SIEGE AND FALL OF ANTWERP
The siege of Antwerp began on September 29, 1914, and in less than two
weeks, October 10, 1914, this historic city, one of the most important
trade centers of the world and one of the strongest fortresses in
Europe, was forced to capitulate, though it had always been believed to
be impregnable.
During the latter part of September, 1914, the forces of the
belligerents were driving northward in that memorable race for the
Channel in which both sides had the same object; each was trying to be
the first to turn the other's front and crumble his line.
At the same time the German forces, then in the vicinity of Brussels,
under the command of General von Beseler, pushed toward Antwerp, on
which the Belgian army had fallen back to make its last stand. This move
was necessary in order to cut off all danger of rear attacks which would
menace General von Kluck's drive to the coast, a movement which had
reached Douai on October 1, 1914.
The German General Staff had decided to take Antwerp at all cost.
General von Beseler on the last day of September, 1914, reached a point
within range of Antwerp's farthest outer forts.
In order to understand the record of the following successive steps in
the siege of Antwerp, a description of this city's position and the
location of its double circle of forts is necessary. Antwerp was
considered one of the most formidable strongholds in the world. The
elaborate defenses of Antwerp evolved from the original fortifications
of thirty years ago through continual additions. The location of the
city offers very many natural advantages for its defense, and the
engineering genius controlling the work made full use of these
opportunities. From the north Antwerp has access to the sea by the river
Scheldt, of which the arm nearest to the city is narrow, with six strong
forts on each bank, including the citadel.
[Illustration: Liege Forts, Showing German Attack.]
[Illustration: Siege and Fall of Antwerp.]
Any armies approaching from the south must cross the rivers Rupel and
Nethe, which practically, in the shape of a semicircle, swing around the
city to the south at a distance varying from about six to twelve miles.
Within this circle of flowing water, and about two miles from the city,
is another circle, formed by twelve powerful forts. At a point almost
due east from the center of the city and commanding the railroad to
Holland, by way of Turnhout, is located the first of eight forts,
designated by numbers. From there they swing to the south and west, with
fort eight very close to the Scheldt and directly south to the village
of Hoboken. On the other side of the river are Forts de Cruibeke and
Zwyndrecht, the latter commanding the railroad to Ghent. Further north
and right on the banks of the Scheldt are Forts St. Marie, la Perle, and
St. Philip, the first two on the left bank and the last on the right,
all three opposite the new harbor and docks. In the northeast Fort de
Merkem guards the railroad to Rotterdam. Outside of this circle and in
the south, outside of the Nethe-Rupel line, there is another complete
circle of nineteen even stronger forts, at a distance from the city
varying between five and ten miles. Starting again in the east--due east
from fort one--and swinging south, these forts are named: Oeleghem,
Broeckem, Kessel, Lierre, Koningshoyckt, Wavre St. Catherine,
Waelhem--the last two only a few miles north of Malines--Breendonck,
Liezel, Bornem, Rupelmonde, Haesdonck, Doel, Blauwgaren--the last two
guarding the Scheldt at the point of its entrance into Holland, one on
each bank--Stabroek, Ertbrand, Brasschaet, Schooten, and Gravenwezel.
Between these outer forts there were redoubts of considerable strength,
which were armed with 4-inch guns. The forts of the inner ring are
placed at regular intervals of 2,200 yards and at a distance of about
3,500 yards from the enceinte of the city, which itself had powerful
defenses as well.
Add to these defenses the important fact that the entire district
surrounding Antwerp was subject to inundation to such a depth that all
approach to the city could be made impracticable to an enemy force with
heavy cannon and ammunition. Military authorities held Antwerp to be of
incomparable strength and as nearly impregnable as engineering genius
could make it.
During the latter part of September, 1914, several of the outer forts
were subjected to bombardment, and many of these had become useless as
defenses.
General von Beseler's advance was still barred by the river Nethe, upon
the opposite bank of which the defense was concentrated. During the
engagements which now ensued the German aircraft kept the commanders
advised as to conditions behind the enemy's lines, now and then dropping
bombs, apparently doing considerable damage.
