Acting in ordinance with the Schlieffen Plan, written out in 1905, two German armies crossed Belgium to attack France from the north.

In contrast General Von Bülow, at the head of the second army, continued its route towards Basse-Sambre, in the direction of Namur and Charleroi.

On 20 August, on the orders of General von Bülow, a German column shot more than two hundred civilians in Andenne.

[7][8] On Friday 21 August 1914, around 6 AM, a patrol made up of five German uhlans came doing the Ligny road from Sambreville.

They had barely reached the town hall when around thirty French soldiers and a few artillerymen from the Civic Guard of Charleroi opened fire and wounded one of the horsemen.

[9] An hour later, about thirty more uhlans accompanied by cyclists arrive at the entrance to the village by the Ligny road.

While this occurred, however, entire detachments of Germans had taken over the Praile district, which was located near the entrance of the village.

On the way back, while the wounded were being transported by nearby civilians, the French soldiers targeted the Germans who immediately retaliated.

Later that day, a very long firing squad with five layers of superimposed guns arrived.