Liège Fortress
Long Live His Majesty the Kaiser!
Biodata
| Feature | Value |
|---|---|
| Name | Liège Fortress |
| Original Name | 列日要塞 |
| Type | Military fortress |
| Location | Belgium 26 |
| Affiliation | German Empire during the battle 23 25 |
| Role | German defensive stronghold targeted by the Allies before peace negotiations 23 28 |
| Status | Retained by Germany after the Allied offensive failed 28 29 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 23 |
Fortifications and Armament
- Reinforced defenses: Germany strengthened the fortress after capturing it. Allied officers considered it formidable even before those improvements 25.
- Concrete and stone walls: Heavy shelling broke material from the walls and damaged firing ports, but failed to force a breakthrough during four days of attacks 26 27.
- Defensive weapons: Machine guns covered approaches and breaches at the fortress’s base. Small-caliber field guns supported the defenders, while antiaircraft guns engaged British bombers 26.
- Initial limitations: The garrison had no heavy artillery. Its ammunition reserves were initially judged sufficient for three days of unrestricted firing, although it was ordered to hold for five 25.
- Demolition reserve: An underground storeroom contained 800 kilograms of TNT, which the commander reserved for destroying the fortress if the enemy broke in 27.
Battle of Liège Fortress
Preparations
Eitel identified Liège Fortress as a priority before the Allied offensive began. He ordered newly produced weapons and ammunition sent to the front, instructed the fortress’s officers to monitor French movements, and directed Hindenburg to watch the British. After the garrison reported Allied troops constructing positions outside, Hindenburg ordered it to hold for five days and gave its supplies logistical priority 23.
Model personally accompanied a train carrying new weapons and supplies, bringing a battalion-sized escort of several hundred logistics soldiers. The journey was estimated to take three days, while the nearest conventional reinforcements were expected to need at least five. He therefore ordered his escort to prepare to fight immediately upon arrival 24.
Hindenburg and Falkenhausen arranged infantry reinforcements, with Schörner assigned to lead one division. Despite these preparations, Manstein warned Eitel that the disparity in numbers and equipment made a five-day defense highly unlikely 24 25.
Opposing Forces
| Side | Forces and leadership | Objective |
|---|---|---|
| German Empire | Initial garrison of 8,726 under an unnamed fortress commander; later reinforced by Model, Schörner, infantry divisions, and a cavalry division 25 27 28 | Hold the fortress until reinforcements arrived 23 |
| Allies | Thirty divisions; forces included the British Second Army, French Sixth Army, and Belgium Field Army. General Herbert and Lieutenant General Jean Degoutte directed the offensive 23 25 | Capture the fortress before German reinforcements arrived and weaken Germany’s negotiating position 25 28 |
Bombardment and Assaults
The Allied plan called for Belgian troops to probe the defenses and expose German firing positions. Artillery would then eliminate those positions before armored cars and infantry completed the capture. Supreme headquarters initially demanded that the fortress fall before sunset 25.
British and French artillery opened the attack, followed by British bombers and the Belgian advance. German soldiers repeatedly replaced casualties at exposed firing positions, maintaining machine-gun and field-gun fire. The Belgians withdrew near sunset after several hours of fighting, but their attack enabled Allied staff to calculate the locations of German weapons 26.
Subsequent bombardments targeted those positions. The fortress commander suffered an arm wound that pierced a major artery but refused evacuation, insisting that the soldiers needed to see him fighting beside them. Allied assaults continued unsuccessfully for four days, during which Herbert reported expending more than 300,000 shells 27.
Garrison Losses
| Point in the battle | Reported condition |
|---|---|
| Before the attack | 8,726 defenders; plentiful ammunition but no heavy artillery 25 |
| After the first day | 6,712 soldiers fit to fight; 800 reported killed and more than 1,000 wounded 27 |
| Before relief | Fewer than 1,000 able to fight, with ammunition nearly exhausted 27 |
As the defense approached collapse, the commander ordered the remaining TNT ignited if Allied troops entered the fortress. The demolition was a last resort intended to deny the enemy an intact stronghold 27.
Relief and Counterattack
German reinforcements arrived during another Allied assault. Fresh troops occupied firing positions and brought their own machine guns, while supporting shells struck the attackers. Model reached the wounded commander and lit his cigarette as the defense was renewed 27.
Further infantry formations arrived throughout the afternoon, followed by a cavalry division at six in the evening. German artillery flattened Allied forward trenches, and Herbert ordered withdrawal at seven 28.
From the fortress headquarters, Model and the reinforcing commanders approved Operation Long Knife. At nine that evening, German artillery, cavalry, and infantry attacked the exhausted British and French forces. The counterattack routed them; Herbert refused to abandon headquarters and died by suicide 28.
Aftermath and Significance
The victory defeated the Allied attempt to reduce Germany’s influence at the negotiating table. Hindenburg subsequently regarded the battle as one of Eitel’s achievements in restoring the empire’s diplomatic standing 28 30.
On the morning of the fifth day, Rommel reported that the battle had ended the previous day. The report recorded more than 10,000 casualties. Eitel ordered a state funeral for the fallen, while Manstein proposed medals for distinguished officers and soldiers 29.
News of the victory spread across Germany before Eitel departed for Versailles. Crowds in Berlin credited him with the success and cheered him as he left for the peace conference 31.