Siege of Antwerp (1914)
The storming of Antwerp (postcard 1915)
| date | August 20 to October 10, 1914 |
|---|---|
| place | Surroundings of the Belgian city of Antwerp |
| output | German victory |
| consequences | Withdrawal of the Belgian armed forces to West Flanders and the British to England |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
General of the infantry Hans von Beseler |
|
| Troop strength | |
|
Army group Beseler :
III. Reserve Corps , Marine Division , 4th Replacement Division , 26th, 37th and 1st Bavarian Landwehr Brigade, 8th fortress artillery battalion of the Austro-Hungarian Army ; a total of about 120,000 men |
Antwerp Fortress:
80,000 men (including) field army, 2,000 British soldiers from the Royal Naval Division |
| losses | |
|
unknown |
approx. 26,000 Belgians and 2,000 British were interned in the Netherlands , approx. 1,300 guns |
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The siege of Antwerp took place at the beginning of the First World War from August 20 to October 10, 1914. The attackers were German troops , reinforced by 30.5 cm siege mortars of the Austro-Hungarian artillery , the fortress was defended by Belgian forces , supported by British marines . The siege ended with the fortress surrendering and the Belgian field army withdrew to West Flanders .
prehistory
Belgium was of great importance in the German war planning for the Western Front in 1914. In order to bypass the French fortresses on the Franco-German border, the Supreme Army Command (OHL) planned to march through Belgium and Luxembourg with most of the army . However, the Belgian government of King Albert I was determined to defend the country's neutrality. Shortly after the outbreak of war, there was a German attack on Liège (August 4-16), which was particularly important as a fortress and railway junction for the German advance. However, the general German offensive only began on August 18, 1914 after the deployment had been completed. The Belgian army, 120,000 strong, consisted of six infantry and one cavalry division. The 3rd and 4th Divisions were deployed to defend Liège and Namur, the others had taken up defensive positions behind the Gete , were defeated in the following two days and forced to retreat. King Albert I refused a withdrawal to the French border and led the remaining 80,000 men of the field army to the fortress of Antwerp , which was regarded as a “réduit national” (nationwide retreat) and was reached on August 20. The Belgian army was supposed to hold its own there until the Entente troops arrived .
course
From August 20, 1914, the fortress contained the 80,000 men of the field army that had withdrawn here and the actual garrison, a total of five divisions. Initially, only the III. Reserve Corps under General of the Infantry z.D. Hans von Beseler seconded from the 1st Army . It was not possible to lock it in with the existing troops, as there were still enemy forces to the west of Antwerp and the sea or the Dutch border had not yet been reached in order to cut off the fortress completely from its hinterland and the connection to the Allies. To the northwest, north and northeast, there was no need to seal off, as there was no way whatsoever due to the near Dutch border. King Albert I decided to take the offensive himself to relieve the Franco-British troops. On August 25 and 26, 1914, his armed forces made a sortie in the direction of Mechelen , which cost around 4,000 men. Another sortie took place from September 8-13, 1914, in which another 8,000 soldiers were killed or wounded.
After the Battle of the Marne (September 5-12, 1914), the German Army Command decided to remove the flank threat posed by the Belgian fortress. For this purpose, about 120,000 soldiers were drawn together, including Beseler's III Reserve Corps as main units, the Marine Division , the 4th Replacement Division , the 1 Bavarian, 37 and 26th Landwehr Brigades. From the end of September this group was called the Beseler Army Group and directly subordinated to the Supreme Army Command. To support them, these troops had 160 heavy artillery pieces and 13 very heavy mortars such as the " Big Bertha ". Some 30.5 cm M.11 mortars from the Austro-Hungarian Army were also involved. The planned German attack began on September 27, 1914. The fortress was shelled from September 28 to 30. The Belgians asked the Western Powers for support, but in the meantime they had to withdraw over the Nete with hesitant resistance . 2,000 British Marines arrived on October 2nd , but these reinforcements proved to be too weak. Therefore, King Albert I decided to evacuate the city the following day. From October 4th to 8th, 1914, the German troops broke into the Belgian positions near Lier in heavy fighting with many losses . During these skirmishes, on October 6th, the Belgian headquarters decided to withdraw. The Belgian government was evacuated to Ostend that day . In the days from October 7th to 9th, the Germans shelled the city. The remaining Belgian and British troops then withdrew. On October 10, 1914, the mayor of Antwerp capitulated.
consequences
Since the fortress could not be completely enclosed due to the strong resistance of the Belgian defenders, it was possible, after the eviction order, to transport four complete Belgian divisions by rail in a western direction to Ghent. The 2nd Belgian division, the 1st and 2nd British naval brigade and the British naval brigade remained initially. These groups tried to escape on October 9th via Beveren-Waes on Lokeren.
