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Chapter 09 - The Army
CHAPTER IX
THE ARMY
AS the Belgian army by the new law is passing through a transition stage, it is inevitable that part of the following description must apply more to what will be than to what is. The following words spoken by the present King Albert in the course of a speech he made in Brussels on Jaunary 7, 1910, will serve as a suitable introduction to what follows:
"The year that has just closed witnessed the passing into law of a great measure of reform, one that we had called for with all our hearts. By suppressing the principle of pre-emption, all classes of society are now equally engaged in the performance of the same sacred duty, viz., the defense of our native land. For the future a really national army, both solid and numerous, will form for poor and rich alike a healthy school of patriotism. Belgium will be able to count on it for the preservation of her inviolable independence."
During the life of Leopold I the army was his first thought. He was never happy unless a hundred thousand well-trained troops could be put in the field with the promptitude required for the preservation of the country's neutrality ; and before 1870 the presence of such a force sufficed to inspire the neighbors of Belgium with respect. After the death of the first king, the military machine got a little rusty, and in 1870 the paper strength of 97,000 men on a war footing produced only 85,000 in reality. Some increase of numbers, especially in artillery and engineers, was sanctioned, and in 1880 the paper strength had been raised to 109,000 men, which is was hoped would give 100,000 efficients. But owing to the enormous increase in the armies of France and Germany, where standing armies had been abandoned for "armed nations," the Belgian army of 100,000 men had become by the course of events relatively valueless as compared with those of its neighbors.
The Belgians themselves were fully conscious of the change, and gradually created a small reserve which raised the total paper strength on a war footing to 163,750 in 1900. In 1904 the total was brought up to 171,508. The peace effective, however, was in the latter year less by 3,500 men than it had been in 1870, and many of the battalions on parade were described as skeletons. If exception were made for the fortress artillery, the Belgian army in 1904 would have been pronounced far weaker and less efficient than it had been thirty-four years before, while the armies of its two principal neighbors had increased nearly tenfold.
The demand for army reform and an increased contingent had been going on all the time in the country, and several War Ministers had resigned because the Government would not support their proposals. One reform was loudly called for before every other because it was aimed at a vicious principle. The military law of the land was conscription, that is to say, the annual contingent was obtained by the drawing of lots by all young men on reaching the age of nineteen. But when a well-to-do conscript drew what was called a bad number, he merely paid a sum of about $340, and a substitute was provided by the State. This was the much-canvassed and unpopular right of pre-emption. The consequence was that only the poor and needy class served in the army. It was not until 1909 that this privilege was abolished, and henceforth all classes alike will have to pay what is called the blood tax. The effect of this change will only be perceptible after a few more years of trial and reorganization.
The new army is to have a fixed peace strength of 42,800 men, exclusive of officers, who in 1904 numbered 3,473. The strength on a war footing is to be gradually raised to 188,000. The real change of importance is that the 145,200 men called to the colors will be fully trained soldiers and young, whereas the old reserve consisted to a large extent of middle-aged men, married and loth to leave their homes. The term of service with the colors has also been reduced as much as possible with regard to the speedy attainment of the minimum total felt to be necessary by the Government for the defense of Belgium. For the different branches of the service it is fixed as follows:
Infantry, Fortress Artillery, specialized companies of Artillery, Engineers and specialized companies of Engineers 15 months
Cavalry and Horse Artillery 2 years
Field Artillery and Train 21 months
Administrative Battalion 2y 2 months
As soon as the total required has been obtained, it is proposed to reduce the term by one-third in the case of all conscripts who have shown their capability by qualifying for the rank of corporal or brigadier.
The infantry is divided into nineteen regiments in all, named as follows: One regiment of Grenadiers, one regiment of Carabiniers, three regiments of Foot Chasseurs, and fourteen Line regiments distinguished by their numbers. All these regiments have three active and two reserve battalions each, with the exception of the Carabiniers which has four active and three reserve battalions. The Belgian infantry is consequently represented by fifty-eight active and thirty-nine reserve battalions. The defect of this distribution is that the fifty-eight active battalions average less than 400 men apiece. There are 2,000 officers serving with the battalions, which is a strong proportion.
