| Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia | |
|---|---|
| Active | 1915–1918 |
| Disbanded | July 1918[1] |
| Country |
 Belgium |
| Allegiance |
 Russian Empire (1915–17) Russian Provisional Government (1917) |
| Branch | Imperial Russian Army |
| Type | Mechanised |
| Role | Mobile Reconnaissance |
| Size | 444 men (total)[1] |
| Garrison/HQ | Peterhof, Saint Petersburg (1915) |
| Equipment | Minerva and Lanchester armoured cars |
| Engagements | Galicia, Eastern Front. |
The Belgian Expeditionary Corps of Armoured Cars in Russia (French) was a Belgian military formation during the First World War which was sent to Russia to fight the German Army on the Eastern Front. Between late 1915 and 1918, 444 Belgian soldiers served with the unit and 16 were killed in action.[1]
History[]
Map depicting the unit's operations in Galicia
As the front line in the west stabilized after the Battle of the Yser, the large numbers of armoured cars produced in the early years of the war by the Minerva Motor Company Ltd (based in Antwerp) found themselves redundant. It was only when Tsar Nicholas II made a formal request to King Albert of the Belgians in early 1915, asking for a small, mobile force that these could be used. As Belgium was not an official ally of the Russian Empire, soldiers in the unit were considered as volunteers in the Imperial Russian Army.
A British armoured car unit of a similar size, known as the British Armoured Car Expeditionary Force (or ACEF) also served in Russia.[2]
The first contingent of the Belgian Expeditionary Corps, some 333 volunteers equipped with Minerva Armoured Cars, arrived in Archangel in October 1915.[1] The unit fought valiantly in Galicia and was mentioned in the Order of the Day five times.[3]
After the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the Belgian force remained in Russia until the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk withdrew Russia from the war. After the ceasefire, the unit found itself in hostile territory. As the route north to Murmansk was blocked, the soldiers destroyed their armoured cars to prevent their capture by Bolshevik forces.[3] The unit finally reached the United States through China and the Trans-Siberian railway and in June 1918.[1]
Members[]
The unit was never particularly numerous, but included some notable personnel:
- Marcel Thiry, well-known Wallonian poet and his brother, Oscar.
- Julien Lahaut, politician and chief of the Communist Party of Belgium who was assassinated in 1950.
Commemoration[]
From 1931, soldiers who had served with the unit were awarded the 1914–1918 Commemorative War Medal with a bar (reading 1916-R-1917) denoting service in Russia.[4] The last veteran of the unit died in 1992.[1]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 "Belgian Armoured Cars in Russia". www.greatwardifferent.com. http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Russia/Russia_00.htm. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ "Foreign Armoured Units in Russia during WWI". www.wio.ru. http://www.wio.ru/tank/for-rus.htm. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "WWI – Belgium Armoured Car Division in Russia". www.philatelicdatabase.com. http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/postal-history/wwi-belgium-armoured-car-division-in-russia/. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ "The Russia-bar "1916-R-1917"". http://users.skynet.be/Belgian.militaria/russia.htm. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
External links[]
- "WWI – Belgium Armoured Car Division in Russia". www.philatelicdatabase.com. http://www.philatelicdatabase.com/postal-history/wwi-belgium-armoured-car-division-in-russia/. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- (French) "'Opérations des Auto-canons-mitrailleuses Belges en Russie". Touring Club de Belgique (1918). http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Russia/Auto_Canons_01.htm. Retrieved 21 December 2012.
The original article can be found at Belgian Expeditionary Corps in Russia and the edit history here.