On October 2, 1914, General von Beseler scattered from "Taube"
aeroplanes a number of printed papers over the entire district. These
circulars contained a proclamation to the Belgian soldiers, advising
them to stop fighting for England and Russia and to return home to their
wives and children, as Germany was ready to help and befriend them.
The Belgian Government, which had established itself in Antwerp after
the occupation of Brussels, decided to leave the city as soon as
possible. Two small steamers were ordered to be held in readiness. The
foreign legations also decided to go with the Government.
Throughout this day a steady fire was kept up on the nearest outer
forts, but the Belgian soldiers contested every inch of ground against
the German advance. This fighting continued throughout the entire day
following, during which two of the minor outer forts were silenced.
Rapid progress by the Germans was very difficult owing to the peculiar
conformation of the course of the river Scheldt at the point of attack.
This made especially difficult the laying of concrete foundations for
the heavy guns.
The first detachment of British troops, numbering about 8,000 marines,
reached Antwerp on October 3, 1914. This buoyed up the spirits of the
Belgian soldiers and redoubled their efforts. Under cover of the
continuous fire of their guns, the Germans made determined efforts to
cross the river Nethe at Waelhem. Desperate fighting, which lasted all
night and until early in the morning of October 4, took place. This
attempt, however, failed. Later in the day the Germans succeeded in
putting a pontoon bridge in place. Troops in solid masses hurried
across; but as they reached the other side some well-directed shots from
the Belgian guns blew the pontoon bridge to pieces, killing many.
Throughout the night of October 4, 1914, and the day and night of
October 5, the battle raged about Lierre with savage ferocity. The
British marines had by this time relieved the Belgians. The German fire,
however, compelled the defenders to draw back a considerable distance.
At four o'clock in the morning of October 6, 1914, the Germans succeeded
in crossing the river in force, and now the defenders were obliged to
give way, as the outer forts had ceased to afford them any protection.
Late in the afternoon the members of the Belgian Cabinet and their
official families went aboard one steamer, while the French and British
Legations boarded another, both sailing early on October 7.
The Belgian troops had begun to withdraw the evening before. All the
defending forces now hastened their retreat. The actual evacuation had
indeed begun. Time was taken, however, to put out of commission some
thirty steamships lying at their docks and to set afire all the large
oil tanks on the west side of the river Scheldt. The streets in Antwerp
presented scenes of almost indescribable confusion. Even before the
bombardment had been long in operation almost the entire civil
population became panic-stricken. Hither and thither, wherever the crowd
drifted, explosions obstructed their paths; fronts of buildings bent
over and fell into the streets, in many cases crushing their occupants.
Although the burgomaster had issued a proclamation advising the people
to remain calm--indoors, if possible--nothing could stop the stampede.
The defending troops withdrawing through the city from the firing line
destroyed everything that might possibly be of use to the enemy. The
suburbs of Antwerp seemed to be ablaze in every direction; the village
of Waerloos had been burning for some days; Contich, Duffel, and Lierre
also, and Have, Linth, and Vieux Dieu had been destroyed by shell fire.
Mortsel was practically obliterated by the Belgians clearing the range
for the guns of the inner forts. In the preparation for defense the
Belgians destroyed upward of ten thousand buildings within a radius of
twenty miles.
The exodus of the civil population began in earnest on October 8, 1914.
Some of the streets in the heart of the city were choked with people,
while other streets in the same vicinity were dead and deserted. The
withdrawal of the troops was well screened from the German guns, but
their retreat to the west had been cut off to a great extent, and
Holland was now the only refuge for many. The Germans did not use their
heaviest guns and high-explosive shells in bombarding the city.
During this terrible time, in utter darkness and confusion, crowds
amounting to many thousands--men, and women with babies, and children of
all ages--streamed through the streets that led to the quays or to the
turnpike to Holland. All sorts of vehicles, from dogcarts to motor
trucks, the former drawn by dogs, men, and horses, carried the
belongings of the fugitives that could not be carried away in person.
