The conflict that, in fact, constituted the beginning of the First World War was the Battle in Liège, in Belgium. This battle demonstrated the firepower of the modern German army and the bravery of the Belgian resistance who, despite the disadvantage compared to the enemy army, resisted for twelve days, defending the city that gave its name to the battle. This battle lasted from August 4 to 16, 1914.
It all started with the well-known terrorist attack that resulted in the death of the heir to the throne of Austria-Hungary, Franz Ferdinand, in the city of Sarajevo. After this episode, Germany and Austria-Hungary, its ally, sought to implement the count’s plan. Alfred Von Schlieffen, drawn up in 1905, which predicted a quick and precise German attack on France and Russia. One of the objectives was the destruction of the construction project of the Big Serbia and the entire pan-Slavist strategy defended by the Russian Empire.
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However, for the plan to work, the German army needed to reach France by marching, first, through Belgium and Luxembourg. Initially, the Germans believed they could pass through Belgian territory without facing resistance, just by signing an agreement. But this did not happen, and from the 3rd to the 4th of August 1914, two German fronts penetrated Belgian territory, led by generals Moltke It is Alexander Von Kluck. It was the beginning of the “war of movement”, as researcher Luiz de Alencar Araripe shows:
“Under the leadership of their brave King Albert I, not only the army but the entire Belgian people resisted the invasion. Snipers attacked the Germans everywhere, and they used heavy artillery, the gigantic 420 mm mortars, to neutralize resistance. They bombed cities and villages, resulting in a large number of dead, injured and homeless civilians. Not reaching their objective, they took and shot hostages. Brutal procedure, Moltke acknowledged in a letter to General Von Hötzendorf; ‘but we are fighting for our survival and everyone who stands in our way will have to suffer the consequences’, he justified.”
The Germans concentrated fire on the fortified city of Liège, a strategic base for the Belgian defense, due to the forts that surrounded the city. The Belgian resistance still managed to cause significant casualties in the German army. Of 58 thousand soldiers, at least 20 thousand died. In this battle, several weapons considered very modern at the time were used by Germany, from cannons and mortar launchers to Zeppelin airships, responsible for dropping bombs on Liège.
GRADES:
ARARIPE, Luiz de Alencar. First World War. In: MAGNOLI, Demétrio. History of Wars. São Paulo: Ed. Contexto, 2013. p. 333.
By Me. Cláudio Fernandes