Being an officer and a historian, I consider myself to be a military historian.I mainly work around military operations, Belgian Army, military justice and the First World War
This article examens two acts of indiscipline (namely violance and outrage against a superior) in... more This article examens two acts of indiscipline (namely violance and outrage against a superior) in the Belgian Army during the First World War
The munition stocks and unexploded munitions posed a serious threat to public health when the Fir... more The munition stocks and unexploded munitions posed a serious threat to public health when the First World War was over and even nowadays.
This article examines the very difficult expansion of activities of the Belgian Military Justice ... more This article examines the very difficult expansion of activities of the Belgian Military Justice during the First World War. The Military Justice was confronted with obsolete legislation, new problems and a large group of mobilised soldiers.
The story of the first three weeks of the First World War through the eyes of the 1st Army Divisi... more The story of the first three weeks of the First World War through the eyes of the 1st Army Division, a Belgian division of some 18.000 men.
Belgium went to war with 200,000 men out of a male population of 3,680,790. 90 percent of them we... more Belgium went to war with 200,000 men out of a male population of 3,680,790. 90 percent of them were draftees, civilians in uniform; the rest were professional soldiers or officers. Belgian soldiers were called Jass (the Dutch word for coat) or Piottes, both pre-war terms for draftees. Between 1915 and 1918 the army had an average strength of 137,000. In total some 320,000 men served in the Belgian Armed Forces. More conscripts reinforced the ranks during the hostilities (70,000 in total, mainly from the Belgian diaspora; one out of five Belgians became refugees in 1914). Some 50,000 war volunteers joined them, many of them escaped from occupied Belgium through the Netherlands. Among the latter were many bourgeois who gradually rose to the rank of junior officer. Table of
A detailed story of how a Belgian division tried in vain to conquer two german outposts in no man... more A detailed story of how a Belgian division tried in vain to conquer two german outposts in no man's land in january 1915.
The (military) stalemate of the First World War; How military tried to break throught the enemy&#... more The (military) stalemate of the First World War; How military tried to break throught the enemy's positions.
How discipline was exactly maintained in the Belgian Army is difficult to reconstruct, because so... more How discipline was exactly maintained in the Belgian Army is difficult to reconstruct, because some historians claim that discipline was harsh, with innocent and powerless soldiers, while an other group argues that discipline was rather loose. In some way both interpretations can be reconciled. It is a fact that the Belgian High Command did everything in its power to impose a strict discipline, based on unconditional obedience. However, soldiers were not completely powerless and were able to negotiate many aspects of daily life, including discipline. The result of this never-ending process was a kind of informal discipline, with officers who tried to keep command and care in balance, i.e. corporals and sergeants had to find an intermediate position between what the High Command wanted and what soldiers were willing to accept.
Between August 1914 and November 1918 the Belgian army took part in the First World War against t... more Between August 1914 and November 1918 the Belgian army took part in the First World War against the German aggressor. This article describes the way the Belgian army fought this war that began disastrously for Belgium, with 95 percent of the territory being occupied within three months. Despite a strong and widespread collective will to liberate the country, the military strategy remained on the defensive until August-September 1918. Meanwhile the Belgian army had like all armies in conflict – learned to master modern warfare.
DE KOSTER Margo, LEUWERS Hervé, LUYTEN Dirk en ROUSSEAUX Xavier (eds.), Justice in Wartime and Revolutions. Europe, 1795-1950, Brussel, Algemeen Rijksarchief, 2012, pp. 183-202., 2012
Discipline in the Belgian Army in trench warfare (1914-1918).
An obscure facet of daily life of ... more Discipline in the Belgian Army in trench warfare (1914-1918).
An obscure facet of daily life of Belgian soldiers.
