Belgian Army order of battle (1914)
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This is the
order of battle In modern use, the order of battle of an armed force participating in a military operation or campaign shows the hierarchical organization, command structure, strength, disposition of personnel, and equipment of units and formations of the armed ...
for the
Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...
on the outbreak of war in August 1914, at the start of the German invasion of Belgium.


Background

At the outbreak of
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the Belgian Army was in the middle of a reorganisation. From Belgium's independence in 1830 until 1909 it had comprised a volunteer army and a conscript army recruited by lot. Historically Belgium had a reputation for neglecting its military due, in large part, to its enforced
political neutrality A neutral country is a state that is neutral towards belligerents in a specific war or holds itself as permanently neutral in all future conflicts (including avoiding entering into military alliances such as NATO, CSTO or the SCO). As a type of ...
. During the 19th century, military reform had been a major political issue as successive governments remained unsure of whether the signatory nations of the 1839 Treaty of London would intervene to guarantee Belgian neutrality if the country were invaded. Belgian politicians were also aware of the rapid expansion of French and German armies during the period. From the 1880s onwards, the Belgian government embarked on an ambitious series of fortress construction but failed to expand or reform the military itself. In 1902, the regular army stood at just 42,800 men with a potential post-mobilisation strength of 180,000. Aware of the country's precarious geopolitical situation, a new military bill was signed by
King Leopold II * german: link=no, Leopold Ludwig Philipp Maria Viktor , house = Saxe-Coburg and Gotha , father = Leopold I of Belgium , mother = Louise of Orléans , birth_date = , birth_place = Brussels, Belgium , death_date = ...
in 1909, initiating major military reforms. These put an end to the system of ''
remplacement ''Remplacement militaire'' (French for "military replacement") was the name for a policy of military conscription which originated in France and Belgium in the 19th century. Under the system, wealthy citizens chosen for military service by lot co ...
'', in which wealthy conscripts could pay a replacement to take their place in the army, and introduced a more egalitarian form of military
conscription Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...
based on age group. Beyond the acquisition of a few new Krupp artillery pieces, there was little attempt to modernise the army's equipment. Further reforms were launched after the
Agadir Crisis The Agadir Crisis, Agadir Incident, or Second Moroccan Crisis was a brief crisis sparked by the deployment of a substantial force of French troops in the interior of Morocco in April 1911 and the deployment of the German gunboat to Agadir, a ...
in 1911 under the leadership of the
Charles de Broqueville Charles Marie Pierre Albert, 1st Count de Broqueville (4 December 1860 – 5 September 1940) was the prime minister of Belgium, serving during World War I. Before 1914 Charles de Broqueville was born into an old noble family with its roots in ...
government. After several years of discussion, a major military reform bill was ratified by the parliament in 1913 by which the total possible strength of the army would be gradually increased from 180,000 to 350,000 men. Military spending also rose. This reform had only been partially implemented by the outbreak of war and the Belgium Army was still considered to be weak by the German military leadership.


Strength and equipment


Army

The Belgian government ordered a
general mobilisation Mobilization is the act of assembling and readying military troops and supplies for war. The word ''mobilization'' was first used in a military context in the 1850s to describe the preparation of the Prussian Army. Mobilization theories and t ...
on 31 July 1914. During the early stages of the 1914 campaign, the military had a strength of nearly 220,000 men: *120,500 regular soldiers. *65,000 reservists assigned to fortress units *46,000 militia of the ''
Garde Civique The ''Garde Civique'' or ''Burgerwacht'' ( French and Dutch; "Civic Guard") was a Belgian paramilitary militia which existed between 1830 and 1920. Created in October 1830 shortly after the Belgian Revolution, the Guard amalgamated the various mi ...
'' *18,000 new volunteers. All of the units suffered from lack of equipment, including ammunition. There was a shortage of capable officers, and only 120 machine guns in the whole army. The army possessed no field howitzers or heavy artillery. In terms of appearance, the dark-blue uniforms and personal equipment issued to soldiers in 1914 had not changed visibly since 1853. Standards of discipline were frequently lax and Belgian soldiers were often seen as "indisciplined and careless". The army had no coherent
doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief system ...
and it had as many as five strategic plans, none of which commanded total support from the High Command. The Belgian Army was divided into two, with the majority assigned to the Field Army and lower-quality troops to guard the country's three fortified zones.


