1914_0812_01s: The Battle of the Silver Helmets - FWWC 01 France '14

Haelen, Belgium, 30km northeast of Louvain, 12th August 1914: Following the isolation of Liège, the German H.K.K.2 advanced northwest. The Belgian began forming a defensive position along the Gete and the Division de Cavalerie held the northern flank of this line. It was here that the first cavalry clash of the war occurred, in which the Belgian General de Witte ordered his cavalry to dismount and hold the bridges along the main roads through Diest and Haelen. In what would later become known in Belgian folklore as "The Battle of the Silver Helmets", the Germans waged a bloody day long battle in which they launched charge after charge at the defenders, with each being repulsed in turn. The Belgians would contain von Marwitz's cavalry advance and thus cause him to wait for German infantry support before again attempting a crossing of the Gete. [Size: small] *See the notes document for information on scenario design decisions and historical notes.