 4.
Correct. The fieldarmy was 120,000 men. By october 1914, at the Yser river, there were 40,000 left. The other 80,000 were POW, or fled to Holland after the fall of Antwerp, or were wounded. By 1918 the army consisted of 400,000 men again.
@@HistoryHustle Those figures are realistic. Note the fact that the Civil Guard was not actived. Deliberately. The Belgian government was afraid that the Germans would think they were attacked by francs tireurs. Ironically, this was exact the explanation the Germans used when they murdered hundres of civilians in the first weeks of august 1914. In reality they were not attacked by civilians, but by uniformed Belgian rear guard which used guerilla-tactics to halt the German advance. Or in some cases the Germans were drunk and started shooting themselves.
@@HistoryHustle Really thank you for exploring the Belgian Army in WW1. One of my direct ancestors died in Boezinge near Ypres in 1916. Shrapnel in his back.
Hi! Writing a novel, have noob questions: what was the state of the Belgian army's headquarters in pre-invasion 1914? Would it have been just a barracks with a few offices given the state of the army at the time? Was it located in Brussels?
Our finest hour! We Belgians are some of the least patriotic people in the world yet we have a lot to be proud about. Unfortunately Flemish nationalists (many of them children and grand children of those who collaborated with the Germans) control the narrative nowadays.
@@Gloopular Thank you for proving my point. I guess you're talking about the transfers? Did you know that when looking from a provincial perspective Brabant Wallon contributes more than Antwerp and East Flanders together while Limbourg receives more than Namur and Luxembourg combined? Probably not. It's what the Flemish nationalists don't want you to hear. Yes there are problems with the provinces of Hainaut and Liège and if you know your history you know why. Similar regions in Europe that previously focused on heavy industry are struggling with the same problems. Is that a reason to split up the country? When they ask Flemish nationalists what the "Flemish identity" is about they answer stupid things like FC de kampioenen or Ballekes in Tomatensaus. In reality it's only about greed. 50 years into federalism and the Flemish government hasn't shown it's more capable than the Belgian government before it.
@@bluedevil3765 Keep spinning but on balance it’s the Flemish who keep the Walloons afloat by a wide margin and have for a long time. The Walloons cling to the Flemish like barnacles or they would be in the poorhouse. I noticed you hid from my Degrelle point lolz. Hitler told Degrelle, " If I had a son, I would want him to be like you." (Degrelle quote) Look up SS Sturmbrigade Wallonia and spare me your self-righteous blather.
Great video HH but i have to correct you on the sidearms used there was a variety of pistols used by the officers and men mainly the fn 1900/fn 1903 and fn 1910 the nagant revolver was not the standard in 1914 since belgium already prefered pistols over revolvers by then however they certainly where still around Great video love your werk! Keep it up
I don't know if this is the correct video to pose this question, but do you know any good books on Belgian or Dutch history in English? Preferably on Colonial times, since that's where my main interest lies. I'm from the Mediterranean but I've always had a keen interest on these countries, especially after visiting Belgium itself last year.
Ik zou graag het boek 'oorlog en terpentijn' aanraden, dit is een interessant boek gebaseerd op de geschriften van een soldaat en zijn hele levensloop. Ook de serie in Vlaamse velden is interessant, ik weet dat deze nooit aangenomen kunnen worden als feiten, alsnog bied het een mogelijke inkijk.
A less know reason for the quick destruction of the forts was that the knowledge of concrete was not that high at the point of construction, some of the concrete was poured in bad wheater and due to budget cuts rushed in some way, also they did not use reinforced steel in the concrete of the forts, you can see this clearly at fort Brasschaat where the belgian army tried to blow it up in the 70's.
That image of the Carabiniers is wonderfully intriguing, and is one of my favourite of WWI. They definitely have the coolest look with their hats, it makes them seem proud and dapper. And of course having man best friends marching alongside you. It would be interesting to see an episode on animal contributions to the war effort , but as you say one stories are quite niched
Animals sure played a very big role in the great war. Near Verdun I visited a museum with a lot of artifacts found in the ground. There was an insane amount of horse shoes.
