Belgian soldiers resting in a ditch, Winter 1914. .

Belgian soldiers resting in a ditch, Winter 1914.

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Colourised by 'DURIEZ Frederic' on Flickr.

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Happy Belgian National Day to all my Belgian followers! 🇧🇪🎉 Today I shall post on Belgium during the First World War for the occasion.

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Even before the First World War broke out, on July 24, 1914, Belgium announced their neutrality in the case of a European war. As part of their Schlieffen Plan, the German Army invaded Belgium on August 4, 1914. Around 1 million Belgian civilians fled to the neutral Netherlands, around 1/7 of the Belgian population.

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Belgium enjoyed the 1839 Treaty of London, which guaranteed Belgian neutrality from Britain, who entered the war following the German invasion. 

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In August 1914, the Belgians fought off the Germans with determination, notably in the Battle of Liège, Battle of Halen and the Siege of Namur. In the end, the German heavy artillery, numerical superiority in troops and military preparedness overwhelmed the Belgians, as they were forced to retreat into own soil.

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Although the delay the Belgians managed to inflict on the Germans was a significant psychological boost for the Allies, showing that the Germans weren't invincible. After the First Battle of the Marne and Race to the Sea, as well as the Siege of Antwerp, the Belgian Army held positions on the Yser river in Flanders, defending the last part of unoccupied Belgium.

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Flanders would become a hot-spot for death and destruction, being host to many bloody battles, most notably the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Battles of Ypres. The 5th Battle of Ypres in September 1918 led to victory.

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Massacres against Belgian civilians were carried out by the German invaders due to sabotage by Belgian resistance fighters among other reasons. This is referred to as the "Rape of Belgium", resulting in the executions of at least 6,500 civilians, most in 1914.

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In total in the First World War, the Belgians suffered some 40,000 killed soldiers. Some 85,000 Belgian civilians died, 23,000 as a direct result of the war and the 6,500 during the Rape of Belgium.