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Illustrated By Louis Guinn
The Belgian Army 1905
Belgian Staff Corps
Belgian General Staff
Belgian Guides Regiment
Belgian Infantry
Belgian Carabiniers &Light Infantry
Belgian Light Artillery
Belgian Field Artillery
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In 1905, the small country of Belgium was wedged between two of the most powerful nations in Europe; France and Germany. The Belgian revolution of 1830 led to Its independence from the Netherlands and a standing army was formed in its aftermath. In 1838 their borders had been guaranteed by France, Britain, and Prussia, Therefore Belgium could avoid the need for an expensive permanent military, relying instead on the militia known as the Garde Civique (Civil Guard). However, the need of a regular full-time army was soon acknowledged, and the Belgian Army was promptly established as a regular full-time army As part of the national policy of neutrality, the 19th century Belgian Army was essentially a defensive force with fortifications facing the Dutch, German and French borders. Mobilisation plans simply required reservists to report to their depots, without arrangements being made in advance for deploying in a particular direction or against a particular enemy. Recruitment difficulties caused the army to remain below its intended strength of 20,000 men, although new legislation in 1868 tightened the basis for conscription. The Franco-Prussian War of 1870 required full mobilisation for nearly a year, a process which showed up serious training and structural weaknesses.
In 1905 The Belgian Army consisted of the following units.
INFANTRY
14
Line Infantry regiments
Line Infantry regiments1 Grenadier Regiment
3 Jager regiments
Each of the above with 3 active battalions of 216 men, 1 reserve battalion and 1 Depot Company
1 Carabinier regiment with 4 active battalions, 2 reserve battalions and 1 depot company
CAVALRY
4 Lancer Regiments
4 Guides regiments
2 Chasseur regiments
Each of the above with 4 active squadrons and one reinforcement squadron
A squadron had approximately 130 horses
ARTILLERY
4 regiments of artillery (10 batteries in each regiment)
3 regiments of fortress artillery or siege artillery (16 batteries, 1 battery and 1 spare battery t each regiment's depot)
pontoon company
1 company of artificers
1 company of gunsmiths
1 company of artillery workers
Note: A battery had
ENGINEERS
•1 Engineer Regiment (3 active battalions and one depot battalion)
1 Engineer Regiment (3 active battalions and one depot battalion)•1 railway company
1 railway company•1 field telegraph company
1 field telegraph companyThe Belgian Army was basically in this order when the First World War started. It was also little prepared when the Nazis invaded their country in 1940.