However, after Lokeren had already been occupied by the Germans, the troops turned off at St.Gilles-Waes in order to reach the railway here. However, before the removal could be completed, the 1st Bavarian Landwehr Brigade interrupted the railway line at Moerbeke. After the Belgians and English could not fight their way out of the withdrawal, most of the Belgians' 2nd Infantry Division and dispersed soldiers (approx. 26,000 men) and around 2,000 men of the British 1st Sea Brigade crossed the Dutch border and were interned.
On October 9, the civil administration under Mayor de Vos offered to surrender, as there was no longer a military command structure (the governor of the fortress, General de Guise, was captured on October 10 in Fort Ste. Marie). The Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 8 was the first unit to enter the fortress, whose advanced and still occupied forts had to give up on October 10th.
The number of prisoners was noticeably small.
The booty amounted to 1,300 artillery pieces of all calibres, 900,000 grenades, large quantities of coffee, hops, flax, food, several thousand tons of grain, hides, petroleum, silver, wood, wool and 180 motor vehicles.
The bulk of the remaining Belgian field army took part in the battle of the Yser at the end of October . Even in the further course of the war, the Belgian armed forces remained deployed on the western front. The Belgian parliament and government went into exile in Le Havre . Most of the German units involved in the siege were also relocated to West Flanders, where they took part in the First Battle of Flanders . The high command and the commander-in-chief of the Beseler army group were called in from July 21 to August 24, 1915 on the Eastern Front to take the Russian fortress Novogeorgievk .
Positioning of the German artillery during the siege of Antwerp
During the siege, the southern to eastern forts of the outer ring of the fortress were bombarded with field artillery and the heaviest artillery, making them ready for attack. The older works in the inner ring (No. 1 to 8) were not fired at. Both German and Austro-Hungarian artillery units were deployed.
Deployed siege artillery units
The siege artillery was properly identified units and parts of such units of the foot artillery that had been specially drawn together for this purpose. Even official sources do not state how many guns the individual batteries were in use, so that no reliable figures are available here. In the Reichsarchiv only the total number of heavy and heaviest guns is given as 173, 40 × 10 and 13 cm cannons, 72 × 15 cm howitzers, 48 × 21 cm mortars, 4 × Austro-Hungarian 30.5 cm M.11- Mortars , 5 × 30.5 cm coastal mortars and 4 × short marine cannons .
An internal German investigation in 1915 found that there were official reports from all heavy batteries that were named from war diaries that were somehow accessible; but it cannot be ruled out that more batteries, whose involvement is not known here, fired.
Foot artillery brigade of the 5th Reserve Division (Brigade Commander: Major General Schabel)
- Foot Artillery Regiment Colonel Bormkam
- ½ Landwehr foot artillery battalion 7 with heavy field howitzers 13 short (15 cm)
- ½ 2nd Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 3 with heavy field howitzers 02 (15 cm)
- ½ 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 3 with field cannons 04 (10 cm)
- Foot artillery regiment Lieutenant Colonel Schulenburg
- 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 7 with mortars (21 cm)
- 1st Battalion 9th Infantry Regiment with mortars (21 cm)
- 2nd battalion 9th foot artillery regiment with mortars (21 cm)
- Standalone batteries
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 1 (Neumann battery) with coastal mortars (30.5 cm)
- Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 (Amann battalion) with 30.5 cm M.11 mortar
- Short marine cannon battery 2 ( Becker battery ) with short marine cannons ( gamma device 42 cm)
- Short marine cannon battery 3 (battery Erdmann) with short marine cannons (gamma device 42 cm)
- Artillery Park Command: Colonel Hirsch
Foot artillery regiment of the 6th Reserve Division (regimental commander: Lieutenant Colonel Schaubode)
- 2nd Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 7 with field cannons (13 cm)
- ½ 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 3 with field cannons 04 (10 cm)
- 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 2 with heavy field howitzers 02 (15 cm)
- ½ 2nd battalion 8th foot artillery regiment with heavy field howitzers (15 cm)
Foot Artillery Brigade of the Marine Division (Brigade Commander: Major General Ziethen)
- Foot artillery regiment Colonel Breusing
- Landwehr foot artillery battalion 2 with heavy field howitzers (15 cm)
- ½ 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 18 with field cannons 04 (10 cm)
- Foot artillery regiment Colonel Schradin
- III. Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 7 with field cannons (13 cm)
- 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 9 with mortars (21 cm)
- Standalone batteries
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 5 (battery sharp) with coastal mortars (30.5 cm)
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 6 (battery book) with coastal mortars (30.5 cm)
- Foot artillery ammunition column
- Motor vehicle column
- Artillery Park Command: Major General von Fichte
Deployed units of the corps artillery of the III. Reserve corps
The units of the corps artillery were the associations that were relocated as subordinate field artillery and foot artillery with this before Antwerp.
