The Schlieffen Plan and Belgium’s Strategic Nightmare
When German forces crossed into neutral Belgium in August 1914, they encountered an obstacle that would test their military machine to its limits – the fortress complex of Liège. This strategic position stood directly in the path of Germany’s meticulously planned invasion of France, part of the infamous Schlieffen Plan that called for a rapid western offensive before turning east to face Russia.
The German railway system, a marvel of industrial age planning, had been carefully designed with military needs in mind. Every major rail line had army officers assigned to oversee operations, with no construction or modifications permitted without General Staff approval. This network could theoretically transport three million troops from Germany’s interior to the front lines within twenty days. In the war’s first two weeks, an average of six military trains per hour chugged toward the front, their locomotives belching thick black smoke.
The “Impregnable” Fortress of Liège
Commanding the Belgian defenses at Liège stood General Gérard Leman, a career officer with absolute confidence in his position. He commanded 40,000 troops garrisoned in what was considered Europe’s most formidable fortress system, designed by renowned military engineer General Henri Alexis Brialmont. Construction had taken twenty-five years, only completing in 1913 – just in time for the coming storm.
The triangular fortress complex, built on an isolated hillock, featured reinforced concrete gun turrets housing approximately four hundred weapons ranging from machine guns to massive 203mm cannons. Each corner of the triangle mounted rapid-fire small caliber guns capable of devastating infantry assaults. The thick turret armor could withstand direct hits from 203mm shells, giving defenders a sense of invulnerability.
Defensive measures included ten-meter deep trenches surrounding each independent turret and numerous searchlights to illuminate approaches during nighttime attacks. The large-caliber guns and searchlights could be mechanically lowered underground into connecting tunnels that linked the entire complex. All firepower was concentrated on the four main rail lines coming from Germany.
The German Onslaught Begins
On the morning of August 4, 1914, General Otto von Emmich arrived at Liège with six infantry brigades and two cavalry regiments. True to Chief of Staff Helmuth von Moltke’s warning that “our advance in Belgium is certainly brutal, but we are fighting for our lives,” Emmich demanded the fortress’s surrender, threatening aerial bombardment if refused.
General Leman, obeying King Albert’s order to “resist to the end,” refused. The next day, internal combustion engine-powered Zeppelin airships from Cologne appeared over Liège, dropping thirteen bombs that killed nine civilians. While militarily insignificant, this marked the first aerial bombardment of ground forces in World War I, introducing a terrifying new dimension to warfare.
The fortress ultimately fell to overwhelming German numbers, General Erich Ludendorff’s leadership, and the devastating 420mm “Big Bertha” siege guns from Krupp factories. But Liège had delayed the German timetable significantly, buying crucial time for Allied mobilization.
The Zeppelin Terror Campaign
As fighting raged on the Western Front, Germany launched an audacious aerial campaign against Britain using Zeppelins – enormous hydrogen-filled airships that represented cutting-edge technology. Captain Heinrich Mathy, a famous Zeppelin commander, typified the German approach when he dropped a note reading: “Englishmen! We have come and will come again. Surrender or die.”
On May 31, 1915, Mathy’s L-38 dropped bombs on London, killing seven and wounding thirty. While damage was minimal, the psychological impact was profound, creating what Britons called the “Zeppelin panic.” Germany hoped these raids would force Britain to recall its expeditionary force from France.
However, Zeppelins had critical weaknesses. Their enormous size made them slow and vulnerable to weather. Though they could initially fly above anti-aircraft guns and primitive fighters, their hydrogen made them extremely flammable. British pilots eventually developed incendiary bullets specifically for Zeppelin hunting.
Lieutenant William Leefe Robinson became a national hero on September 3, 1916, when he shot down the SL-11 airship over London using incendiary rounds. The spectacular fireball marked a turning point in the air war. By October 1916, German High Command recognized that Zeppelin raids were unsustainable, having conducted fifty-one attacks that dropped 196 tons of bombs, killing 557 and wounding 1,360 British civilians at the cost of eighty airships.
The African Front and the Zeppelin’s Final Mission
While millions fought in Europe, a small German force under Colonel Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck waged a brilliant guerrilla campaign in East Africa against overwhelming Allied numbers. Cut off from Germany by British naval superiority, Lettow-Vorbeck’s 3,000 Germans and 10,000 African askaris held out for the entire war.
In a desperate attempt to resupply these isolated forces, Germany conceived an audacious plan: an intercontinental Zeppelin mission. The L-59, modified to be the world’s largest airship at 226 meters (three Boeing 747s long), was specially outfitted for a one-way trip to Africa carrying fourteen tons of supplies.
After surviving Mediterranean thunderstorms, desert heat, and mechanical failures, the L-59 was recalled when German intelligence mistakenly believed Lettow-Vorbeck’s force had been destroyed. The airship’s 95-hour, 6,800-kilometer flight set remarkable endurance records but failed in its mission. Ironically, Lettow-Vorbeck’s force remained intact and undefeated when the war ended.
Legacy of Liège and the Birth of Modern Warfare
The siege of Liège demonstrated how industrial-age fortifications could delay even the most powerful armies, while the Zeppelin campaigns revealed both the potential and limitations of strategic bombing. These early war experiences foreshadowed the total war that would dominate the twentieth century, where civilian populations became targets and technological innovation continually reshaped combat.
The L-59’s aborted mission, though unsuccessful, pioneered concepts of long-range aerial supply that would become crucial in later conflicts. Meanwhile, Lettow-Vorbeck’s African campaign became legendary for its tactical brilliance against impossible odds. Together, these episodes from World War I’s opening chapters marked the painful transition from nineteenth-century warfare to the modern age of industrialized global conflict.