'German soldiers crowding Antwerp Cathedral. Usually they prefer bombarding Cathedrals to praying in them', 1914

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

The Belgian garrison at Antwerp, well-ensconced behind formidable defences, was a danger to the flank of the German invasion force as it advanced through Belgium and into France. After resisting several sorties from the city, the Germans finally launched an all-out attack on Antwerp in September 1914. After a month-long siege the city fell on 9 October. Here German soldiers attend a service in Antwerp cathedral.

One of 193 British and Allied official photographs.