België heeft een andere geografie: je moet eerst door de Ardennen (zwaar heuvelachtig) vooraleer je op de Vlaamse plateaus en vlaktes komt. Nederland is één grote vlakte, vandaar dat de Duitsers er in 1940 veel sneller door waren.
about the fortresses of Liege : these held out longer then the Germans had expected to their surprise. Only the binging in of the Dikke Bertha and Austrian heavy siege houwitsers ended the resistance. These priceless days gained gave the BEF and the French more time and messed up the German planning. The 2nd attack from Antwerp into the flank of the Germans played an important role in the battle of the Marne. German units that should have reinforced the German troops at the Marne had to stay to defend their flank.
No army hah steel helmets at the beginning of WW1. The French were the first to use a steel cap and develop a steel helmet. The German Pickelhaube was leather.
Looks like you have some great content. If we ever get unlocked I invite you to come over and research a piece on the last successful invasion of England. Yes like most it was from the Netherlands but hey here we have such cultural ties we don't really mind. Apart from the lives lost on both sides.
You put much emphasis on what you deem to be a slovenly appearance, but the reality is they fought extremely bravely against enormous odds and at terrible cost, making excellent use of their land and drawing a line on the Yser that Germans never managed to break. To say nothing of Belgian victories in Africa.
hoi Stefan, ik heb website voor je gevonden waar Nederlandse Krijgsmacht waar hun hondenkar toen gebruikt. ik heb eventjes voor je Googled ;) hier heb je de link www.zeeland1914-1918.nl/dieren-in-nederlandse-krijgsmacht/ en ja blijkbaar werd vaak in Zeeland gebruikt vanwege de grensgebied.
@@HistoryHustle graag gedaan, dat vind jij altijd prettig voor je video ;) er waren ook in eerste wereld oorlog Gewonden Franse soldaten in Vlissingen geweest. ik heb die foto aan Geneeskundige troepen geven voor hun 150 jaar bestaan.
@@HistoryHustle ja helaas weet ik geen meer informatie er over want er was niet zo veel gegevens er van. ik kan de foto nog niet vinden wat ik bedoelt maar ik vond wel Engelse en Duitse soldaten uit de eerste Wereld Oorlog in Vlissingen waren. geheugen.delpher.nl/nl/geheugen/view?coll=ngvn&identifier=SFA03%3ASFA022802483 en geheugen.delpher.nl/nl/geheugen/view?identifier=SFA03%3ASFA022802493 en was ook bij omroep Zeeland www.omroepzeeland.nl/tv/programma/370059820/Zeeland-tijdens-de-Eerste-Wereldoorlog/aflevering/370080156/Zeeland-tijdens-de-Eerste-Wereldoorlog-Fort-de-Ruyter-10-05-2016 want Zeeuws Vlaanderen was vaak ook raar gebied en ze hadden na de eerste wereld oorlog Belgen gevraagd dat Zeeuws Vlaanderen naar België toe voegen omdat Nederland niet hulp schoot en alleen neutraal bleef. dat is niet geaccepteerd.
In dit filmpje zijn Nederlandse strijdkrachten gedurende de eerste wereldoorlog zichtbaar die ook hondenkarren gebruikten voor transport van lichte artillerie. ua-cam.com/video/vO1uz662HHg/v-deo.html
@@HistoryHustle For a country with all the problems they had with their army, they proved their courage, and King Albert proved it's valour as a legend, the King who fought in the trenches alongside his men. Belgium participation in the war truly deserves to be called a legend.
Learn about WHAT caused WORLD WAR ONE: ua-cam.com/video/v_h03jDXuEw/v-deo.html
Check out the WORLD WAR ONE OVERVIEW: ua-cam.com/video/o2XJrtqmRnU/v-deo.html
Learn about how the GREAT WAR ENDED: ua-cam.com/video/-gGEypRkXfc/v-deo.html
Thank you
You're welcome.
