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 Lièg...