German invasion of Brussels after the German Empire declared war on Belgium in World War 1. Belgian Army cavalry respond to German attack in Louvain (Leuven). Fallen tree in the middle of a road. German artillery bombing of Louvain (Leuven). Military officials at the observation point as German First Army attacks Louvain. Railway gun aiming. Railway guns firing at Louvain. Explosions in the battlefield. Belgians evacuate from attack by the German First Army. Louvain in ruins. German soldiers marching into Brussels. German soldiers marching at the Grand Place or Grote Markt (Grand Place, Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region 1000), the central square of Brussels.
The Imperial German Army (“Deutsches Heer” in German) leaves for Belgium and France after the German Empire declares war on Russia and France in World War 1. A steam locomotive train moves past a forest, moving slowly beside a crowd of Imperial German troops. German troops march out after the train has come to a full stop. German Army officials greet each other. German Kaiser Wilhelm II shakes hands with a high-ranking military official. German military officials inspect infantry. Kaiser Wilhelm II shakes hands firmly with a German military officer after raising his clenched fist in the air.
German soldiers riding bicycles, possibly in Belgium, in World War 1. A German officer blows horn, summoning troops to their places. A general inspects infantry at attention. Soldiers place their rifles at attention. German soldiers, wearing the Pickelhaube helmet, ride bicycles
German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg enters a car to leave for the Reichstag to give speech declaring war, start of WWI. Honor guards assist and salute Chancellor. Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg as he heads for the Reichstag to declare war on Belgium and France. Crowds of Germans salute with their hats. Honor guards on horseback and soldiers marching with flags during a military parade in Berlin. Civilians march along soldiers in parade. People wave good-bye as mobilized German soldiers leave for World War I on the train.
During World War I, Belgian forces defend against German invaders at Liege, Antwerp, Mons, Malines, Meuse, and Marne. Artillery shells exploding on battlefield. Belgian soldiers fight against the Germans in an open field, devoid of trenches or fortifications in World War 1. Artillery fire being exchanged. View of a heavy mortar. Troops moving cautiously into an open area, with city in background. A cathedral is visible in the distant background. Heavy German artillery barrages create large craters. German troops run across a battlefield and take cover in a bomb crater. Exploding shells resulting in fire and smoke. The German soldiers crawl across a field, pushing soft filled sacks in front of them to absorb incoming fire.
Street scenes in Antwerp Belgium at end of World War II show the façade of Antwerp Central Station (Antwerpen-Centraal, Koningin Astridplein 27, 2018 Antwerpen, Belgium). The Boerentoren, or “Farmer’s Tower” (Boerentoren, Schoenmarkt 35 2000 Antwerp Belgium), in Antwerp city center. Trams on the street. Pedestrians pass by the Hôtel Métropole ( Leysstraat 27/29, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium). A streetlight in front of the Hôtel Métropole. The Het Steen (Steenplein 1, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium) medieval fortress of Antwerp. Belgian civilians visit a park. A horse-drawn cart and some automobiles move on the road in Antwerp city center. The two uneven gothic towers of the Cathedral of Our Lady (Groenplaats 21, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium) are seen in the background.