August 10, 1914
Now under Einem, Ninth Army Corps (General von Quast) had been assigned the capture of the northern and eastern fronts of Liège: Forts Liers, Pontisse, and Fléron. In addition to his corps’ organic artillery, Quast was given operational control over many more artillery units including 42-centimeter guns. General von dem Borne was assigned Forts Chaudefontaine and d’Embourg with 30-centimeter guns provided by Austria-Hungary and a 21-centimeter mortar. The 30-centimeter pieces, however, never participated in the siege, because of the blocked rail tunnels and lines.
In the early hours of August 10, Emmich himself brought about his release. Second and Fourth Cavalry Divisions, advancing through St. Trond, drove a part of the Belgian Cavalry Division back on Tirlemont. Belgian cavalry had also been seen at Diest, thirty miles southeast of Antwerp. Ninth Cavalry Division of Marwitz’s HKK 2 still had failed to cross the Meuse between Liège and Huy, but north of Liège detachments of Ninth Corps had crossed. The bridge situation was also being resolved. The restoration of the bridge at Visé was not practicable because it was still under fire from Fort Pontisse, and so another temporary bridge was constructed farther north at Lixhe. The bridge at Argenteau had been destroyed, but that at Herstal was now in German possession.
Second Cavalry Division assumed that it was moving to Tirelmont eventually and therefore sent its reconnaissance squadron, Second Squadron Third Uhlan, to patrol this front. Because of its roleas a longer-range reconnaissance force, this squadron had taken a mobile radio set with it. Using this device, it was able to report Belgian positions quickly to the division on August 10. This confirmed the main Belgian defenses were along the River Gette. Radio contact with the division was lost that evening and was not re-established for two full days. The squadron finally made contact again on the thirteenth and found that the division was moving north instead.Other actions by Second Cavalry Division achieved additional skirmishing success. In particular, First and Fifth Squadrons Twelfth Hussar Regiment, supported by other cavalry, successfully pushed back Belgian cavalry around the town of Orsmaël-Gussrnhoven.
Based on the common misconception of Liègebeing the objective, there has been a lot of discussion about how long the obstacle of the fortress city delayed the advance of the German forces. The advance was not the objective either. The objective was the Belgian Army. So, if we are asking how much time this obstacle cost the attacking force, it might be a better question of did the fortress city delay or prevent the dispersal of the Belgian Army?
The Belgian field army had just three options left. It could wait for the Germans in a defensive position and hold out there until the French or British reinforcements arrived. It could withdraw due to the approach of German forces, either in the direction of the left wing of the French Fifth Army or toward the BEF. Thirdly, it could finally move to the fortified camp of Antwerp. If the German cavalry approached directly toward Brussels, it would encounter the complete Belgian field army and lack the striking power to break through. If it advanced south of this resistance center it could threaten the right Belgian flank. In case of an advance north, it would threaten the left Belgian flank. This is what the Belgians feared as most likely, according to the diary entries of the Belgian chief of staff, and in fact the HKK 2 commander decided to outflank the Belgian force to the north. With only two cavalry divisions, Marwitz did not have a force large enough to consider forcing his way through. If he could envelop the Belgians from the north, perhaps he could prevent them from withdrawing along the road into the city of Antwerp. As a German history stated: “Everything depends on hindering it [the Belgian field army] to move to Antwerp and to restrain it until First Army arrives.”
Commanded by General Baron von Richthofen, this two-division HKK1 was the closest cavalry formation to HKK 2. Its mission was “to reconnoitre through the Ardennes forest in the direction of Dinant on the Meuse and beyond.” This was a long way from the German far right flank. The HKK did not cross the Belgian border until August 10. Prior to that, most of the HKK’s time was spent in Luxembourg. Not only did it enter Belgium a full six days after HKK 2, but they immediately became involved in battling French security forces in the town of Simbret, southwest of Bastogne, making it unfavorable to supplement or support Marwitz’s overextended formation.