The bombardment continued with varying severity throughout October 8,
1914. As the Germans drew nearer to the city all the inner forts on the
south and east sides of the circle took part in replying to the
cannonade. Some of these forts--notably two, three, four, and five--were
badly battered. By afternoon the city seemed deserted--nothing but
debris of fallen buildings and wreckage met the eyes, and a small
remnant of the population was still struggling for escape.
Along all the wayside immense crowds of men, women, and children
gathered. The railway stations were choked with struggling humanity.
Their condition was pitiable. These scenes continued all day and
throughout the entire night.
On the morning of October 9, 1914, the struggle to get away continued.
Long lines formed on the quay where it had been reported that two boats
would leave for Ostend by eleven o'clock, and all those that could pay
struggled to get their passage booked. There were between 35,000 and
40,000 people on the quays, every one buoyed up by the hope that safety
was in sight at last. But the boats failed to sail and a murmur of
disappointment rose from this vast multitude of unfortunates.
However, there were other means of escape available, such as tugboats,
plying between Flushing, Rotterdam, and other adjacent points in
Holland. These tugs had no great accommodations for passengers and
comparatively few people escaped by this means. No trains were scheduled
to run and in despair the crowds started to cross the bridge and make
for the road to the Dutch frontier. Altogether from 150,000 to 200,000
of the population of the city escaped by one means or another.
During a continuous bombardment of twelve hours the cathedral stood
unharmed. The southern part of Antwerp was a desolate waste of ruins. In
some streets all the homes were ablaze, the flames leaping hither and
thither with the wind. The great oil tanks burning fiercely on the
opposite bank of the River Scheldt were fired upon by some well-directed
shots to check the blaze, a huge black volume of thick smoke now rising
from the flames. To add to the difficulties and confusion the water
supply had been cut off during the early stages of the bombardment
through the destruction of the city's waterworks which were located in
one of the suburbs to the south, and the consequences threatened to
become alarming. Everywhere fires were burning.
This was the tragic scene when the German army entered the conquered
city of Antwerp on October 10, 1914. It is probable that a large part of
the city would have been burned, if the Germans had not entered in time
to check the conflagration. Without loss of time, forces were put to
work fighting the fires and clearing the streets, propping up unsafe
buildings and making order out of chaos, generally with good results. As
soon as the bombardment had ceased proclamations were pasted on walls
and houses throughout the city urging everyone to surrender any arms in
their possession and begging for a calm demeanor when the German troops
pass through the streets.
About noon on October 10, 1914, a patrol of cyclist-mounted police
escorted the burgomaster to the gate of the city to receive the German
forces. When they entered order was restored without delay. Soldiers
were immediately detached from their special command and formed into
gangs under competent foremen and all put to work at once each according
to his trade, fitness or adaptability. The forts that had been
dismantled were hastily patched up and new guns mounted for emergency
use.
On October 11, 1914, Field Marshal von der Goltz, the Governor General
of Belgium, came from Brussels and made a tour of inspection of the
double girdle of forts. Upon examination it was found that the actual
damage done to the city by the bombardment was comparatively slight.
During the last days of Antwerp's reign of terror fully 300,000
fugitives sought shelter in Bergen-op-Zoom about twenty-five miles
northward across the Dutch frontier. Most of these were in a condition
almost indescribable, ragged, travel-worn, shoeless, and bespattered and
hungry. Few had money; valuables or other resources. All they owned they
carried on their backs or in bundles. The little Dutch town of
Bergen-op-Zoom with but 15,000 inhabitants was swamped; but the
Hollanders did their best to meet this terrible pressure and its
citizens went without bread themselves to feed the refugees. Slowly some
sort of order was organized out of the chaos and when the Dutch
Government was able to establish refugee camps under military
supervision the worst was over. A majority of this vast army was by
degrees distributed in the surrounding territory where tent
accommodations had been completed. The good Hollanders provided for the
children with especial care and sympathy. They supplied milk for the
babies and children generally. Devoted priests comforted many; but
military organization prevailed over all. Among the thousands of these
poor refugees that crossed the frontier at Maastricht and besieged the
doors of the Belgian consul there was no railing or declaiming against
the horror of their situation. The pathos of lonely, staring, apathetic
endurance was tragic beyond expression.