Battle of Halen

Battle of Halen
Part of the Battle of the Frontiers in the First World War
Contemporary postcard depicting the failure of the German cavalry at Halen
Date 12 August 1914 Location Halen (Haelen), Limburg Province, Belgium 50°56′57″N 05°06′38″E / 50.94917°N 5.11056°E / 50.94917; 5.11056 Result Belgian victory
Belligerents
Belgium	Germany
Commanders and leaders
Léon De Witte Adolf Proost	Georg von der Marwitz
Strength
5 regiments 2,400 cavalry 450 infantry cyclists	6 regiments 4,000 cavalry 2,000 infantry
Casualties and losses
160 killed 320 wounded	150 killed 600 wounded 300 captured
Halen class=notpageimage| Halen (Haelen), a market town in the province of Limburg in eastern Belgium

The Battle of Halen, also known as the Battle of the Silver Helmets (Dutch: Slag der Zilveren Helmen; German: Gefecht bei Halen; French: Bataille des casques d'argent) 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 in 1302, where 500 pairs of golden spurs were recovered from the battlefield. Halen (Haelen in French) 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.^[a] The battle was a Belgian tactical victory, but did little to delay the German invasion of Belgium.
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