Of cavalry there are only eight regiments. They are two of Guides, two of Horse Chasseurs and four of Lancers. Each regiment on the peace establishment numbers about forty officers and 400 men; but it is not easy to follow how the total strength of the cavalry, which on mobilization will number 9,600 men, is to be distributed among only eight regiments. The two Guides regiments are always quartered in Brussels, and somewhat resemble our household cavalry, their officers being to a large extent members of the noble families of the Netherlands. They are, however, light and not heavy cavalry, and their uniform - cherry trousers, green jackets and busbies - although exceedingly pretty, is not imposing in the sense that those of our Life Guards, the former Imperial Cent Gardes and the German Garde du Corps are or were. The undress green kepi of the officers is even more becoming than the busby.
The Lancer and Chasseur regiments also wear attractive uniforms, the Lancers wearing the old Polish lancer headdress and the Chasseurs a high kepi of black water-proof leather. The regiments are all well mounted, but whether there is a sufficiency of horses available for the demand on mobilization is not known. Although the material is excellent, there is reason to doubt whether the training of the cavalry is adequate for the exigencies of modern warfare. There is a dearth of suitable training grounds for cavalry. The riding-school at Ypres is formed on the model of the French similar school at Saumur, but it is admitted to stand in need of reorganization. It must be recognized that a great deal more attention has been paid by Belgian officers to riding of late years than was formerly the case.
Belgium possesses a very fine corps of heavy cavalry in the gendarmerie. This force has been gradually increased in strength. In 1870 it consisted of forty-five officers and 1,442 men; in 1904 it numbered sixty-seven officers and 3,079 men. The force is distributed throughout the kingdom and divided into three divisions. It patrols the high roads, is employed in arresting malefactors, and keeps a watch on smugglers and spies. These duties make it more of a police than a military force. But it has military functions as well. On State occasions a few gendarmes are always on show in their full dress uniform of doeskin riding-breeches, jack-boots, blue tunics and bearskins, which make them resemble our Scots Greys or the old French Grenadiers a Cheval. As they are men picked for their physique from the army, they are quite a corps d' elite, and in the event of invasion they would bear the first shock. They are also specially charged with the execution of the order of mobilization.
In 1899, during the worst phase of the Socialist riots, the Division of Brabant, Hainaut, and Namur was concentrated in Brussels, and took a very active part in putting down the street disturbances. In fact, the Socialists for the first time had some experience of rough handling, and with them the gendarmes became very unpopular. They called them the Pandours, but none the less they had received a salutary lesson, to which M. Vandervelde, the Socialist leader, gave point by remarking that their revolvers did not place them on an equality with men armed with Mausers. This corps is also exceedingly well mounted, and the horses are kept in rather harder condition than with the regular cavalry regiments.
The Artillery has always been well organized in Belgium, more especially that branch of it which is designated Siege or Fortress. There are seventy batteries of this class on a peace footing. Its training ground is at Braschaet, near Antwerp, where there is a polygon for testing the newest kinds of heavy ordnance. Within the last ten years the artillery in the forts of Antwerp, Liege, and Namur has been completely renovated, and is now quite up-to-date. The field artillery consists of thirty batteries on a peace footing, but there are only four batteries of Horse Artillery. All these batteries have been armed with a new quick-firing gun. In thirty-four years the strength of the personnel of the artillery has more than doubled. In 1870 it numbered 380 officers and 13,062 men on a war footing; in 1904 the corresponding totals were 565 officers and 29,798 men.
The total of the Engineer force is 163 officers and 1,484 men on the peace establishment and 6,808 on mobilization. The "other corps" number 670 officers and 2,068 men on the peace establishment, which are increased to 11,538, when the reserves are called out. Among these are included the officers of the HeadQuarter Staff, the military train, the administrative staff, and the military schools in which young men are being trained either as officers or as non-commissioned officers.
