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German capture of Moresnet

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German capture of Moresnet
Part of Western Front
Date4 August 1914
Location
Result

German victory,

Belgium loses control over the Neutral Moresnet and thus de facto becomes only a German-Dutch condominium.
Belligerents

 Germany

 Belgium

On 4 August 1914, Germany invaded Belgium, initially leaving Neutral Moresnet as "an oasis in a desert of destruction".[1] "As a proof of German preparation, war had come automatically at 7:00 a.m., 3 August 1914. At 23 o'clock (Belgian time) the outposts on the main roads holding Pepinster, Battice, Herve and smaller hamlets, were attacked and forced back to the fortified lines of Liège. The towns defended near the frontier were soon flaming ruins, the quaint neutral territory of Moresnet rising as an oasis in a desert of destruction".

Footnotes

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  1. ^ Musgrave 1918, p. 8.

Notes

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  1. ^ The neutral Moresnet was a Germany-Belgium-Netherlands condominium therefore falling under all three states. In this engagement, the Neutral Moresnet was invaded by Germany to gain full control of it and remove Belgian influence.
  2. ^ The neutral Moresnet was a Germany-Belgium-Netherlands condominium therefore falling under all three states. In this engagement, the Neutral Moresnet was invaded by Germany to gain full control of it and remove Belgian influence.

References

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  • Musgrave, George Clarke (1918). "The Belgian Prelude". Under Four Flags for France. New York: D. Appleton & Company. OCLC 1157994.