Belgian troops defending one of the roads leading to Antwerp, 1914

Lantern slide, World War One, Western Front (1914-1918), 1914.

Following the fall of the Liege forts on 16 August 1914, the Belgian Army withdrew to Antwerp, where it re-grouped at the 'National Redoubt'. This consisted of over 40 forts and several lines of defences.

While the main German invasion force elected to bypass Antwerp and advance through Belgium and into France, it was still necessary to detach four divisions towards Antwerp in order to prevent the 145,000 Belgian troops there attacking the main force's flank. After resisting several sorties from the city, the Germans finally launched an all-out attack on Antwerp in September. After a month-long siege the city fell on 9 October.

From a box of 70 lantern slides associated with the attack on Belgium, 1914.