On August 23, 1914, obtaining information that the Germans were in considerably inferior force at Malines, the Belgians began a vigorous counteroffensive.  General de Moranville drove the Germans out of Malines on the day following.  That was in the nature of a master stroke, for it gave the Belgians control of the shortest railway from Germany into West Flanders.  Further, since Von Kluck had reached Bruges, and reenforcements under General von Boehn had passed across the Belgian direct line on Brussels, the great German right wing was in danger of being caught in a trap.  Von Boehn, therefore, was hurriedly detached rearward to deal with the Belgian counteroffensive.  But this deprived Von Kluck of his needed reenforcements to overcome 2,000 British marines landed at Ostend, that, together with the Civic Guard, had beaten back German patrols from the place.  Had the British now landed an army at Ostend, Von Kluck, between the Belgian and British forces, would have been in serious danger of annihilation.  With the German right wing thus crumpled, the whole of their offensive would have broken down.  But the British did not come, and so the Belgians were left to fight it out single handed.  This fighting went on for three weeks, with accurate details lacking.  Mainly it was upon the line Aershot-Dyle Valley-Termonde, with Antwerp for the Belgian base.

On August 24, 1914, a German Zeppelin sailed over Antwerp and dropped a number of bombs.  The Belgians thrust their right wing forward and recaptured Alost.  They advanced their center to a siege of Cortenburg.  Malines seemed secure.  To the Belgians this was a historic triumph.  Famous for its manufacture of lace under the name of Mechlin, almost every street contained some relic of architectural interest.  The Cathedral of St. Rombaut, the seat of a cardinal archbishop, held upon its walls some of Van Dyck’s masterpieces.  Margaret of Austria had held court in its Palais de Justice.

In this emergency, Von Boehn was heavily reenforced with the Third Army Corps, reserves from the south, and 15,000 sailors and marines.  His army was now between 250,000 and 300,000 men.  This placed overwhelming odds against the Belgians.  But for four days they fought a stubborn battle at Weerde.

This was from September 13 to 16, 1914, and resulted in the capture of the Louvain-Malines railway by the Germans.  The Belgians had now fought to the extremity of what could be expected without aid from the Allies.  The sole action left for them was to fall back for a defense of Antwerp.  Von Kluck’s right wing of the whole German offensive had completed its task on Belgian soil.

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CHAPTER V

COMING OF THE BRITISH

We now come to the arrival of the British on the Continent.  In using the term British, it, is expressly intended to comprise the united forces of the British Isles.