Belgian soldiers wearing straw-camouflaged caps posing for a photograph following the Battle of Halen, August 17, 1914.

Belgian soldiers wearing straw-camouflaged caps posing for a photograph following the Battle of Halen, August 17, 1914. 

Today 109 years ago, on August 12, 1914, the Battle of Halen was fought in Belgium on the Western Front between German and Belgian forces, also known as the "Battle of the Silver Helmets" due to the large amounts of German cuirassier helmets left behind on the battlefield.

On August 5, 1914, the Germans had attacked in the Battle of Liège, considered the first major battle of the Western Front. The fortress city of Liège was conquered on August 7, though surrounding Belgian forts were still offering stiff resistance.

The Germans therefore looked to advance further north across the Gete river. Several of the few bridges in the region across the Gete were found in the small village of Halen, which the Germans planned to cross with an infantry attack, which Cavalry could then exploit and advance deep into Belgium in order to outflank the Belgian forces at Liège and open the path for Brussels.

The Belgian military command realized that a German attack at Halen was imminent. Belgian General de Witte ordered his own Cavalry fight dismounted, engaging the German Cavalry with massed rifle fire. Only one Belgian infantry-cyclist company guarded the main bridge across the Gete, while the majority of the Belgian force took up positions south of Halen at the lJzerwinningshoeve farmhouse.

At 8:00 AM on August 12, 1914, German infantry, backed by artillery, attacked the bridge at Halen and broke through the outnumbered Belgian defenders. The decision was made to blow up the bridge and retreat southwards, but due to low-quality gunpowder the explosions only partially destroyed the bridge, and soon the Germans had crossed the Gete.

The Germans now attacked Halen itself and were initially repulsed, but artillery and the sheer number of German infantry forced the Belgians to retreat to lJzerwinningshoeve.

In the afternoon of August 12, repeated frontal German Cavalry charges were made on this position which the Belgians repulsed with rifle fire and artillery, inflicting great losses on the Germans.

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Eventually the Germans decided to attack with the infantry, which overpowered the Belgian defenders at lJzerwinningshoeve.

The Belgians were losing ground and the situation seemed hopeless, but around 5 PM a last-ditch counter-attack was launched which succeeded in silencing the German artillery and advanced to recapture lJzerwinningshoeve at 7 PM.

The Belgian counter-attack continued and attempted to retake Halen and force the Germans back across the Gete river, but blindly attacking across open fields, the Belgian attack was thwarted by German machine-gunners, inflicting high losses.

However, the Germans had taken notice of the Belgian resistance and broke off their own attack following the arrival of Belgian reinforcements.

The Battle of Halen had resulted in a tactical Belgian victory, but did little to halt the German advance through Belgium in the bigger picture. The Belgians had suffered some 1,122 casualties, among 160 deaths. The Germans had suffered some 3,000 casualties, among 1,100 Cavalrymen, with another 200-300 taken prisoner.

The Battle of Halen is notable for the way dismounted Belgian units were able to repulse mounted German Cavalry, an early indication that Cavalry was quickly becoming obsolete in warfare.