The fall of Antwerp forced the Belgian Field Army to retreat to the Yser, shaping the static front that defined Belgium's role in World War I until 1918.
Key Facts
- Bombardment began
- 28 September 1914
- City surrendered
- 9 October 1914
- British reinforcement
- Royal Naval Division arrived 3 October 1914
- Defensive structure
- National Redoubt ring of forts
- Belgian retreat destination
- Yser river, near French border
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
Following the German invasion of Belgium in August 1914, German forces moved to reduce Antwerp, the fortified refuge of the Belgian Field Army. The city's garrison and field army had conducted sorties that disrupted German troop movements toward France, making its capture a strategic priority for German commanders seeking to free up forces on the Western Front.
German heavy and super-heavy artillery began bombarding Antwerp's ring of forts on 28 September 1914. Despite the arrival of the British Royal Naval Division on 3 October, German forces breached the outer fortifications. As the escape corridor along the Dutch border narrowed, the Belgian Field Army withdrew westward, and the remaining garrison surrendered on 9 October 1914, leaving the city under German occupation.
Some British and Belgian troops fled north into the Netherlands and were interned for the war's duration. The Belgian Field Army retreated to the Yser river, where it fought the Battle of the Yser against the German 4th Army in October–November 1914 and held the last unoccupied strip of Belgium until participating in the Allied liberation of the country in late 1918.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
3 belligerents
Side B
1 belligerent