Uniforms and Equipment of the Belgian Army in WW1
by James Reeve

Although all the armies changed their appearance during the War, that of Belgium changed probably more than any other, going from neglected and outdated to visibly modern in not much more than six months. The changes were brought about by events on the battlefield. To put these changes in context it is best to examine the course of the War from a Belgian point of view.

Despite her small population (about 7.5 million) Belgium was wealthy; her industries, financial services, and colonies had made her the world’s 6^th largest economy. But, unlike other European countries, her military budget was small. Because the Great Powers supposedly guaranteed her neutrality in 1839, her armed forces were neglected in both organisation and equipment, and she placed much faith in a number of defensive fortresses.  She had no system of universal military service, and her army was recruited by voluntary enlistment and a curious system of conscription by ballot that allowed the nomination of a substitute.

A permanent problem was that the officer class was dominated by French speakers and orders given in French, which the mostly Flemish other ranks resented. Officers were seen as aloof and insensitive to the conditions of the men, 10% of whom were illiterate. They were careerists in an army that had never seen action since the country’s independence in 1830. It is said that the German invasion was not unwelcome in some quarters, but the harsh treatment by the occupiers galvanised the army into spirited resistance and the Belgians, despite the early fall of their fortresses, did more damage to the Germans than is usually pointed out.

If her neutral status caused stagnation in peacetime, it was equally a problem in war. Germany intended to use the country as a corridor to invade France, but found herself an occupier when her plans went wrong. King Albert, the Commander in Chief, was in a difficult position. He could justify opposition to the Germans as self-defence, but to formally ally himself to Britain and France, rather than accept their military support in accordance with the Guarantee, would have removed Belgium’s victim status. That might seem a technicality in the circumstances, but his fear was that a formal alliance would worsen his country’s plight and provoke harsher treatment from the occupiers.

THE ARMY AT THE OUTBREAK

In 1911, as the international situation became more ominous, Albert had ordered a review of the military, and in 1913 conscription was extended, but only to include one member of each household. The long-term reorganisation was to be completed by 1918, with a target of 350,000, but the War obviously intervened.

Equipment had been neglected to such an extent that some of her troops would not have looked out of place in the Crimea or even at Waterloo. The reforms of 1913 proposed to introduce a completely new uniform, including a hat not unlike the present-day British Royal Marine helmet, but through reluctance to spend money the plan was not pursued. Instead, minor changes were made to the existing uniform, notably the replacement of the double-breasted tunic with a single-breasted model, but not until the old ones wore out; consequently the two could be seen side by side. Experience in the field prompted further alterations until a complete re-equipping took place in 1915.

Belgian forces comprised the Regular Army, the Gendarmerie (a separate, elite cavalry force of 3 Divisions, each of 1,000 men), reservists, and the Garde Civique, a sort of territorial force cum security police who had some, but not much, military value.

The army’s strength on paper was a far cry from the facts of the matter. Many units were under-strength, conscription was not rigorously enforced, and the Garde Civique was not organised or subscribed to with any great enthusiasm.

Estimates of the nominal strength in 1914 vary, but there were officially six Divisions of infantry, each of 3 Brigades. A Brigade comprised 2 Regiments, each of 3 Battalions, plus a field battery. A Division was, in theory, about 22,000 men.

The Cavalry Division broke down into 2 Brigades, each of two Regiments of horse, one of Gendarmerie, a Battalion of cyclists, 3 horse batteries, and ambulance and support. The formation of a third Brigade was interrupted by the War.

In addition, there were 2 mobile brigades, based at Namur and Liege.

Just how many men this amounts to is not straightforward, since some sources’ definitions overlap or are ambiguous. The main distinction is the separation of the Field Army and the Fortress Troops, the latter numbering about 100,000. What some refer to as the Regular Army was mostly composed of conscripts, since professional, regular soldiers numbered only about 14,000 in a total given as between 117,000 and 120,000. The Garde Civique’s strength was nominally 90,000, but it is reckoned that about 40,000 at most could be relied upon.

Perhaps the best guess comes from The Belgian Military College, which gives a total of 117,500 in the Field Army and a total including reserves of 234,000. The Army’s front-line strength eventually rose to about 170,000; the total number mobilised throughout the War was 267,000, of whom 14,000 were killed and 54,000 wounded.

