Belgian soldiers resting with a dog-pulled Maxim machine-gun, August 20, 1914.

Colourised by @mementocolores.

Today 109 years ago, on August 5, 1914, the Battle/Siege of Liège began between Belgian and German forces, which can be considered the first major battle of the Western Front.

Liège is a city in eastern Belgium with a protective ring of 12 forts, built in 1892. Liège was a railway hub connecting Brussels, Paris and Germany, meaning if conquered, it could be a useful asset to Germany.

The Belgians realized this and sent 32,000 soldiers and 280 guns to defend the city and forts. On August 4, 1914, the Germans declared war on Belgium and invaded them, and had by August 5 reached Liège.

On the night of August 5, 1914, 30,000 German troops attacked the villages and forts surrounding Liège. The Germans met fierce resistance from the Belgian soldiers and even civilians, who in house-to-house fights managed to inflict many casualties on the Germans, and following Belgian artillery and counter-attacks forced them to retreat.

On August 6, the Germans carried a Zeppelin attack on Liège, the first of the war. The Belgians, believing many more troops than actuality were facing them decided to withdraw from the perimeter of Liège to the forts. The Germans were able to advance a bit between the forts.

On August 8, the Germans decided to bring up the heavy artillery and carry out a full-out siege on Liège. The Germans anticipated the Belgians to surrender after 2 days.

The German siege howitzers began bombarding the forts on August 12, inflicting heavy casualties and soon fort after fort began falling. The forts hadn't been built to withstand modern artillery.

On August 16, the Belgians surrendered after 11 days of battle and siege, much longer than the 2 days the Germans expected. Although a military defeat, the battle was a small moral victory for the Allies, showing the German Army could be resisted.

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The Belgian resistance also served to delay the German Schlieffen Plan, if only for a few days, in which timing was absolutely crucial for its success, also giving the French and British more time to prepare.

In the Battle/Siege of Liège, the Germans had suffered some 3,300 casualties, but another source states 5,300 German casualties.

The Belgians had suffered 20,000 casualties of whom 2,000 - 3,000 were killed and 4,000 were taken prisoners.

The bulk of the Belgian Army withdrew westwards to Antwerp, where they would engage the Germans again in late September 1914.

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