''Garde Civique''

Besides the regular army, the Belgian government in 1914 could call on a large militia known as the ''Garde Civique'' (''Burgerwacht'' in Dutch). Formed soon after the
Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...
in 1830, the ''Garde'' was a paramilitary organisation, which was intended to supplement the small professional army as a reserve and also serve as a police force in periods of civil disorder. Because of the requirements for membership, the organisation was dominated by middle-class volunteers. The ''Garde'' was divided into "active" and "non-active" sections. In towns and cities, the local ''Garde'' was considered "active" and would incorporate infantry, cavalry, and artillery formations with a wide variety of equipment and different uniforms. By 1913, the "active" ''Garde'' numbered some 46,000 members. The "non-active" ''Garde'' (described by historians as a "paper formation") was located in smaller settlements and in the countryside where its membership was technically much wider but, like the "active" formations, also dominated by the middle-classes. In 1914, 100,000 men of the "non-active" ''Garde'' were mobilised although they frequently lacked regulation uniforms and were poorly equipped. Local ''Garde Civique'' units fought at the
Battle of Liège A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...
and many other engagements during the initial German invasion in 1914. During the early stages of the war, as many as 1,000 civilians were volunteering for the force every day. Although numerous, modern historians have argued that "the significance of the ''Garde Civique'' should not be exaggerated", highlighting its "marginal" role in the actual fighting. The members of the ''Garde'' were often seen by the Germans as
francs-tireurs (, French for "free shooters") were irregular military formations deployed by France during the early stages of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–71). The term was revived and used by partisans to name two major French Resistance movements se ...
, encouraging them to engage in atrocities against Belgian civilians. The ''Garde'' played only a small role in the campaign after 18 August 1914. On 13 October 1914, Albert I ordered the remaining formations to disband and their members incorporated into the regular Belgian army.


Military aviation

In 1913, the Belgian government created the Company of Aviators (''Compagnie des Aviateurs''), the antecedent of the
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air Component ( nl, Luchtcomponent, french: Composante air) is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force ( nl, Belgische Luchtmacht; french: Force aérienne belg ...
, just two years after the inauguration of the country's first airfield at
Brasschaat Brasschaat () is a municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, and in the Flemish province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Brasschaat proper. In November 2006, Brasschaat won the LivCom-Award 200 ...
in 1911. Attached to the fortresses, the company was equipped with a total of 16 Maurice Farman biplanes. The Belgian army also had had four
observation balloon An observation balloon is a type of balloon that is employed as an aerial platform for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Use of observation balloons began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War ...
s which, like the aircraft, were also attached to the fortresses, and two small
airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...
s.


