Key Facts
- Bombardment start date
- 28 September 1914
- City surrendered
- 9 October 1914
- British reinforcement
- Royal Naval Division arrived 3 October 1914
- Belgian sorties
- 3 sorties in late September–early October
- Post-fall withdrawal
- Belgian Army retreated to the Yser river
Strategic Narrative Overview
Belgian forces launched three sorties in late September and early October 1914, disrupting German plans to redeploy troops to France. Germany responded with a heavy and super-heavy artillery bombardment beginning 28 September, breaching the outer fort ring. The British Royal Naval Division arrived on 3 October but could not reverse the situation. German advances began compressing the western corridor along the Dutch border used by the Belgians to maintain contact with unoccupied Belgium.
01 / The Origins
Following Germany's invasion of Belgium in August 1914, Belgian forces retreated to Antwerp, a heavily fortified city ringed by forts known as the National Redoubt. German forces besieged the city from the south and east, seeking to neutralise the Belgian field army and free up troops for operations in France, where they faced pressure from French armies and the British Expeditionary Force.
03 / The Outcome
The remaining garrison surrendered on 9 October 1914, and German forces occupied Antwerp. Some British and Belgian troops escaped north into the Netherlands and were interned. The Belgian Field Army withdrew westward to the Yser river, where it dug in and fought the Battle of the Yser against the German 4th Army, defending the last unoccupied strip of Belgium until the Allied liberation in late 1918.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
3 belligerents
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.