Orders were accordingly
issued by the Civil Governors of provinces, and by the Burgomasters of
towns, that the civilian inhabitants were to take no part in hostilities
and to offer no provocation to the invaders. That no excuse might be
furnished for severities, the populations of many important towns were
instructed to surrender all firearms into the hands of the local
officials.[1]
[Footnote 1: Copies of typical proclamations have been printed in
_L'Allemagne et la Belgique_, Documents Annexes, xxxvi.]
[Illustration: [map of Belgium]]
This happened on Aug. 2. On the evening of Aug. 3 the German troops
crossed the frontier. The storm burst so suddenly that neither party had
time to adjust its mind to the situation. The Germans seem to have
expected an easy passage. The Belgian population, never dreaming of an
attack, were startled and stupefied.
LIEGE AND DISTRICT.
On Aug. 4 the roads converging upon Liege from northeast, east, and
south were covered with German Death's Head Hussars and Uhlans pressing
forward to seize the passage over the Meuse. From the very beginning of
the operations the civilian population of the villages lying upon the
line of the German advance were made to experience the extreme horrors
of war.
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