@@HistoryHustle de belgen blijven sterk ik kom van belgie en vond de video wel leuk
Good but uniforms. The British used dog drawn machine guns for a while too; but not at the front, they event reported the dogs enjoyed it (but they would wouldn't they?). The uniforms of the Belgians are fascinating and fall into 3 phases: pre-war, Yser phase, post-1915 phase. The cavalry pre-war was in different forms so had really cool varieties. However the documentation for the uniforms start of war are well available but comfort and camouflage adjustments were made. The Yser phase of uniforms are less well documented but were simpler and so were easy to identify and more well uniform. Plus unlike your comment not exactly khaki. Later post-1915 uniforms including the French helmet with Belgian lion plate and British uniforms with adjusted collars came later worn often with the french greatcoats in their colonial drab. Oddly for much of the war Belgian Grenadiers continued to wear their undress hats in the style similar to the German undress cap.
Very nice to see a Nederlander presenting and at last someone doing a piece on the Belgian Army of the Great War. However this attempt was a little to sparse to get a like but I hope I have wet your appetite to dive in some more. The Guides units, or Marie Currie's field hospital? Not to mention the forthcoming air force..
The Belgian gouvernement selected the Mauser 1889 as the new army rifle but for strategic and political reasons deceided to build them in Belgium under license. So in 1889 FN Herstal was founded to build these rifles.
Thanks for the additional information!
My great grandfather was a WW 1 hero...when the Belgian army began its tactical retreat, a suprise counter attack out of the city of Antwerp towards the direction of Heverlee ( Leuven ) was launched against the German army, to bow the Germans away from our capital Brussels, in that battle my great grandfather was captured by the enemy, but not without a good old school Belgian fight....when the Belgian counter attack failed against the much bigger German armies, my grandfathers platoon got isolated from the rest of the army, they took shelter in a ditch, and prepared to fight hand to hand combat with fixed bajonet. He managed to kill 8 enemy soldiers, whith his bajonet and daggers, they fought for hours against overwhelming odds, eventually he got captured, and was taken to a German POW camp, there he organised an uprising but was betrayled by a Dutch guy that worked for the Germans, my great-grandfather was executed by the Germans....whilst shouting Leve België / Vive la Belgique !!
in honor of him, he was the only Belgian soldier to obtain a plaque in the Antwerp Cathedral. with inscription Here lies Theofiel Lauwers Belgian war hero
Thanks for sharing this, Olivier!
i salute him for defending our great country...darn dutchies
My next Duvel will be in his name. Badass!
Classic Dutch betrayal
Greetings from Portsmouth, Southern England. Love watching your videos. Find myself learning about lots of the lesser known parts of history. Keep up the good work 👍🏻
Many thanks, Reece!
This is awesome, I've been looking for a proper WWI Belgian Army documentary video for quite some time. And this is pretty informative 👍
Great to read. Here is the follow up video
ua-cam.com/video/NS1ncSLHTAk/v-deo.htmlsi=pZtHJzB86YliHdtN
There was an American charity set up in the U.S. to provide warm clothing such as cordoroy pants, socks, jackets and hats with ear flaps. It was called “The Belgian Soldiers Cap” and it’s stated goal was to provide the cap that looks similar to an American baseball cap with ear flaps, to prevent illnesses and prevent accidental shootings. This was done while we too were neutrals.
Very interesting, thanks for sharing Dan!
Hi History Hustle, the Belgian shakos were issued with cover for use in the field. There are also a lot of pictures from during the invasion which took place in summer with soldiers wearing the field cap with a piece of cardboard as a visor to protect them from the sun. As mentioned in the comments earlier, the 3 raids out of Antwerp were very important and played a big role in the rest of the course of the war but sadly something that is often overlooked, even in Belgian history books.
Thanks for taking the time to write this down.
World wars are not only England, Germany, France and Russia. In this story there are also armies and forgotten peoples, whom no one takes into account or are simply overlooked. If someone thinks, that They have not influenced on our lives, let them think again
Well done Stefan, as usual;)
Many thanks, Karol!
Thank you for this video and a Big thanks for mentioning the Battle of Halen. At Halen there is a Belgian military cemetery and a nice private museum covering the battle... I encourage you to visit the place 👌Warm greetings from Diest, Belgium. (4km from Halen)
Thanks for your reply 👍🏻
Warm greetings from kortenaken ;)
I loved the video! Never really knew about the uniforms until now!
Thanks and you're welcome!
Come to the musea at Ieper. You will learn a lot.
There are some good books on the subject.
About the Belgian fortresses:
the size of the German guns wasn't the main factor in their downfall.
