Georg Cornelius Adalbert von der Marwitz was a Prussian cavalry general, who commanded several Imperial German armies during the First World War on both the Eastern and Western fronts.
Marwitz in April 1918
Marwitz (right) and the Kaiser on the way to visit troops near Cambrai in December 1917
The Battle of Halen, also known as the Battle of the Silver Helmets because of the many cavalry helmets left behind on the battlefield by the German cuirassiers, took place on 12 August 1914 at the beginning of the First World War, between German forces led by Georg von der Marwitz and Belgian troops led by Léon De Witte. The name of the battle alludes to the Battle of the Golden Spurs, when 500 pairs of golden spurs were recovered from the battlefield. Halen was a small market town and a convenient river crossing of the Gete and was situated on the principal axis of advance of the Imperial German army. The battle was a Belgian tactical victory but did little to delay the German invasion of Belgium.
Contemporary postcard depicting the failure of the German cavalry at Halen
A German cavalry helmet recovered from the battlefield
Dead horses after the battle of Halen
44 helmets symbolising the German occupation during the First World War