Now that the reform of the Belgian army has been taken seriously in hand a marked improvement may be expected in its appearance and real efficiency. With regard to the physique of the men, there should soon be a noticeable change, more especially as gymnastics on the Swedish system have recently been introduced into the army. For many years the Belgian officers have labored for the improvement of the army under very discouraging conditions. Many Belgian politicians used to declare that the country required nothing more than a police force, and even those who did not go quite so far as this were persuaded that the Guarde Civique supplied an adequate reserve for the regular army. It is now generally admitted by most Belgians that an efficient army is essential for the preservation of their national independence.
No mention having been made of the Garde Civique, it may be stated that this civic force came into being at the time of the Belgian Revolution, and the role assigned to it was the maintenance of order in the towns. It was also intended that it should cooperate with the regular troops in their defense in the event of hostile attack or invasion. After the war with Holland was over the Garde Civique fell into neglect, and although over 38,000 men were on the rolls in 1892 they were found to be of little use during the serious Socialist troubles and strikes of that period. One of the consequences of those incidents was that the authorities took up the serious reform of the Garde Civique. All citizen householders were enrolled and required to attend a weekly muster held on Sundays. They were also supplied with Mauser rifles, and in 1905 there were 35,700 more or less welltrained men available to support the civil power in any emergency. Besides the Garde Civique, but closely akin to it are the Volunteers. These are corps that have possessed a distinct existence from an older date, and include a considerable proportion of cavalry and artillery, whereas the Garde Civique is composed of infantry alone. The Volunteers consist of 2,466 artillery, 668 cavalry, 4,809 infantry or foot chasseurs, and 599 fire brigade, making a total of 8,542. The total of the combined corps exceeds 44,000 strong. It is scarcely necessary to say that service in one of the volunteer corps exempts from liability for the ordinary Guard Civique. Since this force was finally reorganized in 1899 there have been fewer street demonstrations, and no repetition of the serious riots of that year when for a few days Brussels seemed to be passing through a revolution.
Although the Belgian army has not got a very extensive war record, there is no reason to doubt that under anything like fair conditions it would give a very good account of itself against any opponent. The old fiction that the Belgians ran away at Waterloo has been exploded. In the war with the Dutch in 1830-31 the Belgians did exceedingly well, and if the ten days' campaign in August, 1831, was unfortunate, the conditions under which it was carried on almost precluded success. Since that period Belgian troops have not fought on their own soil. But they furnished contingents for the war in Portugal and the expedition to Mexico, and in both they served with credit. Their best opportunity has been found in Central Africa, but here it must be stated that no Belgian troops ever fought in a body. The conquest of the Congo State and the protracted campaign for the destruction of the Arab slave dealers' power were carried out by Belgian and other officers leading black troops. The courage and constancy of these men, of whom the late Baron Dhanis was the chief, gave a favorable impression of the army to which they belonged.
In conclusion, a brief description may be given of the system of fortifications on which the defense of Belgium may be be said to be based. After Waterloo, Belgium was endowed with twenty-four fortresses, all intended to protect the country against French invasion. They were built in accordance with the best principles of the day under the personal supervision of Wellington, and the French taxpayer had the dubious privilege of paying the cost of this barrier against his country. Those were the days when every one was mortally afraid of French aggression. One little consideration had been overlooked. How was Belgium to provide troops to garrison all of them in time of peace? The plan of defense was really an absurd anachronism, and Leopold I exposed its defects. In 1832 the number was reduced by five, after negotiations that threatened to produce a European war. In 1858 the nineteen others remained in existence. In that year the Belgian Government took up the question for itself in connection with the fortication of Antwerp. The nineteen were then reduced to five, and all the useless secondor third-rate fortresses along the French frontier were suppressed and dismantled. The five that were preserved were Antwerp, Namur, Liege, Diest, an Termonde. The only one of these to be improved was Antwerp, where a new enceinte and eight detached 'forts were constructed; the others remained exactly as they had been in the time of the Dutch regime.
