The Invasion of Belgium

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 226, 24 September 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Invasion of Belgium

Trooper" Looks Back

Churchill And The R.N.D.

TAS T 'A-ri-k wr saw how the ir. ljnr rninl-..»;. it forces were preparing for trench warfare. We iT"i«i' now leave them there for a i i ' the preparation litilr ot note occurred for soi-ir '.vrck-i. 1 i K ! c -iii •■. h'.Hi'ver. that both ' 1 " 1' 1 ' ''' • "''l he, i e -I.' tet'll mi t In--1 1 ' ' " - 'nt - : hat |.receded I hi-. 1 ! ' ' " ' "inlit i. .ii ej iit pim c 1,1 -•i, Ii y . We will tiii ii . nir •'' ■ |1 i ■ 1 1 in i -I.' ii..; Ih. I. i Antwerp. I" ' ;••• >'• I I►"l'J ill 111 t !... He. in.-, ii .ii ,ii i-. .it tii k. •11 a nil dc-t ni\ e.i in 1 ' i" : - - uri'i nmding |.ie-je. '1 r ;' ' ' ' ' : - !• . V - I ' 11111 ,l'l] I ,Ul| \r| i 11. t". "i I"- v ;t ; ,ic ,ii. i-I incut nf I.' ' I ; ' Ili l ' I ..ill" tiv e . in I*' ri' 11. ■i 1 111.'.'. I- r.n I-. I here A,,-. 1,1 11, .1 I"" -e.I pott nf \ lit W t'lp. ( iC'llia ll.v had I.' 117 i.e. ii jcaloii n i.i' Vntwerp and 111 -1 i ■ 11; ii- trade had made it. de -1 in■ I" I<. ' .ii 11.. i u ci cn •i.ll in! .-rc-t -. ■'id I. • iiiii ii \ lie \ e|- I.i i ke. 1 in the-e. 1 '' ' •'' l 1 ■ iii 11 hi i at Mil lillcon "»c |a.•m I,e i :! I Ma line- the home of ■ 'lie "II I 11-,-liile t 111 a 1 b.'a lit y in Bela■'ll ■ II he 1'• e I I. I n Arini at first nuc-ces-i'il.- i .-;..11 . f .(] their attack on tlie 'own I. it lh lipat i■> 11 by '. fr ni all v Inok pi.i e nil '-epteinber J7. The cut lie - ■lii I - I •"!' Hill and the beautiful chin h "I >i. I'eter were niiminr the ,'iit-i 111111r.; buildings destroyed in tlie etl'm t. Airship Over Antwerp In the dead of night nf September £M--!."t i I.ci man ail «hip bombed tin <>b»c pi n _ ,il\ nf Antwerp, fm-. said Count Brfrn-d 'ill'. "War, yon know, in not a fieri tea." ( onsiderahie damage w,ls dour b\ thi* aerial \isitation. Many nf the inhabitants were killed, among them -i.-k and Mounded, while thousands lied 11 . .11l the I-i tV.

Ha v inj- subdued Maline*. the German \i 11; y puisned its way toward* Aoi»"i-|i. lie fore entering the city, thry I> if 1 t ' o\ ei come three lines of forts; l iip .nl * 111 line, with nine forts scatti'tei! I i the south and west, fifteen miles from the city; the second line, of four-

tern fnrfs, surrounding the citv at a i -i• 1111- ut ..limit t■.ur miles; the third I iii lt i" the wMI If- nf the city itself. |)iv|.itc earlier ind pre-war defence jir»— I' M it i.>ll 11\ Belniuni these torts wen 1 I'> ini means 11 ■ iiienough to with--1 -I.Hill lIIikIi'VII (il'llliall glltl-. illlll, ill ]t in ii. iiiti' c\aenated 11y thi' defenders. 1 i'ii September -S. t ht> tiermans had ii rii\ •11 .it tin- stage where tin' actual n — 11111 ..ii Aim wi■ r| i began. with a force r~ t:ma i fil at —#iit t<* l.'iit.lMlli men. Uatlcr I i:111 >• ■ 111.• ■i- in thi- assault. thi' (iermans ■1' .iinil t ill■ 11i-1• I\i• — i'lll'ii**l'll hv lin mean | i c-i-t a iii'i< 1. \ tin' Belgian*. and this in -pile i.r tin' terrific bombardment t'i | which the city was subjected, and the ; |.i'i "li-j.i 1 via-te nf her trnnps |>v (lorI 111; 111 \ . wlin. mtv iii i icli angered hv thi-. desf i ..\ fil lh.. city "r- water -upply works a t Fort Wa i-lhi'iii. Thi- left the inhabitant- with tin iii her than -in-h water a--1 111 1111 he -1111 ]11 i I'd from well- within 'lie iit v it -ell and made it pirticui i.uly dim. ult 11> |.iit .nit fires canned b\ -hell e\jilii-iiin-. Sternly. -1 n iihnr nI v the Belgians re 1 -ist ed the ri• |>i ..i t eil onslaught- a- the • ieiniaiiH attacked with tierce intent inn. "Winnie" Churchill and R.N.D. On Sunday. Ocfnher 4. the lit. Hun. Win-ton ( hnrchill. Kir-t I.mil nf th." Ailin iia It \ . together with the Koyal Naval Division -his own creation--arrived at Antwerp. (Thi- division ware ferret I to two week- ago by a correspondent in thi- page). The. R.X.D. some SO(M) -tron.'. took ii|> a (visitimi which dominated the Kiver Scheldt, which the (iermans were attenijiting to cross. And yet. despite the lira\cry of the Belgians. and the hemic RAM)., it uji, decided to ovac.;ait the city.

Ihe defending forces were not adequate. It. required more and the time was not long enough for these to be sent without prejudice to the strategic position. The forts of the city ceased to reply on October 8. when the garriso-, started to move out. making their way towards Ostend. The fiermans set lire to the huge oil supply, the tank* representing the city's immense trade within her own country. (Jermanv and Holland.

I liliappily. during the evacuation, many hundreds of the defenders crossed the frontier into Holland and were interned "for the duration."

Antwerp surrendered on the morning of October 0, 1914.