Battle of Haelen
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Haelen was a cavalry
battle on the Western Front at the beginning of World War I
. It took place on August 12, 1914 between German forces led by Georg von der Marwitz
and the Belgian forces led by Leon De Witte and resulted in a tactical victory for the Belgians.
. A week after the invasion of Belgium by the Germans, the Belgian army chose the location to deal a stopping blow to the advancing enemy in an attempt to buy time to complete an orderly retreat towards the West.
and Diest
. To block the German advance the single cavalry division of the Belgian army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Leon de Witte, was sent to guard the bridge at Haelen over the river Gete
. During an evening meeting, the Belgian general staff convinced de Witte to fight a dismounted action in an attempt to negate the German's numerical advantage and superior use of machine guns.
The fighting erupted around 8 o'clock in the morning when a German scouting party advancing from Herk-de-Stad
came under fire from the Belgians. About 200 Belgian troopers attempted to set up a fortified position in the old brewery at Haelen, but were driven out of the building when the Germans brought up their field artillery. By this time the Belgian engineers had blown the bridge over the Gete
, but the structure only partly collapsed and left the Germans an opportunity to send a force of some 1,000 troops into the centre of Haelen.
The Belgians' central defense line was positioned west of Haelen in a landscape which gave the attacker only an obstructed view. The relatively easy capture of Haelen had made the Germans confident of an easy victory and led to numerous ill-conceived attempts to capture the Belgian position with sabre
and lance
. Towards the end of the day the Germans were forced to retire towards their main columns east of Haelen.
The Germans suffered 150 dead, 600 wounded and some 200-300 prisoners with a loss of approximately 400 horses. The Belgians counted 160 dead and some 320 wounded. Furthermore, the Germans learned that the days of traditional cavalry actions were over.
As an analogy to the Battle of the Golden Spurs
, this battle has been nicknamed the Battle of the Silver Helmets for the many silvered helmets left behind by the German cuirassiers on the battlefield.
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
battle on the Western Front at the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. It took place on August 12, 1914 between German forces led by Georg von der Marwitz
Georg von der Marwitz
Johannes Georg von der Marwitz was a Prussian cavalry general, who commanded several German armies during the First World War on both the Eastern and Western fronts.-Early military career:...
and the Belgian forces led by Leon De Witte and resulted in a tactical victory for the Belgians.
Strategic Context
Haelen (Dutch: Halen) was a small market town along the principal axis of advance of the German imperial army and provided a good crossing point over the river GeteGete
The Gete is a river in Belgium which flows south to north. It is a left tributary of the Demer.The Gete is formed by the confluence of the rivers Grote Gete and Kleine Gete near Budingen. From Budingen the river continues for 12 km to the city of Halen, where it flows into the Demer...
. A week after the invasion of Belgium by the Germans, the Belgian army chose the location to deal a stopping blow to the advancing enemy in an attempt to buy time to complete an orderly retreat towards the West.
August 11
The Belgian military high command was convinced the Germans would advance towards HasseltHasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
and Diest
Diest
Diest is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and Limburg to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of...
. To block the German advance the single cavalry division of the Belgian army, commanded by Lieutenant-General Leon de Witte, was sent to guard the bridge at Haelen over the river Gete
Gete
The Gete is a river in Belgium which flows south to north. It is a left tributary of the Demer.The Gete is formed by the confluence of the rivers Grote Gete and Kleine Gete near Budingen. From Budingen the river continues for 12 km to the city of Halen, where it flows into the Demer...
. During an evening meeting, the Belgian general staff convinced de Witte to fight a dismounted action in an attempt to negate the German's numerical advantage and superior use of machine guns.
August 12
Out of communication intercepts, the Belgian HQ discovered that the Germans were heading in force towards de Witte's position and sent the 4th infantry brigade during the early hours of that morning to reinforce the cavalry division.The fighting erupted around 8 o'clock in the morning when a German scouting party advancing from Herk-de-Stad
Herk-de-Stad
Herk-de-Stad is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On January 1, 2006, Herk-de-Stad had a total population of 11,795. The total area is 42.83 km² which gives a population density of 275 inhabitants per km²....
came under fire from the Belgians. About 200 Belgian troopers attempted to set up a fortified position in the old brewery at Haelen, but were driven out of the building when the Germans brought up their field artillery. By this time the Belgian engineers had blown the bridge over the Gete
Gete
The Gete is a river in Belgium which flows south to north. It is a left tributary of the Demer.The Gete is formed by the confluence of the rivers Grote Gete and Kleine Gete near Budingen. From Budingen the river continues for 12 km to the city of Halen, where it flows into the Demer...
, but the structure only partly collapsed and left the Germans an opportunity to send a force of some 1,000 troops into the centre of Haelen.
The Belgians' central defense line was positioned west of Haelen in a landscape which gave the attacker only an obstructed view. The relatively easy capture of Haelen had made the Germans confident of an easy victory and led to numerous ill-conceived attempts to capture the Belgian position with sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
and lance
Lance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
. Towards the end of the day the Germans were forced to retire towards their main columns east of Haelen.
Tactics
De Witte repulsed the German cavalry attacks by ordering his men (which included a company of cyclists and another of pioneers) to dismount and meet the attack with massed rifle fire, which succeeded in inflicting significant casualties upon the Germans. The battle demonstrated the advent of the irrelevance of mounted cavalry charges on the battlefield.Outcome and effects
Although hailed as a great Belgian victory, the loss of the battle had little consequence to the Germans who conquered Belgium over the next two months.The Germans suffered 150 dead, 600 wounded and some 200-300 prisoners with a loss of approximately 400 horses. The Belgians counted 160 dead and some 320 wounded. Furthermore, the Germans learned that the days of traditional cavalry actions were over.
As an analogy to the Battle of the Golden Spurs
Battle of the Golden Spurs
The Battle of the Golden Spurs, known also as the Battle of Courtrai was fought on July 11, 1302, near Kortrijk in Flanders...
, this battle has been nicknamed the Battle of the Silver Helmets for the many silvered helmets left behind by the German cuirassiers on the battlefield.
External links
- The Battle of Haelen at FirstWorldWar.com
- Museum of battle of Haelen
- General De Witte
- greatwardifferent.com