After the great war of 1870 an immense and farreaching change took place in the range and destructive power of siege artillery. All the Belgian fortresses, including even the fine new works at Antwerp, were rendered useless. In 1886 the question was pressed home to the conscience of the Belgian people by the efforts of General Brialmont, who had just made a great reputation by his elaborate scheme of fortification at Bucharest. The Belgian Chambers were induced to vote the necessary funds for the modernizing of the fortress of Antwerp, and for the erection of new positions or tetes de pont at Liege and Namur, thus further reducing the total of Belgian fortresses to three. At Namur the old citadel, famous for its sieges in the time of Louis XIV, was abandoned, and a ring of nine new forts at distances of four or five miles from the town was substituted. These forts are cupola-shaped and bomb-proof. The guns in them are raised and lowered automatically, and have a range of ten miles or even more. At Liege there are twelve new forts; two of the strongest of them at Fleron and Chaudfontaine command the railway and road from Germany. There is no doubt that the Namur and Liege positions are exceedingly strong, but both require larger garrisons than is generally assumed for the defense of the intervals. For instance, the fort of Evegnee, at Liege, was captured in theory during some recent Belgian manoeuvres, and the loss of one of the detached forts would seriously compromise the security of the others.
The question of the fortifications at these places is of such great importance that it may be useful to give fuller particulars as to the detached forts. Of the twelve forts at Liege six are on the right bank of the Meuse and six on the left. The interval between each of them averages two and a half miles, and the total of the circumference is thirty-one miles. The six forts on the right bank of the Meuse are in their order from north to south (forming an eastern curve), Barchon, Evegnee, Fleron, Chaudfontaine, Embourg, and Boncelles. Fleron and Chaudfontaine command the main railway line from Germany. The six forts on the left bank, taking the western curve, are Pontisse, Liers, Lantin, Loncin, Hollogne, and Flemalle. The whole constitutes a position which, if held by a sufficient garrison, would be very difficult to capture. The Meuse, which is unbridged at this point, constitutes an element of weakness for both Pontisse and Barchon.
The nine forts round Namur are St. Heribert, Malonne, Suarlee, Emince, Cognelee, Gelbressee, Maizeret, Andoy, and Dave. They are placed at an average interval of two and a half miles, and the perimeter in this case is twenty-one miles. The twentyone forts together cost four millions sterling.
While the work to be done at Namur and Liege was brought to completion, that at Antwerp, the assumed place of final stand for Belgian liberty, was left half finished. A second outer ring of fifteen detached forts was to have been provided, but after five had been constructed, all the money was gone and work was suspended. In 1900 two of the missing ten were completed, and at last in 1907, in consequence of the serious international outlook, the completion of the fortification of Antwerp was taken in hand and has now been brought to completion. Part of the scheme, which was received with mixed feelings when it was first broached, is the demolition of the fine enceinte constructed in 1859. This was done to admit of the freer expansion of the city, but some lighter and less costly protection will have to be provided against attack by cavalry and horse artillery or otherwise the security of Antwerp will be compromised.
The important point in all these changes is that the number of places to be defended by the Belgian army has been brought well within the capacity of its numerical strength. It is even estimated that with 180,000 effective troops Belgium will be able to place an army of 100,000 men in the field to co-operate with the armies of her friends.
At Beverloo, not far from Hasselt, in the northeast corner of Belgium, there is a military camp somewhat resembling Aldershot, where the infantry regiments are sent in rotation during the summer and autumn to perfect their drill. In most years also autumn manoeuvres are held, and, as a rule, the valley of the Meuse between Namur and Liege is chosen for their scene. The most instructive lessons derived from these experiments are those that relate to the defense of the intervals between the detached forts guarding the important crossing places over the Meuse at Liege and Namur. It is also noticeable that no attempt has been made to defend the approach from Dalheim. The late General Brialmont always considered that to perfect the positions of Liege and Namur a fort d' arret was required at St. Trond. If he were living now, he would probably stipulate for one at Diest as well.
Source: Boulger, Demetrius C. Belgium. Detroit: Published for the Bay View Reading Club, 1913. Print.