At Liège, it was a small group of German soldiers that got displaced, found themselves right next to the headquarters of the Belgians and made the Belgian commander think the defences were broken (they weren't). This caused him to order a partial retreat, which gave the Germans the opportunity to start shooting the fortresses from the back, from inside the city.
At Antwerp, the main problem was supplies and good troops weren't available in large enough numbers to really hold off the Germans for too long.
Still, both these battles caused the Germans to keep a sizable portion of their army in Belgium, and slowed them down enough to give their allies a chance to push the Germans away from Paris. So, the fortresses weren't ineffective and weren't quickly dealt with.
After the war, Belgium and France started to build even more fortresses, so they weren't disappointed in their usefulness.
Thanks for sharing this additional information.
Again our favorite honest history guy respect for you history hustle guy, let's all make him at least one million subscribers now all viewers. Wishing you all success in life sir.
Thanks!
@@HistoryHustle welcome Sir
The map you're showing of the fortresses around Liege shows the map prior to 1940. The red fortresses like Eben-Emael were not there in 1914, they were only constructed in the 30's.
Thanks for pointing this out Timmie.
Also the 3 raids out of antwerp are really important, they where very important factors contributing to the Victory at the Marne
Thanks for the additional information!
The British Royal Naval Division in Antwerp helping out and in typical British fashion the armoured cars go out for a recce: next thing you know they meet the chaps in Northern France? "Oh what tally ho, we missed the blighters?"
I live close the the WW1 Fort of Oelegem in Antwerp. I think its amazing to have such WW1 fort's in the area very interesting to visit. Thanks for making a video about the Belgian army in WW1. I feel like alot of times in documentaries the Belgian army fighting effort gets a bit overlooked by the big picture . but anyway good video
Thanks. More about the 1914 campaign:
ua-cam.com/video/sM_D4nWj8G4/v-deo.html
Hi Stefan, I have another potential explanation for the different trouser colors. The person on our left seems to have rank markings on his sleeve, making him a corporal or a sergeant, perhaps? When I was in the Belgian army 30 years ago, the color of your trousers was an important marker of your seniority: new recruits had strong, new colors. The more you washed the trousers, the more they faded. People wore those faded trousers with pride, because it showed you were an "ancien", not a raw recruit. I'm not saying that is the case here, but I can imagine that in an army that consists of experienced and newly drafted soldiers that kind of distinction was just as sensitive in those days.
about the field cap for the regiments of the line (linie regimenten). They had a water resistent cover (lacked linen) before the war already issued. But this did reflected the sun as did their Sjako. To avoid this the soldiers did turn the cover inside out and put cover over their sjako. So standard issue with Belgian system D to solve a problem (system D : se debrouiller : plan trekken). For the artillery they wore the Talpak head cover as you can still see with the Royal Horse Artillery in the UK. There exists an exellent book about the Belgian uniforms : Het Belgische Leger in de Grote oorlog (Uniformen en uitrusting) and part 2 Weaponry. exists also in French. Highly recommended.
Thanks for sharing!
Another great video Stefan.
Can highly recommend to visit the Passchendaele museum in Zonnebeke. Old school museum (to not too many flatscreens and such) but just things on display. They even a got a bit of trenches integrated into the museum.
Many thanks once again and actually, I've been to that museum a couple of times. I recorded this video there a while back:
ua-cam.com/video/Y5YSO23QbbY/v-deo.html
@@HistoryHustle Have seen that video a while ago!
Do like the presentation in Zonnebeke, not fancy and modern but just old school museum style.
Flanders Fields I found dissapointing visiting later ,too modern for me. Yet in the th 90s they had a similar presentation as in Zonnebeke.
Did you attend The Last Post in Ieper?
More hustle!!!
Let's bring it on.
Gutes Video,danke😊
👍
I only New that they had soldiers, for the rest nothing about their army, thx for another great video
Cheers! Glad you liked it.
Realy good quality vidéo .
Thanks!
Very nice video, congrats, but The Belgian Field Army did not retreat from Namur tot Antwerp. The Namur forts were held by fortress troops that retreated to France. They where then transported from Rouen by boat via the sea to Antwerp.
