Belgian Army order of battle (1914)

[2] During the 19th century, military reform had been a major political issue as successive governments remained unsure of whether the signatory nations of the 1839 Treaty of London would intervene to guarantee Belgian neutrality if the country were invaded.

[4] From the 1880s onwards, the Belgian government embarked on an ambitious series of fortress construction but failed to expand or reform the military itself.

[7] After several years of discussion, a major military reform bill was ratified by the parliament in 1913 by which the total possible strength of the army would be gradually increased from 180,000 to 350,000 men.

This reform had only been partially implemented by the outbreak of war and the Belgium Army was still considered to be weak by the German military leadership.

[9] During the early stages of the 1914 campaign, the military had a strength of nearly 220,000 men: All of the units suffered from lack of equipment, including ammunition.

[12] In terms of appearance, the "royal" dark-blue, dark-green and crimson uniforms[13] and personal equipment issued to soldiers in 1914 had not changed visibly since 1853.

Formed soon after the Belgian Revolution in 1830, the Garde was a paramilitary organisation, which was intended to supplement the small professional army as a reserve and also serve as a police force in periods of civil disorder.

In towns and cities, the local Garde was considered "active" and would incorporate infantry, cavalry, and artillery formations with a wide variety of equipment and different uniforms.

[18] Although numerous, modern historians have argued that "the significance of the Garde Civique should not be exaggerated", highlighting its "marginal" role in the actual fighting.

On 13 October 1914, Albert I ordered the remaining formations to disband and their members incorporated into the regular Belgian army.

The forts, many designed by Henri-Alexis Brialmont, a noted military architect of the nineteenth century, formed an integral part of the Belgian strategy.