Gerard Mathieu Joseph Georges, count Leman (8 January 1851 – 17 October 1920) was a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

general. He was responsible for the military education of King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he was the commander of the forts surrounding the Belgian city of Liège. The German Forces had to use heavy artillery to break through the defences and capture Leman as a

prisoner of War A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. He was released at the end of the war and died a hero, in 1920.

Pre-World War I

Leman was the son of an artillery captain who was a professor at the Military School. He entered the Military School at Brussels, and when he left it in 1869 had acquired a reputation for brilliance. During the Franco-German War, he served in a Belgian observation corps. In 1882, he became a member of the teaching staff of the Military School, and both then and later, as head of the school, he exerted considerable influence on military matters, becoming famous as a mathematician. During this period he was responsible for the military education of King

and the Filipino general

Antonio Luna Antonio Narciso Luna de San Pedro y Novicio Ancheta (; October 29, 1866 – June 5, 1899) was a Filipino army general who fought in the Philippine–American War before his assassination in 1899. Regarded as one of the fiercest generals of his ...

Preparing Liège

In January 1914, he was appointed commander of the forts surrounding the Belgian city of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

as well as the 3rd division of the Belgian army. Leman was determined to hinder the German advance as much as possible. Over 18,000 labourers were set to work building fortifications around Liège. During a visit by a Belgian minister, Leman was told that these projects would compromise the neutrality of Belgium. Leman was unimpressed and replied that Belgium would come to thank him if war would break out; if no war came "they could take away his general’s stars".

Battle of Liège

In August 1914, German forces under the command of General Otto von Emmich appeared before Liège and summoned it to surrender. On Gen. Leman's refusal, the fortress was attacked, and the

Battle of Liège A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and for ...

began. Gen. von Emmich's forces were initially unable to break through his fortifications: only after they used very heavy artillery ( Big Bertha and other heavy guns, brought from Germany and Skoda works), against the forts did they succeed in knocking them out. Leman was knocked unconscious by the bombardment, and was rescued by the

Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...

from under the debris of

Fort Loncin The Fort de Loncin is one of twelve forts built around Liège, Belgium, in the late 19th century. The overall Fortified Position of Liège was a constituent part of the country's National Redoubt. Fort de Loncin was constructed between 1881 a ...

. He was held as a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

in Germany until 1917, when he was repatriated to Switzerland due to ill health. As a token of respect, he was allowed to retain his sword. Leman insisted that the report of his capture mentioned that he did not surrender, but was captured unconscious..

After the war

After the war, he returned to a hero's welcome in Belgium. He died in 1920, aged 69.

Honors

* : By royal decree of Albert I, made

nobility Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy (class), aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below Royal family, royalty. Nobility has often been an Estates of the realm, estate of the realm with many e ...

with rank of

count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

* : Grand cordon in the Order of Leopold with palm, 1918 * : Grand officer Order of the Crown * : War cross 14-18 * : Knight Grand Cross in the

Order of Saint Michael and Saint George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III. It is named in honour ...

* : Knight Grand Cross of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

* : War Cross * : Grand Cross in the Order of the Star * : Grand Cross in the Imperial Order of the Double Dragon

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Leman, Gerard 1851 births 1920 deaths Military personnel from Liège Counts of Belgium Belgian prisoners of war World War I prisoners of war held by Germany Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Belgium) Recipients of the Croix de guerre (Belgium) Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Recipients of the Croix de Guerre 1914–1918 (France) Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Belgian Army generals of World War I Royal Military Academy (Belgium) alumni