The Field Army was concentrated on the Gete (Tienen-Perwez) and Dijle Leuven-Wavre) rivers. The 3d infantry division defended the town of Liege togheter with the local fortress troops. But after initial good results had to withdraw before the might of the First German Army (Von Kluck).
After the Battle of Haelen, for a German perspective and significance of this check Guderian's "Achtung Panzer", The Field Army retreated to Antwerp. After three spirited and costly breakouts in the flank of the German Army the forts around Antwerp were destroyed by heavy artillery. Finally then there was a narrowly escape to that part of Flanders behind the IJzer.
I always rememberd Belgium having about 200 000 men in the army at the start of ww1. The field army being about 120000 men and the rest where yoused to guard fortresses or am i wrong?
My source states:
"The army was still only 120,500 strong,
of which 3,500 were gendarmes, and had a shortfall of 2,300 officers. In
addition to this first-line strength it was planned that some 65,000 older
men should serve in static fortress regiments, while the 46,000 members
of the Civil Guard were intended mainly to maintain order and security
in rear areas behind the lines."
The Belgian Army in World War I [Men-at-Arms 452] page 4.
Correct. The fieldarmy was 120,000 men. By october 1914, at the Yser river, there were 40,000 left. The other 80,000 were POW, or fled to Holland after the fall of Antwerp, or were wounded. By 1918 the army consisted of 400,000 men again.
Thanks for posting.
@@HistoryHustle Those figures are realistic. Note the fact that the Civil Guard was not actived. Deliberately. The Belgian government was afraid that the Germans would think they were attacked by francs tireurs.
Ironically, this was exact the explanation the Germans used when they murdered hundres of civilians in the first weeks of august 1914. In reality they were not attacked by civilians, but by uniformed Belgian rear guard which used guerilla-tactics to halt the German advance. Or in some cases the Germans were drunk and started shooting themselves.
Thank you for going in such details. Learned new things. Oh and it's okay to be Dutch. :-)
Thanks! :)
@@HistoryHustle Really thank you for exploring the Belgian Army in WW1. One of my direct ancestors died in Boezinge near Ypres in 1916. Shrapnel in his back.
Hi! Writing a novel, have noob questions: what was the state of the Belgian army's headquarters in pre-invasion 1914? Would it have been just a barracks with a few offices given the state of the army at the time? Was it located in Brussels?
Our finest hour! We Belgians are some of the least patriotic people in the world yet we have a lot to be proud about. Unfortunately Flemish nationalists (many of them children and grand children of those who collaborated with the Germans) control the narrative nowadays.
You do have a lot to be proud of you are right. It’s a beautiful country. Can’t wait to visit from the UK again once the virus goes away
It's the Flemish who carry the Walloon freeloaders.
P.S. I seem to remember a certain Leon Degrelle.
@@Gloopular Thank you for proving my point. I guess you're talking about the transfers? Did you know that when looking from a provincial perspective Brabant Wallon contributes more than Antwerp and East Flanders together while Limbourg receives more than Namur and Luxembourg combined? Probably not. It's what the Flemish nationalists don't want you to hear.
Yes there are problems with the provinces of Hainaut and Liège and if you know your history you know why. Similar regions in Europe that previously focused on heavy industry are struggling with the same problems. Is that a reason to split up the country?
When they ask Flemish nationalists what the "Flemish identity" is about they answer stupid things like FC de kampioenen or Ballekes in Tomatensaus. In reality it's only about greed.
50 years into federalism and the Flemish government hasn't shown it's more capable than the Belgian government before it.
Belgium, still divided till this day...
@@bluedevil3765 Keep spinning but on balance it’s the Flemish who keep the Walloons afloat by a wide margin and have for a long time. The Walloons cling to the Flemish like barnacles or they would be in the poorhouse.
I noticed you hid from my Degrelle point lolz. Hitler told Degrelle, " If I had a son, I would want him to be like you." (Degrelle quote) Look up SS Sturmbrigade Wallonia and spare me your self-righteous blather.
Great video HH but i have to correct you on the sidearms used there was a variety of pistols used by the officers and men mainly the fn 1900/fn 1903 and fn 1910 the nagant revolver was not the standard in 1914 since belgium already prefered pistols over revolvers by then however they certainly where still around
Great video love your werk! Keep it up
Thanks for the correction.
