Halen 7 Belgian Defense-2
Defending a river line can be tricky because of the lines of visibility. It was de Witte’s decision to make maximum use of visibility by setting up his soldiers in a large arc, a bit away from the Gete River. The advantage of this choice was to allow the Germans to cross the river, and then the Belgians could literally push them back against the river. Urban fighting in Halen would be very difficult; the numbers of fighters in the German Jäger Battalion could quickly overwhelm de Witte’s dismounted troops.
De Witte anchored the far left of his position on the road barricade near the village of Zelk. The far right would be around the village of Velpen. In the center, artillery would be placed on the highest elevations—the hills of Mettenberg and Bokkenberg—and dismounted cavalry would protect these artillery positions. The main defensive area would be located somewhere around the IJzerwinning Farm. The 4th Lancers were on the left and 5th Lancers on the right. Far to the front, the Cyclist Bn formed a dismounted screen-line of skirmishers right up to the river.
On the far right, the Guides Brigade would not only hold Velpen, but also provide a threat to the German left flank as they crossed the river. This deployment would also fit into the higher headquarters plan of sending reinforcements. When 4th Mixed Brigade could be sent to reinforce the Belgian Cavalry Division, they would arrive in the village of Velpen from due south.
At the IJzerwinning Farm, Maj. Closset (then an NCO with the 4th Lancers Regt) pointed out to the tenant’s wife, Louise Devos (Julien Stroobants’ wife), that things would once again become very dangerous—two regiments had been positioned around the farm. By then, more soldiers had arrived at the farmyard. This time, without asking, they climbed underneath the roof tiles of the stable. Lt. Lentz said that “Madame” and the children better leave. Asking the help of a Flemish NCO, he explained that the IJzerwinning Farm was to become an important stronghold to halt the Prussians.
The farm had been rented out and the tenant farmer was Julien Stroobants-pictured above with his wife. This is the same family that runs the museum in Halen today. The chair that Louise Devos is sitting on in the picture, is currently used as a dining room chair – bullet holes and all – in the Stroobants’ dining room.
Looking at the detail, de Witte determined that the barricade on the far left needed to hold firmly—this would block the approach to Zelk. There, he positioned 4th Squadron/4 Lancers, as well as two platoons from 2nd Company/Cy Battalion. With memories of Dunlop Swinton’s famous British story about dreams at Duffer’s Drift, the primary concern of some officers apparently was limiting “maneuver damage.” An entertaining account from a lieutenant in the Lancer squadron described, “During the night, I let my men set up a barricade and obstacles with felled trees and other means that were at hand then and there. Much to my commander’s discontent, as he had ordered ‘no damage to the vegetation,’ I had the fields mown.”
The 3rd Company/Cy Battalion was far forward, holding the bridge in Halen. Gen. Proost, Commander of the 2nd Cavalry Brigade/Cavalry Division that was to guard the Gete River between Geetbets and Halen, had written the order to the 3rd Comp/Cy Bn: “Tomorrow, 10 August at 0500 hours, your company will move to Halen in order to defend the Herk-Halen Road and the Gete crossing. Initially you will observe and defend the Halen-Halen Brooks Road. In case of a forced withdrawal, you will man the Halen railroad station as your second position. Your third position: the outer eastern perimeter of Loksbergen.” Their sector was defended by 1st Platoon (Pl)/3rd Comp/Cy Battalion positioned south of the bridge, and by 3rd Pl with machine guns in and around the brewery. The 2nd Pl was kept in reserve at the station. Captain-Commandant Van Damme commanded 1st Comp/Cy Bn. He was placed in battalion reserve near Loksbergen.
The artillery positions had to be defended with dismounted forces, so de Witte assigned 3rd Squadron/2 Guides (G) to the two artillery batteries he had placed on the dominating heights of Bokkenberg. The 1st Squadron/5 Lancers defended the one battery of Artillerie à Cheval on Mettenberg, as well as the machine guns of 1st and 2nd Regt JP/ChCh. The divisional command post was located behind Loksbergen; 2nd squadron/5 Lancers guarded it.
Two cavalry squadrons and one cyclist platoon were far to the south along the Gete River. The 1st Squadron/1 Guides (at Geetbets) and 4th Squadron/2 Guides (at Budingen) each guarded potential crossing sites and bridges. The 3rd Pl/2nd Comp/Cy Battalion was even farther away at Drieslinter.
Finally, the complete Company Pioneers/Engineers-Pontoneers (CPP) was sent to Diest to prepare the town for defense. The CPP had four officers and 190 other ranks. One hundred men of the Civilian Guard and fifty firemen accompanied the engineers. We have no proof of how many of the 190 other ranks stayed behind in Halen to blow up the Gete and Velp Bridges, but it seems as though a CPP platoon had been left there for that purpose.