6th Reserve Division (Lieutenant General von Schickfus and Neudorff)
- Reserve field artillery regiment 6 (Lieutenant Colonel von Oertzen) with field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
5th Reserve Division (Lieutenant General Voigt)
- Reserve Field Artillery Regiment 5 (Lieutenant Colonel Schweinitz) with field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
Corps artillery
- 1st Battalion Reserve Foot Artillery Regiment 2 (Major Banke) with field howitzers 02 (15 cm)
4th replacement division (Lieutenant General von Werder)
- 33rd mixed reserve brigade (Lieutenant General Melior )
- Field artillery replacement department 60 (Schwerin) with light field howitzers 10.5 cm and field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
- Field artillery replacement division 45 (Altona) with field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
- 13th mixed reserve brigade (Major General von Mechow)
- Field artillery replacement department 75 (Halle) with light field howitzers 10.5 cm and field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
- Field artillery replacement division 40 (castle) with field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
- 9th Mixed Reserve Brigade (Major General Trip)
- Field artillery replacement department 39 (Perleberg) with light field howitzers 10.5 cm and field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
- Field artillery replacement department 18 (Frankfurt / Oder) with light field howitzers 10.5 cm and field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
Marinedivision (Admiral von Schröder)
1st Battalion Landwehr Artillery Division X Army Corps with field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
26th Landwehr Infantry Brigade (Lieutenant General von Schütz)
- 2. Replacement battery 59 with field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
37th Landwehr Infantry Brigade (Lieutenant General von Meyer)
- 1. Replacement battery 59 with light field howitzers 10.5 cm
- Field artillery replacement division 26 with light field howitzers 10.5 cm and field cannons 96 (7.7 cm)
- ½ heavy field howitzer battalion with heavy field howitzers (15 cm)
1 bay. Landwehr Infantry Brigade
- 1 land storm battery with field guns (7.7 cm)
Assigned goals
Fort Wavre-Ste. Catherine
Bombarded from September 28 to October 1, 1914 by:
- Short marine gun battery 2 with 171 rounds in 42 cm caliber from a distance of 10.1 km
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 1 with 327 rounds 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 7.5 km
Fort Koningshoykt
Bombarded from September 29 to October 2, 1914 by:
- Short marine gun battery 2 with 113 rounds in 42 cm caliber from a distance of 11.7 km
- Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 with 411 rounds of 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 8.8 km
Fort Lierre
Bombarded from September 30th to October 2nd, 1914 by:
- Short marine cannon battery 3 with 175 rounds in 42 cm caliber from a distance of 7.8 km
Fort boiler
Bombarded on October 4, 1914 by:
- Short marine cannon battery 3 with 57 rounds in 42 cm caliber from a distance of 8.4 km
- Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 with 66 rounds of 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 8.0 km
Fort Broechem
- Bombarded from October 5 to 6, 1914 by:
- Short marine cannon battery 3 with 74 rounds in 42 cm caliber from a distance of 8.2 km
- Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 with 70 rounds in 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 8.9 km
Fort Breendonk
Bombarded on October 1 and October 4 to 8, 1914 by:
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 1 with 221 rounds in 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 7.8 km
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 5 with 225 rounds 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 8.0 km
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 6 with 117 rounds 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 8.0 km
Fort Waelhem
Bombarded from September 28 to October 2, 1914 by:
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 5 with 422 rounds 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 9.1 km
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 6 with 134 rounds 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 7.7 km
Fort Duffel
Bombarded from September 30th to October 1st, 1914 by:
- Heavy coastal mortar battery 5 with 137 rounds 30.5 cm caliber from a distance of 10.3 km
590 shots with a caliber of 42 cm and 2130 shots with a caliber of 30.5 cm were fired. There are also about 11,800 shots of 21 cm caliber at the intermediate positions and communications .
