Thursday, December 3, 2020

Burning Louvain in 1914 an Example of German War Time Atrocities

Jun 17, 2011
Michael Streich

The medieval Belgian town of Louvain was destroyed by occupying German troops that ignored Belgian neutrality and brutalized the inhabitants.

World War I was barely one month old when the German forces, fighting their way through neutral Belgium, committed one of the worst atrocities of the war. A crime against humanity, the burning of Louvain on August 25, 1914 was also a crime against history. Louvain was a medieval city on the road to Brussels with a famous university and a library that held priceless medieval works. According to historians John Horne and Alan Kramer, “Louvain was a genteel city, inhabited by wealthy retired people, academics, priests, monks, and nuns.” German troops, however, destroyed the city, skillfully placing the blame on the Belgians, accused of attacking and killing German soldiers and officers.

Belgium Invaded by German Troops in 1914

Neutral Belgium, established in 1830 by Europe’s great powers, was invaded in 1914 by one million German men comprising five separate armies with orders to rapidly reach the French frontier in fulfillment of the von Schlieffen Plan. Success of encirclement depended upon a rigid timetable which mandated a schedule dependent upon speed. From the very beginning, however, resisting Belgians hindered the time frame, forcing the Germans to take brutal action.

Commanding generals ordered the destruction of towns and villages and sanctioned the massacres of hundreds of innocent civilians including women and children. In the case of Liege, German forces used human shields to break the resistance. Germans blamed the often imaginary actions against its troops on franc-tireurs, a term first used in the 1870 Franco-Prussian War to denote civilians acting as combatants. Ignoring many instances of “friendly fire” and poor troop discipline, any mishaps were blamed on the bitter population.

What Really Happened at Louvain?

The destruction of Louvain was attested to by observers representing the neutral legations in Brussels, including the United States diplomatic mission. Subsequent German investigations ignored lapses in troop discipline and helped to fan the flames of propaganda. American and British newspapers reported that the old St. Peter’s church had been burned along with artworks of old masters.

A September 28, 1914 London Times article, however, relying upon comments given by an unnamed “Belgian nobleman,” stated that the artworks had been saved for transport to Germany. The destruction of the medieval library, on the other hand, elicited the greatest horror. Historian Barbara Tuchman quotes the young Belgian King Albert telling the French Minister, “…They burned the Library of Louvain simply because it was unique and universally admired.”

German Propaganda Blames Reprisals on the Belgian Resistance

Based on memoirs, eye-witness accounts, and official diplomatic reports, historians appear convinced that the destruction of Louvain began after shots were fired in the city, attributed to the German troops themselves. Given the level of fear and lack of discipline on the part of some army units, reprisals began immediately, culminating in the systematic burning of the city. A September 18, 1914 item in the German Norddeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung claims that the medieval city hall was not damaged; coincidentally, this was also the site of German headquarters and housed many officers.

The German response by Adolf von Bruning, dated August 30, 1914 and reported in the New York Times one month later, blamed the local population as well as Belgian rulers. German reprisals, according to the report, came in response to a “spontaneous uprising” of local citizens in tandem with an expected Belgian military sortie from Antwerp. The burning commenced on August 28th. German dates and times conflict with reports of neutral observers and eye-witness accounts in order to give the impression of an orderly, balanced response.

The Brutalization of the Belgian Population

Belgians that were not shot or bayoneted were deported to Germany as laborers and later to occupied France. Tuchman blames much of the violence perpetrated by the Germans on fear. Other historians cite troop discipline and German disdain for non-Germans. German war goals in 1914 had not yet developed a firm future for Belgium based on German victory. One aspect that must also be considered is the rigid timetable reflected in the Schlieffen Plan.

German Planning Hindered by Belgian Resistance

The extent of Belgian resistance had not been factored into the plan. The German war machine was based on absolute precision. Every train car was accounted for and every military company had its place in the cog of that machine. Mobilization began a process that was intricate and fast. France had to be defeated before Russia was militarily capable of entering the conflict. Mobilization was only the first phase of an operation that assumed sleepy Belgium would cooperate with invasion and occupation.

The burning of Louvain seemed to contradict the characteristics of a civilized nation that gave the world Beethoven and Goethe. The city’s destruction was a reminder that war did not respect history. The lessons of Louvain would be revisited in the next generation with the bombing of German cities. In August 1914, however, the ashes of the Louvain medieval library served as a reminder of human ignorance and brutality.

Sources:

Philip J. Haythornthwaite, The World War One Source Book (Brockhampton Press, 1992)
John Horne and Alan Kramer, German Atrocities 1914: A History of Denial (Yale University Press, 2001)
Barbara Tuchman, The Guns of August (The Macmillan Company, 1962)
Various news articles noted above