Belgian Grave Unknown War Victim Cheratte-Haut

Belgian Grave Unknown War Victim Cheratte-Haut #3

On the cemetery of Cheratte-Haut is the grave of an unknown victim of the 1st World War.

It is probably the unknown person mentioned on the monument in Cheratte two kilometers away from the cemetery. At that location, two civilians were executed on the same night of August 5-6, 1914, including an unknown old man.

The victim was executed by the 'Teutonic hordes' on the night of August 5-6, 1914. The name "Teutons," refers to an ancient German folk tribe.

Recalling that on August 4, 1914, Germany's unexpected attack on neutral Belgium began, this victim was executed on the 2nd day of the attack. Unknown remains who and why. The victim was buried in this cemetery. The fate of the victim was never known to his family. A tragic story.

Germany thought they could overrun Belgium without too much resistance in their campaign to France. They were wrong. Belgium defended itself with pride and without fear.

It is known that as they passed through, the Germans reacted fiercely at any resistance. Insurgent civilians who shot at passing troops, so called franc-tireurs, at worst were shot, and their houses set on fire. Anything that delayed the passage to France (Germany was following the von Schlieffen plan to attack the weakly defended northern side of France through Belgium, which demanded a meticulous timetable), was crushed with brute force. France had to be defeated before Russia had mobilized its army and Germany would be in a two-front war.

FNC stands for; Fédération Nationale des Combattants de Belgique.

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