Caption: "Belgian infantry during the Battle of Halsine (sic), August 1914, armed with the belgian 7.65 mm Mauser M1889 rifle. In 1915 they adopted a khaki uniform." The Battle of Haelen was a cavalry battle at the beginning of World War I. It took place on August 12, 1914 between German forces, led by Georg von der Marwitz, and the Belgian forces, led by Leon de Witte, and resulted in a tactical victory for the Belgians The battles of 1914 were marked by a great learning process where Generals were trying to come to terms with a way of fighting where casualties were far higher than anything yet experienced in Europe. This would eventually lead to the trench warfare of the Western Front.