During the First World War, daily life of soldiers was dominated by the harsh circumstances such as the environment and the enemy on the other side of no man’s land. These circumstances led to a new kind of discipline in the Belgian Army. While the High Command continued to order a strict application of a formal discipline as stipulated in the Code of Discipline (1815), the soldiers tried to modify discipline and to turn it into a more informal kind. Therefore, they didn’t hesitate to negociate (subtly or not, individually or in group, permanently or rather occasionally) with their officers, non-commissioned officers and corporals who were in constant interaction with both their men and their own superiors. Therefore they found themselves in a difficult position, caught between two opposite cultures: on the one hand the High Command seeking a formal discipline and on the other hand soldiers seeking an informal discipline. Finally some kind of a modus vivendi came out of this tension, although much depended on the character and personal choices of these leaders in question.
J. Baev en K. Grozev (eds.), World War One (1914-1918). 40th International Congress of Military History Varna, Bulgaria (31 August – 5 September 2014), Sofia, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 2015, p. 765-790., 2015
The First World War is particularly associated with the bloody offensives on the Western front. O... more The First World War is particularly associated with the bloody offensives on the Western front. Only a few months after its outbreak, the war got stuck in an unprecedented stalemate. The various armies tried to break through the front with new and heavier weaponry, but systematically, offensives ended in a failure with tens of thousands of casualties. This article considers the reasons for this by analysing the various ways by which attack and defence were organized. We also look at how the Germans almost achieved a breakthrough in Spring 1918 and how it was finally to the Allies to win the war.
This article examens two acts of indiscipline (namely violance and outrage against a superior) in... more This article examens two acts of indiscipline (namely violance and outrage against a superior) in the Belgian Army during the First World War
The munition stocks and unexploded munitions posed a serious threat to public health when the Fir... more The munition stocks and unexploded munitions posed a serious threat to public health when the First World War was over and even nowadays.
This article examines the very difficult expansion of activities of the Belgian Military Justice ... more This article examines the very difficult expansion of activities of the Belgian Military Justice during the First World War. The Military Justice was confronted with obsolete legislation, new problems and a large group of mobilised soldiers.
The story of the first three weeks of the First World War through the eyes of the 1st Army Divisi... more The story of the first three weeks of the First World War through the eyes of the 1st Army Division, a Belgian division of some 18.000 men.
Belgium went to war with 200,000 men out of a male population of 3,680,790. 90 percent of them we... more Belgium went to war with 200,000 men out of a male population of 3,680,790. 90 percent of them were draftees, civilians in uniform; the rest were professional soldiers or officers. Belgian soldiers were called Jass (the Dutch word for coat) or Piottes, both pre-war terms for draftees. Between 1915 and 1918 the army had an average strength of 137,000. In total some 320,000 men served in the Belgian Armed Forces. More conscripts reinforced the ranks during the hostilities (70,000 in total, mainly from the Belgian diaspora; one out of five Belgians became refugees in 1914). Some 50,000 war volunteers joined them, many of them escaped from occupied Belgium through the Netherlands. Among the latter were many bourgeois who gradually rose to the rank of junior officer. Table of
A detailed story of how a Belgian division tried in vain to conquer two german outposts in no man... more A detailed story of how a Belgian division tried in vain to conquer two german outposts in no man's land in january 1915.
The (military) stalemate of the First World War; How military tried to break throught the enemy&#... more The (military) stalemate of the First World War; How military tried to break throught the enemy's positions.
How discipline was exactly maintained in the Belgian Army is difficult to reconstruct, because so... more How discipline was exactly maintained in the Belgian Army is difficult to reconstruct, because some historians claim that discipline was harsh, with innocent and powerless soldiers, while an other group argues that discipline was rather loose. In some way both interpretations can be reconciled. It is a fact that the Belgian High Command did everything in its power to impose a strict discipline, based on unconditional obedience. However, soldiers were not completely powerless and were able to negotiate many aspects of daily life, including discipline. The result of this never-ending process was a kind of informal discipline, with officers who tried to keep command and care in balance, i.e. corporals and sergeants had to find an intermediate position between what the High Command wanted and what soldiers were willing to accept.
Between August 1914 and November 1918 the Belgian army took part in the First World War against t... more Between August 1914 and November 1918 the Belgian army took part in the First World War against the German aggressor. This article describes the way the Belgian army fought this war that began disastrously for Belgium, with 95 percent of the territory being occupied within three months. Despite a strong and widespread collective will to liberate the country, the military strategy remained on the defensive until August-September 1918. Meanwhile the Belgian army had like all armies in conflict – learned to master modern warfare.