Organisation


Field Army

The Field Army (''Armée de Campagne'') was the largest component of the Belgian Army, which numbered some 117,000 men.
King Albert I Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...
was in direct command with Lieutenant-General
Antonin de Selliers de Moranville Antonin Leonard Maurice Ghislain, Knight de Selliers de Moranville (Saint-Josse-ten-Noode 1852 – Ixelles 1945) was a Belgian General. Family He was born into an old catholic noble family; his father was Léonard de Selliers de Moranville, kn ...
as Chief of the General Staff. It was divided into seven army divisions (''divisions d'armée''): * 1st Division (Lieutenant-General Baix) –
Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. **2nd Mixed Brigade (Ghent) ***2nd Regiment of the Line ***22nd Regiment of the Line **3rd Mixed Brigade (
Ostend Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
) ***3rd Regiment of the Line ***23rd Regiment of the Line **4th Mixed Brigade (
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
) ***4th Regiment of the Line ***24th Regiment of the Line **Divisional Cavalry (Bruges) *** 3rd Lancers Regiment **Divisional Artillery (Ghent) ***1st Artillery Regiment **Auxiliary units (engineers and logistics) * 2nd Division (Lieutenant-General Dossin) –
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
. **5th Mixed Brigade (Antwerp) *** 5th Regiment of the Line ***25th Regiment of the Line **6th Mixed Brigade (Antwerp) ***6th Regiment of the Line ***26th Regiment of the Line **7th Mixed Brigade (Antwerp) ***7th Regiment of the Line ***27th Regiment of the Line **Divisional Cavalry (
Leuven Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic ...
) *** 4th ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' Regiment (provisional) **Divisional Artillery ( Lier) ***2nd Artillery Regiment **Auxiliary units (engineers and logistics) * 3rd Division (Lieutenant-General Leman) –
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
. **9th Mixed Brigade (
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
) ***9th Regiment of the Line ***29th Regiment of the Line **11th Mixed Brigade (
Hasselt Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its ...
) ***11th Regiment of the Line ***31st Regiment of the Line **12th Mixed Brigade (Liège) ***
12th Regiment of the Line The 12th of the Line (Prince Leopold) – 13th of the Line Battalion (french: Bataillon 12e de Ligne Prince Léopold - 13e de Ligne, nl, Bataljon 12 Linie Prins Léopold - 13 Linie) is an infantry unit in the Belgian Army, Land Component of the M ...
***22nd Regiment of the Line **14th Mixed Brigade (Liège) ***14th Regiment of the Line ***34th Regiment of the Line **Divisional Cavalry (Liège) ***2nd Lancers Regiment **Divisional Artillery (Liège) ***3rd Artillery Regiment **Auxiliary units (engineers and logistics) * 4th Division (Lieutenant-General
Michel Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...
) –
Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...
. **8th Mixed Brigade (
Laken () or () is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the municipality of the City of Brussels and is mostly identified by the Belgian postal code: 1020. Prior to 1921, it was a sep ...
) ***8th Regiment of the Line ***28th Regiment of the Line **10th Mixed Brigade (Namur) *** 10th Regiment of the Line ***30th Regiment of the Line **13th Mixed Brigade (Namur) *** 13th Regiment of the Line ***33rd Regiment of the Line **15th Mixed Brigade (
Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.
) ***1st ''Chasseurs à Pied'' Regiment ***4th ''Chasseurs à Pied'' Regiment ***24th Regiment of the Line **Divisional Cavalry (Namur) *** 1st Lancers Regiment **Divisional Artillery (
Tienen Tienen (; french: Tirlemont ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Marg ...
) ***4th Artillery Regiment **Auxiliary units (engineers and logistics) * 5th Division (Lieutenant-General Ruwet) –
Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...
. **1st Mixed Brigade (Ghent) ***1st Regiment of the Line ***21st Regiment of the Line **16th Mixed Brigade (Mons) ***2nd ''Chasseurs à Pied'' Regiment ***5th ''Chasseurs à Pied'' Regiment **17th Mixed Brigade (
Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...
) ***3rd ''Chasseurs à Pied'' Regiment ***6th ''Chasseurs à Pied'' Regiment **Divisional Cavalry (Mons) *** 2nd ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' Regiment **Divisional Artillery (Leuven) ***5th Artillery Regiment **Auxiliary units (engineers and logistics) * 6th Division (Lieutenant-General Latonnois van Rode) –
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
. **18th Mixed Brigade (Brussels) *** 1st Grenadier Regiment *** 2nd Grenadier Regiment **19th Mixed Brigade (Brussels) *** 1st Carabiners Regiment ***3rd Carabiners Regiment **20th Mixed Brigade (Brussels) ***2nd Carabiners Regiment ***4th Carabiners Regiment **Divisional Cavalry (Tournai) ***1st ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' Regiment **Divisional Artillery (Brussels) ***6th Artillery Regiment **Auxiliary units (engineers and logistics) *Cavalry Division (Lieutenant-General de Witte) – Brussels. **1st Brigade (Brussels) *** 1st Guides Regiment *** 2nd Guides Regiment **2nd Brigade (Ghent) ***4th Lancers Regiment ***5th Lancers Regiment *** 4th ''Chasseurs à Cheval'' Regiment **''Carabiniers-cyclistes'' battalion **Horse Artillery Each division contained three or four mixed brigades (each with two infantry regiments and one artillery contingent group), one cavalry regiment, and one artillery regiment, as well as various support units. Each infantry regiment contained three battalions, with one regiment in each brigade having a machine-gun company of six guns. An artillery group had three batteries of four guns. The nominal strength of a division varied from 25,500 to 32,000 all ranks, with a total strength of 18 infantry battalions, a cavalry regiment, 18 machine-guns, and 48 guns. Two divisions (the 2nd and 6th) each had an additional artillery regiment, for a total of sixty guns. The Cavalry Division had two brigades of two regiments each, three horse artillery batteries, and a cyclist battalion, along with support units; it had a total strength of 4,500 all ranks with 12 guns, and was therefore little more than a reinforced brigade. On 13 October 1914, the ''Garde Civique'' was formally disbanded by Albert I and its members officially incorporated into the regular army.


Fortifications

The second component of the army were the garrisons deployed to Belgium's three fortified cities. These fortress garrisons numbered approximately 80,000 men. The fortress troops were under local command and the soldiers themselves were generally older and less well-trained than soldiers in the Field Army. Before the war, the Belgian government invested resources in constructing and reinforcing fortifications around the country. These included the National Redoubt at
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
, with further fortified chains around the cities of
Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...
and
Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...
. The forts, many designed by Henri-Alexis Brialmont, a noted military architect of the nineteenth century, formed an integral part of the Belgian strategy. Between 1859 and 1870, 13 forts had been built around Antwerp and a further 17 were still unfinished by 1914. 12 were built at Liège and eight at Namur.


See also

*
German Army order of battle (1914) This is the German Army order of battle on the outbreak of World War I in August 1914. Commanders and locations of the German Army The overall commander of the Imperial German Army was Kaiser Wilhelm II. The Chief of the General Staff was General ...
*
French Army order of battle (1914) This is the order of battle for the French Army on the outbreak of war in August 1914. Background In 1914, the French War strategy was based on the offensive Plan XVII, which aimed to attack in Alsace-Lorraine. Therefore, the right wing o ...
* British Expeditionary Force order of battle (1914)


References


Bibliography

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Further reading

* * * * * *


External links

{{commons category-inline, World War I forces of Belgium Military history of Belgium during World War I 1914 in Belgium World War I orders of battle