THE YPRES TIMES
107
were keeping these roads and rails under cover of their guns, but only a single Division
under Lieut .-General Leman was holding this all important position of defending the
areas between the forts.
The first shots were exchanged between the Liége outposts and the invaders on
the afternoon of August 4th, and later in the evening strong German forces crossed
the Meuse at Visé, close to the Dutch frontier. The enemy had only to resist a reduced
battalion of the 12th Belgian Infantry Regimentvery gallant troops, but totally in
adequate to defend a 4 kilometre front (approximately 5,000 yards) with 450 men and
without any machine guns or Artillery support. Thus, the German cavalry was able
FORT FLERON FORT PONTISSE
Nothing remained of the Liége Forts after the German bombardment except an indistinguishable mass [of
shattered steel and concrete
from the very first day to raid all round Liége but their success proved very weak
compared with what they might and should have achieved.
At 10 a.m. on August 5th, the enemy, after a short Artillery bombardment, suddenly
attacked Fort Barchon on the Eastern sector and surrounded it for nearly four hours
when Belgian reinforcements arrived and threw the enemy back with heavy losses.
All day, the Germans massed troops in the dead ground behind the slopes of the hills
and out of sight of the forts in readiness for a night attack which proved of a very des
perate character, but the onslaught of the invaders was met with most stubborn resis
tance and again some of the forts were surrounded but later relieved by Belgian counter
attacks. Desperate bayonet fighting took place throughout the night along the whole