DE KOSTER Margo, LEUWERS Hervé, LUYTEN Dirk en ROUSSEAUX Xavier (eds.), Justice in Wartime and Revolutions. Europe, 1795-1950, Brussel, Algemeen Rijksarchief, 2012, pp. 183-202., 2012
Discipline in the Belgian Army in trench warfare (1914-1918).
An obscure facet of daily life of ... more Discipline in the Belgian Army in trench warfare (1914-1918).
An obscure facet of daily life of Belgian soldiers.
During the First World War, daily life of soldiers was dominated by the harsh circumstances such as the environment and the enemy on the other side of no man’s land. These circumstances led to a new kind of discipline in the Belgian Army. While the High Command continued to order a strict application of a formal discipline as stipulated in the Code of Discipline (1815), the soldiers tried to modify discipline and to turn it into a more informal kind. Therefore, they didn’t hesitate to negociate (subtly or not, individually or in group, permanently or rather occasionally) with their officers, non-commissioned officers and corporals who were in constant interaction with both their men and their own superiors. Therefore they found themselves in a difficult position, caught between two opposite cultures: on the one hand the High Command seeking a formal discipline and on the other hand soldiers seeking an informal discipline. Finally some kind of a modus vivendi came out of this tension, although much depended on the character and personal choices of these leaders in question.
J. Baev en K. Grozev (eds.), World War One (1914-1918). 40th International Congress of Military History Varna, Bulgaria (31 August – 5 September 2014), Sofia, St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, 2015, p. 765-790., 2015
The First World War is particularly associated with the bloody offensives on the Western front. O... more The First World War is particularly associated with the bloody offensives on the Western front. Only a few months after its outbreak, the war got stuck in an unprecedented stalemate. The various armies tried to break through the front with new and heavier weaponry, but systematically, offensives ended in a failure with tens of thousands of casualties. This article considers the reasons for this by analysing the various ways by which attack and defence were organized. We also look at how the Germans almost achieved a breakthrough in Spring 1918 and how it was finally to the Allies to win the war.
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Papers by Tom Simoens
An obscure facet of daily life of Belgian soldiers.
During the First World War, daily life of soldiers was dominated by the harsh circumstances such as the environment and the enemy on the other side of no man’s land. These circumstances led to a new kind of discipline in the Belgian Army. While the High Command continued to order a strict application of a formal discipline as stipulated in the Code of Discipline (1815), the soldiers tried to modify discipline and to turn it into a more informal kind. Therefore, they didn’t hesitate to negociate (subtly or not, individually or in group, permanently or rather occasionally) with their officers, non-commissioned officers and corporals who were in constant interaction with both their men and their own superiors. Therefore they found themselves in a difficult position, caught between two opposite cultures: on the one hand the High Command seeking a formal discipline and on the other hand soldiers seeking an informal discipline. Finally some kind of a modus vivendi came out of this tension, although much depended on the character and personal choices of these leaders in question.
Conference Presentations by Tom Simoens
An obscure facet of daily life of Belgian soldiers.
During the First World War, daily life of soldiers was dominated by the harsh circumstances such as the environment and the enemy on the other side of no man’s land. These circumstances led to a new kind of discipline in the Belgian Army. While the High Command continued to order a strict application of a formal discipline as stipulated in the Code of Discipline (1815), the soldiers tried to modify discipline and to turn it into a more informal kind. Therefore, they didn’t hesitate to negociate (subtly or not, individually or in group, permanently or rather occasionally) with their officers, non-commissioned officers and corporals who were in constant interaction with both their men and their own superiors. Therefore they found themselves in a difficult position, caught between two opposite cultures: on the one hand the High Command seeking a formal discipline and on the other hand soldiers seeking an informal discipline. Finally some kind of a modus vivendi came out of this tension, although much depended on the character and personal choices of these leaders in question.