Halen 4- Belgian Forces
The Belgian Cavalry Division consisted of two brigades, a separate battalion of Cyclists, and a horse artillery battalion of twelve guns divided into three batteries. The two cavalry brigades consisted of 1st Cavalry Brigade (1st and 2nd Guides Regiments) and 2nd Cavalry Brigade (4th and 5th Lancers Regt). There were machine-gun detachments for each brigade, which came from an entirely different unit. The 2nd Cav Bde (Lancers) was assigned a machine-gun section consisting of two Hotchkiss machine guns from 1st Regt Jagers te Paard. The 1st Cav Bde (Guides) had a similar section from 2nd Regt Jagers te Paard. Together with a company of engineers, they were under the command of Lt. Scouvemont. All wore colorful uniforms.
Belgian cavalry regiments were organized similarly to German regiments, with five squadrons, including one reserve that stayed behind in the garrison. So, in addition to the regimental staff, there were four active squadrons per regiment. Each squadron contained four officers and 140 enlisted soldiers. There were four regiments assigned to the Belgian Cavalry Division: the 4th and 5th Lancers (L) Regiments and the 1st and 2nd Guides Regiments. It is important to understand that cavalry squadrons broke down directly to platoons. For instance, four platoons made up 4th Squadron of the Fourth Lancer Regiment (4 L).
There were six machine guns in the Belgian Cavalry Division, all Hotchkiss. One section of two guns was in the Cyclist battalion. There were also two sections that were previously mentioned, each of two machine guns, in the Belgian Cavalry Division that came from 1st and 2nd Regt Jagers te Paard (JP) /Chasseurs à Cheval (ChCh). So organically, the division had only two machine guns. The other four were attachments.
The Belgian Cyclist Bn was unique. They were known jointly as Carabineers and Cyclists. The Germans referred to them as Die Schwarzen Teufel, the black devils. They were organized into three companies. The bicycles themselves made them unique: soldiers that could actually fold and carry the bicycles on their backs. Therefore, a soldier could march on foot without losing contact with his bicycle. He would also avoid the dismounted-cavalry problem of having to use horse holders, which decreased the amount of soldiers available for the firing line. Being able to take their bicycles with them avoided this, but increased both the maneuver load and awkwardness. Although we do not have a formal command chain, the 2nd Cavalry Brigade/Cavalry Division commander wrote orders for the Cyclist Bn (he actually wrote an order directly to 3rd Company bypassing the cyclist battalion headquarters entirely). The Cyclist Bn also had a machine-gun section. Under the command of a captain, this section had two Hotchkiss machine guns. Each machine gun had a team consisting of an NCO with wide yellow stripes on his sleeves, and eight men. The machine gun was mounted on a bipod; all small equipment was strapped to the bicycle. Maj. Siron commanded the battalion.
The division also had an organic horse artillery battalion consisting of three batteries. Each battery contained four guns, bringing the total to 12 guns.
Reinforcing the Belgian Cavalry Division during the afternoon of the battle was the 4th Mixed Brigade, consisting of two regiments: the 4th and 24th Line Inf Regt. Both regiments had been reduced to two battalions each. Each battalion had four companies that were authorized six officers and 118 enlisted soldiers. This authorization was not met, especially the officer positions. (Considering numbers, a Belgian infantry company was much less powerful than a German Jäger company.) There was also a company of Hotchkiss machine guns and a company of Maxim machine guns pulled by dog carts. A three-battery artillery battalion with twelve guns increased the firepower dramatically. The battery numbers were: seventh battery, eighth battery, and the ninth battery. The machine-gun companies had been formed as late as 9 August and did not have a full complement of men. The Hotchkiss company only deployed four of the six machine guns due to the shortage of men.
The standard weapon for the Belgian infantry was the FN Mauser 1889 (7.65 mm). The well-known FN factories were created to build this rifle. Cavalry used the same caliber FN Mauser 1889 carbine (effective range 500 meters); Cyclists used the rifle. The Model 1889 was a five-shot, magazine-fed, bolt-action rifle, among the most advanced designs of the day.
Belgium was a trilingual country, speaking French and Flemish-Dutch, and in some areas German. However, not everyone was capable of speaking or understanding more than one language. Thus, orders given in French sometimes needed translating to the lower ranks receiving the orders. French was the language of the military (and the civilian administration). Courses in the Royal Military Academy in Brussels were in French, so commissioned officers had to speak the language. Flemish bourgeoisie—people who considered themselves upper class—spoke French. Flemish-Dutch, then, was often considered the language of the peasants.