nuvolari
Active Member
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2012
- Messages
- 34
Hi,
It’s been today 04/08/2014 exactly 100 years ago that we remember the German invasion into Belgium.
By doing this, Germany violated the 1839 agreement of London, stating that Belgium was a neutral state.
A agreement that also was signed by the Germans.
This triggered the international protection mechanism, that throw the British Empire into WW1, together with France, who by that time, already was at war with Germany.
But before the allied war machine effectively was starred up, the small Belgian army faced the upmost well equipped army in the world at that time.
For every Belgian soldier, there stood 16 Germans.
The Germans called the Belgian army the chocolate army, nicknamed after one of Belgium's most famous export products.
Of course here used as a spot name, in their view, the Belgians where nothing more than a toy army.
But as they soon discovered, and where surprised, that this was a bitter chocolate to swallow.
Their plan, to sit in one week on the terraces of Paris, wasn’t going that well as they thought.
Of corse the Belgians knew that they only could delay this overwhelming invading army.
By the time they pulled back to Antwerp, the first British troops under command of Sir winston Churchill came to help at Antwerp, while in the south the French troops where battling at the Marne.
But still the German force was to Heavy at Antwerp, and the Belgian army had to retread to the cost, at the river Yser with the help of two lock-keepers, Karel Cogge and Hendrik Geeraert, they flooded the planes lying below sea level, by using the locks in a inverse manner.
Finely after 2,1/2 months of severe fighting, and with the help of water power, the Germans where brought to a stand still, defending the last piece of unoccupied Belgium.
Of course also with the help of the British and French army, that came into place with full force at that time, keeping the rest of the front line, from Ieper to Switzerland.
And a senseless 4 year killing machine came into action, claiming millions of lives.
But if it wasn’t for the braveness of the Belgian army, WW1 would had a total different outcome.
And do not forget the price the civilians payed, like in any war, cities burned down and precious history turned into ashes, was a high price to pay.
In remembrance of all this, I made this nice JMD figure of a Belgian grenadier in scale 1/30.
The base diorama, originally is a piece of pavement, but I replaced it by a scratch built Yser front diorama.
Built with plastic card and plaster, painted a dark Brown, and finely original Yser soil, a clay soil dried and crushed fine, glued on to it.
The soil is collected only last week where the frontline was I00 years ago.
Cheers,
Danny
It’s been today 04/08/2014 exactly 100 years ago that we remember the German invasion into Belgium.
By doing this, Germany violated the 1839 agreement of London, stating that Belgium was a neutral state.
A agreement that also was signed by the Germans.
This triggered the international protection mechanism, that throw the British Empire into WW1, together with France, who by that time, already was at war with Germany.
But before the allied war machine effectively was starred up, the small Belgian army faced the upmost well equipped army in the world at that time.
For every Belgian soldier, there stood 16 Germans.
The Germans called the Belgian army the chocolate army, nicknamed after one of Belgium's most famous export products.
Of course here used as a spot name, in their view, the Belgians where nothing more than a toy army.
But as they soon discovered, and where surprised, that this was a bitter chocolate to swallow.
Their plan, to sit in one week on the terraces of Paris, wasn’t going that well as they thought.
Of corse the Belgians knew that they only could delay this overwhelming invading army.
By the time they pulled back to Antwerp, the first British troops under command of Sir winston Churchill came to help at Antwerp, while in the south the French troops where battling at the Marne.
But still the German force was to Heavy at Antwerp, and the Belgian army had to retread to the cost, at the river Yser with the help of two lock-keepers, Karel Cogge and Hendrik Geeraert, they flooded the planes lying below sea level, by using the locks in a inverse manner.
Finely after 2,1/2 months of severe fighting, and with the help of water power, the Germans where brought to a stand still, defending the last piece of unoccupied Belgium.
Of course also with the help of the British and French army, that came into place with full force at that time, keeping the rest of the front line, from Ieper to Switzerland.
And a senseless 4 year killing machine came into action, claiming millions of lives.
But if it wasn’t for the braveness of the Belgian army, WW1 would had a total different outcome.
And do not forget the price the civilians payed, like in any war, cities burned down and precious history turned into ashes, was a high price to pay.
In remembrance of all this, I made this nice JMD figure of a Belgian grenadier in scale 1/30.
The base diorama, originally is a piece of pavement, but I replaced it by a scratch built Yser front diorama.
Built with plastic card and plaster, painted a dark Brown, and finely original Yser soil, a clay soil dried and crushed fine, glued on to it.
The soil is collected only last week where the frontline was I00 years ago.
Cheers,
Danny