First positions of the siege artillery
- west of Hombeek
- Coastal Heavy Mortar Battery 1 (1 gun)
- Coastal Heavy Mortar Battery 5 (1 gun)
- after changing position from northeast. Hofstade: Heavy Coastal Mortar Battery 6 (1 gun)
- south of Hombeek
- III / Res Foot Artillery Regiment 7th
- east of Hombeek
- Landwehr Foot Artillery Battalion 2
- south of Mechelen
- ½ I./ResFußArtRgt 18
- I./ResFußArtRgt 9
- south of Hofstade
- Coastal Heavy Mortar Battery 5 (1 gun)
- north of Hofstade
- Coastal Heavy Mortar Battery 6 (1 gun)
- Halfway between Mechelen and Hever
- I. / ResFußArtRgt 9
- ½ I./ResFußArtRgt 3
- at Boort Meerbeek station
- Short marine cannon battery 2
- north of Hever
- Coastal Heavy Mortar Battery 1 (1 gun)
- on the road between Mechelen and Peulis
- ½ Landwehr foot artillery battalion 7
- II. 9th foot artillery regiment
- ¼ I./Res Foot Artillery Regiment 3
- ¼ II./Res foot artillery regiment 3
- I./Res foot artillery regiment 7
- north of Peulis
- ¼ II./Res foot artillery regiment 3
- southeast of Putte
- I. Res Foot Artillery Regiment 2
- east of Beersel
- II / Res Foot Artillery Regiment 7th
- ½ I./Res foot artillery regiment 3
- at Heykant
- Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 (2 guns)
- Short marine cannon battery 3 (1 gun)
- east of Isschoto
- Short marine cannon battery 3 (1 gun)
- west of Doornlaer
- Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 (2 guns)
- at Vythoek
- after Isschoto changed position: Short marine cannon battery 3 (1 gun)
- west of Koningshoyckt
- after Heykant changed position: Austro-Hungarian fortress artillery battalion 8 (2 guns)
Results of the bombardment of the armored turrets
Fort Wavre-Ste. Catherine
- 2 armored turrets with two 150 mm cannons each (both destroyed)
- 4 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon for close defense (three destroyed, one intact)
Fort Koningshoykt
- 2 armored turrets with two 150 mm cannons each (both destroyed)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 120 mm cannon (both intact)
- 4 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon (one destroyed, three intact)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon for close-range defense (both intact)
Fort Lierre
- 2 armored turrets with two 150 mm cannons each (both destroyed)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 120 mm cannon (both intact)
- 4 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon for close defense (two destroyed, two intact)
Fort boiler
- 1 armored turret with a 150 mm cannon (intact)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 120 mm cannon (one destroyed, one intact)
- 4 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon (all intact)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon for close defense (all intact)
Fort Broechem
- 1 armored turret with a 150 mm cannon (intact)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 120 mm cannon (both intact)
- 4 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon (all intact)
- 2 armored turrets, each with a 75 mm cannon for close-range defense (one destroyed, one intact)
In total, the fought forts had 46 armored turrets with 65 guns.
Used guns
- Short marine cannon (gamma device) 42 cm
- 7.7 cm field cannon 96 nA
- Siege mortar 30.5 cm M 11
- Heavy coastal mortar 30.5 cm
- 21 cm mortar
- 21 cm mortar 99
- 10 cm field cannon 04
- 10 cm field cannon 99
- 10.5 cm field howitzer 98/09
- 13 cm field cannon
- 9 cm field cannon
- 15 cm field howitzer 13
- heavy 12 cm field cannon
Short marine cannon 42 cm (gamma device)
kuk Škoda siege mortar 30.5 cm
7.7 cm field cannon 96
Heavy 15 cm field howitzer 13
15 cm field howitzer 02
21 cm mortar
Light field howitzer 10 cm
Field cannon 10 cm 04
Mortar 21 cm 99
Museum reception
In Wiener Heeresgeschichtlichen Museum a tank dome of the fortress Antwerpen (Fort boiler) is issued that a direct hit of a 30.5-cm-siege mortar the imperial artillery has.
Web links
- Right across Belgium. In: Die Wochenschau , No. 43 (October 24, 1914) ( online version )
- Michael Duffy: The Siege of Antwerp 1914. on: www.firstworldwar.com (as of May 23, 2010)
- The Siege and Fall of Antwerp. on: www.firstworldwar.com (as of May 23, 2010)
literature
- Gerhard Hirschfeld / Gerd Krumeich / Irina Renz (ed.): Encyclopedia First World War. Verlag Schöningh, Paderborn 2003, ISBN 3-506-73913-1
- Erich von Tschischwitz: Antwerp 1914. (2nd edition), Verlag Oldenburg, Stalling 1925 (= battles of the world war in individual representations. Vol. 3).
- Spencer Tucker (Ed.): Encyclopedia of World War I. ABC-Clio Inc, Santa Barbara 2005, ISBN 1-85109-420-2
- NN: Memorandum on the results of the bombardment of the forts of Liège, Namur, Antwerp, Maubeuge and the Fort Manonviller in 1914. 1915, 37 pages, digitized version
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Laurence van Ypersele: Antwerp. In: Gerhard Hirschfeld, Gerd Krumeich, Irina Renz (eds.): Encyclopedia First World War. Paderborn 2003, p. 336 f.
- ^ A b Hermann Cron: History of the German Army in the World Wars 1914–1918. Berlin 1937, p. 84.
- ^ A b William P. McEvoy: Antwerp, Siege of. In: Spencer Tucker (Ed.): Encyclopedia of World War I. Santa Barbara 2005, p. 111.
- ^ Reichsarchiv "Antwerp" p. 93
- ↑ Reichsarchiv file 472 “Memorandum on the results of the bombardment of the fortresses Liège, Namur, Antwerp, Maubeuge and Fort Manonviller in 1914” p. 12