Belgian Coastal Defense in WWI

Belgium's fortifications during WWI were well-suited to defend against an invasion either from north or south, i.e. France and Germany, with fortresses positioned at key points along the lines of movement invading armies would have to take from either country. There were AFAIK even specialized detachments of the Belgian Army who were specifically given the mission of blowing up bridges in the event of invasion.

However, what of invasion from sea, i.e. the British? How were Belgium's defenses in that area? Could Britain invade and conquer Belgium quickly, or would they bog down long enough for the Belgians to ask for and receive help from either the Germans or the French?
 
Pretty much zero, the Germans had to build up defenses from scratch unlike the French ports the Germans evaluated.
 
No, there was a Belgian field army of six infantry divisions, a cavalry division, and misc fortress garrisons. OTL the British with Belgian cooperation landed some brigades in the ports, which sat there until the Belgian army retreated.
 
So...the British can just walk in and be at Brussels before the Germans/the French can do anything about it?
No amphibious invasion is hard and the British army is tiny. They don't really need coastal defences just blowing up the main docks would stop anybody without WWII tech like LSTs etc from landing stores in volumes to support an army.
 
So...the British can just walk in and be at Brussels before the Germans/the French can do anything about it?

As others have said, the Belgian have a field army as big or bigger than the British and the National Redoubt at Antwerp would be a major threat to any British landing on the coast.

It's a matter of priorities; the French and Germans are far bigger threats to Belgian neutrality with their million-man armies than the British with their fleet and handful of divisions.
 
Top