I don't know if this is the correct video to pose this question, but do you know any good books on Belgian or Dutch history in English? Preferably on Colonial times, since that's where my main interest lies. I'm from the Mediterranean but I've always had a keen interest on these countries, especially after visiting Belgium itself last year.
Congo: The Epic History of a People (David Van Reybrouck) for sure is a good one.
Ik zou graag het boek 'oorlog en terpentijn' aanraden, dit is een interessant boek gebaseerd op de geschriften van een soldaat en zijn hele levensloop. Ook de serie in Vlaamse velden is interessant, ik weet dat deze nooit aangenomen kunnen worden als feiten, alsnog bied het een mogelijke inkijk.
Ik ken het boek. De serie heb ik gezien!
another great detailed video
Thanks as always, Niklas!
Zeer goede video! 👍
Bedankt!
A less know reason for the quick destruction of the forts was that the knowledge of concrete was not that high at the point of construction, some of the concrete was poured in bad wheater and due to budget cuts rushed in some way, also they did not use reinforced steel in the concrete of the forts, you can see this clearly at fort Brasschaat where the belgian army tried to blow it up in the 70's.
Thanks for your insights.
Thanks for the information
You're welcome.
Whe got pushed back allot but we still held the yser🇧🇪
True and soon a video on that! 🇧🇪👍
That image of the Carabiniers is wonderfully intriguing, and is one of my favourite of WWI. They definitely have the coolest look with their hats, it makes them seem proud and dapper. And of course having man best friends marching alongside you. It would be interesting to see an episode on animal contributions to the war effort , but as you say one stories are quite niched
Animals sure played a very big role in the great war. Near Verdun I visited a museum with a lot of artifacts found in the ground. There was an insane amount of horse shoes.
The caps at 4:28 look like the german field caps from ww1
True!
Je kan veel zeggen maar de Belgen wisten had well lang voll te hauden
Best redelijk. In 1940 maar liefst 21 dagen i.t.t. Nederland met 5.
Zo dat is lang ik denk ook om dat Engeland en Frankrijk daar zaten
Klopt.
België heeft een andere geografie: je moet eerst door de Ardennen (zwaar heuvelachtig) vooraleer je op de Vlaamse plateaus en vlaktes komt. Nederland is één grote vlakte, vandaar dat de Duitsers er in 1940 veel sneller door waren.
@@HistoryHustle Correctie: 18 dagen in 1940.
about the fortresses of Liege : these held out longer then the Germans had expected to their surprise. Only the binging in of the Dikke Bertha and Austrian heavy siege houwitsers ended the resistance. These priceless days gained gave the BEF and the French more time and messed up the German planning. The 2nd attack from Antwerp into the flank of the Germans played an important role in the battle of the Marne. German units that should have reinforced the German troops at the Marne had to stay to defend their flank.
Thanks for the additional information.
Do you know about the history of the Battle of Rossignal in WWI? Was it new Les Bulles Belguim, my relatives came from there.
No, can't tell. Sorry
They remind me of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band! 😝
lol
exactly one year ago today, this video was made
Funny cause next week we're gonna talk about the 1940 army!
2nd Petition for a video about Mengjiang
Not any time soon I'm afraid. I might cover the Russian invasion of Manchuria in 1945.
No army hah steel helmets at the beginning of WW1. The French were the first to use a steel cap and develop a steel helmet. The German Pickelhaube was leather.
True.
Congratulations on 15k subscribers! Are you doing a Q and A for this milestone or no? Hopefully yes.
Thanks. I think I'll wait for another Q&A though.
Looks like you have some great content. If we ever get unlocked I invite you to come over and research a piece on the last successful invasion of England. Yes like most it was from the Netherlands but hey here we have such cultural ties we don't really mind. Apart from the lives lost on both sides.
Thanks for your reply 👍
Thanks for the explanation Stefan, to remember such a terrible episode in any nations history
Thanks for watching and commenting :)
Could you do one for Luxembourg in WW1 please?
@Piet Hein No I mean the Luxembourgish army in WW1.
Sorry, too niche. I do not have proper sources and worse: no copyright free imagery.
