Belgian soldiers resting in a ditch, Winter 1914. .
Belgian soldiers resting in a ditch, Winter 1914. . Colourised by 'DURIEZ Frederic' on Flickr. . Happy Belgian National Day to all my Belgian followers! ๐ง๐ช๐ Today I shall post on Belgium during the First World War for the occasion. . 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. . Belgium enjoyed the 1839 Treaty of London, which guaranteed Belgian neutrality from Britain, who entered the war following the German invasion. . In August 1914, the Belgians fought off the Germans with determination, notably in the Battle of Liรจge, 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 the...