| Dead soldiers and horses in a corner of the battlefield near the village of Haelen, Belgium, scene of a fierce battle in which the entire German advance through Belgium was delayed for ten days by French and Belgian troops. However, the Germans had regrouped and successfully attacked in overwhelming numbers. Horses that were not killed in the battle ran hysterically around the battlefield after losing their riders, hampering troop movement and endangering foot soldiers. Below: French soldiers pick up the dead and wounded near Charleroi, Belgium, where French troops had withered under heavy artillery barrages. On the verge of a rout, individual soldiers began singing the Marseillaise French national anthem which spread through the whole unit. Then they turned and attacked, and for the moment, the Germans were routed instead. |
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