EQUIPMENT

The standard infantry rifle was the 1888 7.65mm Mauser. Cavalry, Garrison Artillery, and the Garde had various versions of the 1889 carbine. Another indication of Belgium’s unpreparedness was the availability of only 93,00 rifles. Total number of machine guns was 102, including Maxim, Heavy and Portable Hotchkiss, and the French Berthier. In 1917 the French began supplying the Chauchat.

The Field Artillery was similarly under-resourced, totalling 324 mostly obsolete guns; each division was intended to have 3 batteries of Krupp 75mm guns and 2 of 9.5-inch howitzers, but only one of the latter had been formed so the remainder persevered with the Krupp. Plans for 15cm howitzers were interrupted by the War.

The Aviation Service had about 12 Farman aircraft. These were supplemented by private owners who offered themselves and their machines for scouting, and early use was made of flechettes, iron darts that were dropped on enemy troops. New Farmans and Bleriots were supplied by the French at the end of 1914.

Belgium had no naval forces, but there was a small detachment of Marines that served largely as garrison troops.

The Army reforms of 1913 simplified uniforms and established a basic dark blue for most arms, although some Cavalry and, of course, the Light Infantry maintained some traditional aspects.

UNIFORMS

The official scheme at the outbreak was:

OFFICERS

Generals: Dark blue tunic with crimson piping, dark blue trousers, and kepi.

General Staff: Dark green tunic and trousers with crimson piping.

INFANTRY

LINE: Tunic: Single-breasted with stand collar, dark blue with blue-grey piping. (The earlier double-breasted tunic continued to be worn; piping was red.) Trousers: Blue-grey with black stripe and piping. Headgear: Dark blue shako, on campaign covered by oilskin with pompom and regimental number on front. Kepi for officers

GRENADIERS: Tunic: Dark blue with scarlet piping. Trousers: Dark blue with scarlet stripe and piping. Headgear: Dress: Bearskin. Campaign: German-style Feldmütze with scarlet band. Kepi for officers.

LIGHT INFANTRY (Chasseurs à Pied): Tunic: Dark green with yellow piping. Trousers: Blue-grey with green piping, no stripe. Headgear: Shako

CARABINIERS: Tunic: Dark green with yellow piping. Trousers: Blue-grey with yellow piping and green stripe. Headgear: Tyrolean-style hat.

CARABINIER CYCLISTS (Attached to cavalry): As carabiniers but with no trouser stripe, only yellow piping. Headgear: Conical, peaked field cap with yellow band.

ARTILLERY

FIELD & HORSE: Tunic: Dark blue with crimson piping. Trousers: Blue-grey with scarlet stripe. Headgear: Talpack for all ranks; officers with scarlet bag on left.

FORTRESS: As above except for Headgear: Shako. Fortress indicated by initial letter on shoulder tabs.

OTHER

ENGINEERS: Tunic: Dark blue with scarlet piping. Trousers: Blue-grey with scarlet stripe. Headgear: Shako

TRAIN: Tunic: Dark blue, light blue piping. Trousers: Blue-grey, light blue piping. Headgear: Shako.

ADMINISTRATION BATTALIONS: As above, except Headgear: Kepi.

MEDICAL SERVICE: Tunic: Dark blue, crimson piping. Trousers: Black with crimson stripe. Headgear: Kepi.

Officers wore high boots, other ranks ankle boot with black leather lace-up gaiters.

The standard greatcoat was dark blue, double-breasted, with two rows of 5 brass buttons showing the Regt. number. No other unit numbers were displayed. The skirts could be buttoned back in the French style, and infantry followed the French habit of sometimes wearing the greatcoat without the tunic underneath.

Webbing was as in the illustrations, with a cowhide knapsack, black aluminium mess tin, brown haversack, 1 litre water bottle with khaki cover, Linnemann entrenching tool, and central ammunition pouch.

CAVALRY

GENDARMERIE (2 Regts.): Tunic: Dark green Dolman, gold facings, crimson piping. Trousers: Crimson, green piping, yellow stripe. Headgear: Colback or green side cap with gold tassel.

LANCERS (5 Regts.): Tunic: Dark blue, double-breasted. Trousers: Blue-grey. Headgear: Czapka with regt. number on front.

[1st & 2nd Regts: Crimson piping, white trouser stripe. 3rd & 5th Regts: White piping, yellow stripe. 4th Regt: Blue piping, yellow stripe.]

