Pre-War/Early War II
Infantry
Infantry of the Line
According to the Handbook of the Belgian Army that was compiled by the British War Office in 1906, every Line Infantryman was to be issued the following uniform:
- Tunic - dark blue, double breasted, with scarlet collar, and scarlet wool “wings"
- Undress Jacket - dark blue, single breasted
- Trousers - blue-grey, with scarlet piping
- Shako - dark blue felt, with scarlet trimmings and ball tuft
- Forage Cap - circular, dark blue, with scarlet band & number of regiment in front
- Greatcoat - dark blue, double-breasted
While earlier patterns of the trousers, greatcoat, and undress jacket would have still been seen in 1914, these were generally reserved for regiments of fortress infantry and the reserve units. The units that made up the field army were more likely to receive the most recent variants of each uniform item. These included the M1906 greatcoat, the M1897 field jacket, and the M1906/11 trousers. The latest model of the Shako, or Schako, was the M1893, while the field cap was the M1886 bonnet de police.
In addition to these items, each Infantryman wore the M1891 Anklets, made out of black leather, and a pair of M1910 boots, made from black rough-out leather and quite similar to the French M1893 boot. Underclothes included a white or striped collarless cotton shirt (not unlike the German and French shirts), cotton or cotton-flannel underdrawers, and a pair grey wools socks. A Cravat or 'faux-col' made of either black or dark blue cotton was also worn.
The tunic, or dress jacket, featured red trim and red epaulettes (see the photo at the top-left of the previous page, and the soldier at the far right of the photo to the left). This rather decorative coat would not have been seen on campaign, as they were reserved in all branches for dress occasions. Instead, like in the French Army, the greatcoat was to be worn at all times while on service. Earlier patterns of the greatcoat were made in a charcoal color (gris Marengo), but the M1906 was made entirely of a coarse and heavy dark blue wool. It was double-breasted and had two rows of six buttons on its front. It also featured large flapped side pockets, a rear vent, and an integral half-belt, all of which were buttoned. The lining and flap pockets were to be of blue-grey heavy cotton cloth.
Another difference between the M1906 greatcoat and its predecessors was the addition of 15 cm slits in the cuffs, closed by two buttons, which would allow for the sleeves to be rolled up when on work details. And yet another difference was the addition of simple shoulder padding to provide some protection against the knapsack straps. This was done by doubling the thickness along the shoulders. Finally, the greatcoat had brass wire belt hooks to hold the M1896 accoutrement belt in place. The skirts of the greatcoat were to be buttoned back while on service.
The M1906 greatcoat (or gros bleu ) was to be worn over the M1897 ‘undress jacket’, also known as the ‘battle' or field jacket. The M1897 jacket was a simple single-breasted tunic, with one row of six brass buttons. The front buttons on both the overcoat and the jacket featured the regimental number. Per regulation, this jacket was to also have a side loop and brass hooks for supporting the equipment belt, as well as reinforced shoulders. Jackets produced before 1911 would could have scarlet piping on the facings and cuffs, while those after that year could have blue-grey piping. NCOs wore rank stripes on their sleeves; the two grades of sergeants wore either one or two gold stripes on their sleeves, corporals wore two yellow stripes on either sleeve, and the senior private wore a single yellow stripe on the left sleeve only (see photo at top right).
According to the 1906 regulations, trousers were to have scarlet piping. In 1911 the color was changed to a dark blue or a blue-grey. By 1914 many trousers were left unpiped altogether. The shade of the trousers also changed between 1906 and 1914, from a lighter shade of grey to a blue-grey, and finally to a darker grey. All of these colors would have been seen in the field in 1914. Buttons for attaching suspenders were included, but it is unclear if these were issued or had to be procured from home or through private purchase.
The M1893 Shako featured a red pompom and piping and a brass regimental plate. Rain-covers were issued, either waxed or oiled, but the reflective nature of these treatments caused most soldiers to turn the cover inside out when wearing it. In fact, the Shako proved impractical in the field, and most were lost or abandoned in favor of the M1886 field cap in the early weeks of the war. In addition to the dark blue regimental number, the M1886 field cap featured a national cockade of red, yellow, and black. There is photographic evidence of soldiers adding chinstraps to the field cap as well as to the bonnet de police that was adopted in late 1915.
Accoutrements
A new pattern of equipment had been adopted for all branches of infantry in 1896 (again, older patterns would have still been worn by fortress infantry and reserve units). It consisted of the following:
- Knapsack: made from unshaven cowhide on a wicker-work frame; rations were to be carried in the lower section of the pack, while ammunition could be stored in the outer pockets that were attached to each side of the pack; there are straps for attaching a blanket (made of black, grey, brown or white wool) and/or the greatcoat, an aluminium mess-tin (strapped to the flap), and a collapsible water bucket
- Waist-belt and ammunition pouch: both were made from black leather; the pouch is supposed to be worn at the center with the buckle slightly off to one side; supporting straps from the knapsack can be attached to either side of the pouch; a plain clipped-square brass plate served as the buckle; due to the position of the ventral pouch, or M1896 cartouchière ventrale, the buckle plate was often set off to the left
- Haversack: made of cotton canvas, milk-chocolate brown in color; could be worn behind the right hip either by attaching to the waist-belt by runners or by detachable shoulder strap; the outside flap featured a strap for holding the water bottle in place
- Water bottle: M1893/96 1-litre aluminium canteen, with brownish-green (almost olive drab) wool cover and cork stopper; the water bottle could be hooked to the exterior side of the haversack and kept in place by the loop running along the exterior flap of the haversack
- Mess tin: M1885/96 aluminium mess tin, in similar shape and size to the German pre-war mess tin, but without handle; painted black and worn on the outer flap of the knapsack
- Entrenching tool: usually a spade or billhook; carried in a black leather carriage that attaches to the waist belt; e-tool carriage also attaches to the bayonet to keep it in place
- Bayonet Frog: for the M1889 Short/Knife Bayonet or the M1889 Long/Sword Bayonet; made from black leather, attaches to the waist-belt
The M1896 Knapsack was supposed to carry 120 rounds of ammunition, with thirty in each side pocket and another sixty stored in the internal compartment. The M1896 ammunition pouch could hold an additional 60 rounds, so, in theory, the Belgian Infantrymen was to have 180 rounds on their person. This obviously required Belgian soldiers to carry their knapsack with them at all times. Upon mobilization, each soldier was also issued a plaque d’identité and a field dressing containing lint and a bandage, to be kept in the left-breast pocket of the greatcoat. Shelter or tent halves were not issued to the Belgian Army until 1915, when they were issued French M1897 halves. Before this, troops were usually either housed in cantonments or billets. There were also no regulations for the blankets issued to the troops, and they came in a variety of colors, as mentioned above.
The early uniform shows obvious influences from its French (greatcoat, shako, boots &c.) and German (rifle, field cap, knapsack, bread bag, canteen &c.) contemporaries. By 1916, the Belgian uniform would look more like its French, British, and American allies, and show less of its earlier German influence.