@@HistoryHustle ☹️ Well I know some sources for the Luxembourgish army in WW2?
@@luxembourgishempire2826 share them😁
Please share, if you have any. Can't make promises.
The field cap was worn by all normal infantry units, that means the Line Infantry Regiments, the bulk of the Belgian army.
I see, thanks for letting us know.
You put much emphasis on what you deem to be a slovenly appearance, but the reality is they fought extremely bravely against enormous odds and at terrible cost, making excellent use of their land and drawing a line on the Yser that Germans never managed to break. To say nothing of Belgian victories in Africa.
The video isn't about Africa. See my video on the East Africa Campaign.
This is the type of teacher too play a rap video about history in class and rap while doing it
Haha, never done rap. Guess there is a first time for everything.
Well hustled! And who is wearing a matching tunic? Again.
Thanks!
Well.. kind off proud.. belgians do not give up whitout a good fight😊
👍
Interesting
Thanks!
What's your opinion on the Netherlands monarchy
I like our king :)
@@HistoryHustle do the Netherlands during ww1
@@animationpro1465 The Great war channel made a video about that. Defenitely worth a watch!
G'day from ADELAIDE South Australia de Vries
Cheers!
Ik wou dat u mijn geschiedenis docent was.
🙂
Knapsack is not pronounced "kanapsack" but with a silent 'k'.
IE Napsack.
Check.
hoi Stefan, ik heb website voor je gevonden waar Nederlandse Krijgsmacht waar hun hondenkar toen gebruikt. ik heb eventjes voor je Googled ;) hier heb je de link www.zeeland1914-1918.nl/dieren-in-nederlandse-krijgsmacht/ en ja blijkbaar werd vaak in Zeeland gebruikt vanwege de grensgebied.
Hey interessant! Enorm bedankt voor het delen. Super!
@@HistoryHustle graag gedaan, dat vind jij altijd prettig voor je video ;) er waren ook in eerste wereld oorlog Gewonden Franse soldaten in Vlissingen geweest. ik heb die foto aan Geneeskundige troepen geven voor hun 150 jaar bestaan.
Interessant!
@@HistoryHustle ja helaas weet ik geen meer informatie er over want er was niet zo veel gegevens er van.
ik kan de foto nog niet vinden wat ik bedoelt maar ik vond wel Engelse en Duitse soldaten uit de eerste Wereld Oorlog in Vlissingen waren. geheugen.delpher.nl/nl/geheugen/view?coll=ngvn&identifier=SFA03%3ASFA022802483
en
geheugen.delpher.nl/nl/geheugen/view?identifier=SFA03%3ASFA022802493
en was ook bij omroep Zeeland www.omroepzeeland.nl/tv/programma/370059820/Zeeland-tijdens-de-Eerste-Wereldoorlog/aflevering/370080156/Zeeland-tijdens-de-Eerste-Wereldoorlog-Fort-de-Ruyter-10-05-2016
want Zeeuws Vlaanderen was vaak ook raar gebied en ze hadden na de eerste wereld oorlog Belgen gevraagd dat Zeeuws Vlaanderen naar België toe voegen omdat Nederland niet hulp schoot en alleen neutraal bleef. dat is niet geaccepteerd.
belgians were the chads of WW1
Can't say much about Chad.
Kga je volgen... Gewoon omdat ik je landelijke buur ben groetjes uit Oostende
Bedankt! Groeten uit Utrecht.
In dit filmpje zijn Nederlandse strijdkrachten gedurende de eerste wereldoorlog zichtbaar die ook hondenkarren gebruikten voor transport van lichte artillerie. ua-cam.com/video/vO1uz662HHg/v-deo.html
Interessant, dank!
🇧🇪💂🏻♂️💂🏻♂️💂🏻♂️💂🏻♂️💂🏻♂️💂🏻♂️💂🏻♂️
👍
I'm late lol
Don't worry.
heard netherlands and disliked
Vive la Belgique et le Roi!
Bien sur!
@@HistoryHustle For a country with all the problems they had with their army, they proved their courage, and King Albert proved it's valour as a legend, the King who fought in the trenches alongside his men. Belgium participation in the war truly deserves to be called a legend.
😐😐😐
🧐