CHASSEURS (3 Regts.): Tunic: Dark blue, double-breasted. Trousers: Blue-grey, white stripe. Headgear: Shako.

[Piping: 1st Regt: Yellow. 2^nd & 4th Regts: Scarlet. 3rd Regt. had not been formed by the outbreak.]

Greatcoat was as infantry pattern, except Gendarmerie, which was dark green. All ranks wore high boots.

GARDE CIVIQUE

This force seems to have been equipped with no more than an overcoat of civilian cut and Its most notable feature, a short top hat with brim turned up on the left.

This diversity did not last long; experience of battle prompted a series of changes with a speed not evident in peacetime.

The central ammunition pouch was inconvenient for reloading in the prone position and was replaced by pouches either side of the belt buckle. The shako-wearing infantry soon adopted the Grenadiers’ Feldmütze. Puttees began to replace the leather gaiters.

As attention turned to Ypres and points south, the Belgians established a defensive line along the Yser Canal from Dixmude to the Channel coast. The new clothing issued to these 58,000 or so troops was referred to as the Yser uniform. It comprised a single-breasted grey or dark blue tunic, wine-red corduroy trousers, blue puttees, and a soft kepi in dark green or blue.

In the spring of 1915, with the Yser Front largely inactive, the Army totally re-equipped. The new uniform, issued to all arms, was French in style but made from British khaki serge.

The tunic was single-breasted with a standing collar. The greatcoat was double-breasted with falling collar, half-belt at the back, and two large pockets; again, the skirts could be buttoned back for marching.

Trousers were straight-cut for non-mounted units, worn with puttees or lace-up gaiters.  Mounted troops and cyclists wore jodhpur-style breeches and leggings.

Officers’ dress was more British-influenced, but retained the standing collar, and officers’ greatcoats varied in detail but were generally similar to earlier styles.

Headgear was a cap with cloth-covered peak and unit badge on the front, or side cap with tassel and piping in arm colour.  By the end of the year the Adrian helmet came into service, khaki painted and with a lion mask emblem on the front for all ranks and units.

A new brown leather belt with integral ammunition pouches was issued to mounted troops and cyclists.

A less obtrusive system of arm of service identification was introduced, using collar patches and piping on collar, cap, and shoulder strap. Numbers on the cap and shoulder strap indicated the unit, with the exception of Grenadiers, who wore just a grenade symbol.

This system covered every job in the Army, but these are the main distinctions:

Belgian Rank Insignia, Aug 1914 – Spring 1915

On the Dolman, rank was indicated Hungarian knots on each sleeve, 1 to 5 rows of gold braid according to rank; Lieutenant Colonels and Second Captains had middle row in silver.

The broad stripe on trousers is sometimes referred to as a Lampas, plural Lampassen, meaning a type of cotton cloth. This is not to be confused with the English word lampas, which is a swelling on the roof of a horse’s mouth!

 Belgian Rank Insignia, Khaki Uniform, 1915-18.

The last stage of the transformation was the introduction of new, British-made webbing: two four-pocket cartridge-pouch sets; a webbing knapsack with straps for tent cloth, blanket, and mess tin; a webbing haversack, bayonet frog, and Linnemann entrenching tool. The water bottle was covered in khaki fabric, the 1914 mess tin was retained but now painted khaki, and the French M2 gasmask in a khaki-painted metal canister completed the new arrangement.

Belgium’s other contribution to the War was in East Africa, where troops from her colonies joined those of Britain, South Africa, and India in the pursuit of Lettow-Vorbeck’s force. These men, naturally, wore a tropical uniform.

Sources:

The World War One Sourcebook; Philip Haythornthwaite.

World War I Infantry In Colour Photographs; Laurent Mirouze.

Army Uniforms of World War I; Andrew Mollo & Pierre Turner.

The Myth of the Great War; John Mosier.

The First World War; Martin Gilbert.

The First World War; John Keegan.

Useful Websites:

http://www.geocities.com/abl1833/index.html
http://www.geocities.com/belgianarmypre1914/index.html

http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/Camp/4403/Militaria.html
http://www.gwpda.org/photos/belg1.htm
http://www.sacktrick.com/igu/germancolonialuniforms/militaria/mab.htm
http://www.rudi-geudens.be/html/oorlogsmuseum_colonial01.htm