Belgium-Halen-August 1914 Battlefield museum

Khukri

Khukri

Well-known member
Last month me and the missus went to visit the Halen Battlefield Museum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Haelen_(1914" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;)


Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Pierced:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Bloodstained Lance pennant:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

pennant markings: Kürassier



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

various pieces found in 1956 when removing de German Battlefield cemetery to Vladslo:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Picture (1950ies) of the German BF cemetery;
Only the stone cross is left:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

some of the original grave markers:


Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Rgds,
Francis
 
Some pic's of uniforms:
There might be errors as it is a privatly owned museum...
I think it's ok to show them:



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us




Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

And not German but Belgian:
A lancepoint with a round "stopper": experimental 1896.
Now I have the proof that this stopper was original. :D...And...that my belgian lancepoint is original.
Later in the war: this lance point were used as trenchdaggers in a scabbard.


Rgds,
Francis

Uploaded with ImageShack.us
 
Another excellent museum I'd never otherwise get the chance to see. I like the layout and the display generally, very traditional and evocative. Many thanks for posting, much appreciated.
 
Francis

The pics were great! :thumb up: Thanks for sharing them....I love the bronze of the Ulan.

Small comment regarding the first grave marker for Rittmeister Kalnein, he was killed in the early days of the war in August of 1914 as I recall. I have a pallasch type sword which has his brothers name, Manfred Graf Kalnein and an Eberhard von Balocki on the blade. I did some basic research on the name hoping Manfred was an 1870 soldier (he wasn't though, Manfred was born in 1870). Seems there were three Graf Kalnein brothers who served in the army. Gave me a start when I saw the name on the marker. :D

Larry
 
Larry,
:thumb up:

The Battle of Halen: August 12th 1914.
The Belgian Cavalry (Guides and Lancers) dismounted to engage the Germans. One of the last-old style-Cavalry charges on the Western Front.
Thanks for your reactions Gentlemen !
Francis

The Battle of Haelen, known as 'The Battle of the Silver Helmets' in Belgian folklore and fought on 12 August 1914, comprised the first cavalry action of the war.

It was fought at a river crossing at Haelen in Belgium, around 30km from the main Belgian line at Louvain. The significance of the engagement lay chiefly in its being the first cavalry attack of the war, although the Belgian army's success in driving back repeated German cavalry charges all day on the 12th was also worthy of note.

It was also one of the few setbacks encountered by the Germans during their successful invasion of neutral Belgium. Advance squadrons of Georg von der Marwitz's cavalry corps proved unable to defeat a single Belgian cavalry division under de Witte guarding the Haelen bridge, despite numerous attempts with sabres and lances from early in the morning.

De Witte repulsed the German cavalry attacks by ordering his men (which included a company of cyclists and another of pioneer engineers) to dismount and meet the attack with massed rifle fire, which succeeded in inflicting significant casualties upon the Germans.

Although the Belgian success was hailed by some as a huge setback to German ambitions - it wasn't - it did provide an early demonstration of the modern-day irrelevance of the cavalry in offensive situations.

In all the Germans suffering 150 dead, 600 wounded and some 200-300 prisoners; the number of dead horses was placed at around 400. Belgian losses totalled approximately 500.

This is Danisch, but good :thumb up: ! http://www.chakoten.dk/haelen_120814.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Francis, thanks for adding this, that was excellent information.....enjoyed the Danish site too. :thumb up:

Larry
 
Very cool! Too bad the display case filled with Pickelhaube wasn't in the gift shop! :) Belgium has some nice museums.

:D Ron
 
Thanks for this contribution Francis. I've visited this museum several times and still love to go there... it's only about 40 km from my place.
Here you have a link to the site of the museum (I know, I know... it's in Dutch): http://www.slagderzilverenhelmen.be/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The museum of Halen is still an old-school museum with almost only artefacts that were found in the neughbourhood of the battle. This makes it very interesting because there's no reproduction stuff to see.
The museum is still private property and I hope it will stay that way, because nowadays most of the museums are to modern with a lot of enlarged pictures and only a little bit of original material in the display cases.
Nevertheless, it would be good for the museum to have some better maintenance... or all this original and historical material will be lost in a few decades or so...

Adler
 
That battle-damaged Mecklenburg pickelhaube is extremely impressive, I can't imagine that that many battle-damaged 'haubes still exhist in this day and age.
 
There are reports of civilians scavenging the battlefield just after the fights. They were after the officers purses with gold coin... And... it was not wise to keep trophies at home during German occupation...(WW I and WW II).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top