Military Museum Blog: Royal Belgian Military Museum, Brussels, Belgium

Here's a collection of photos from our visit to the Royal Military Museum in Brussels in 2011. The collection was extensive, starting with a large gallery of Belgian Napoleonic War relics. Unfortunately all the galleries closed at 12pm for lunch the day we visited so we didn't get a full look through the World War One section.

Napoleonic uniforms

Artillery from World War One.

A wonderful WWI Renault FT light tank. It's one of my favorite tanks and remained in use right through to the Second World War, although it was totally obsolete.

A gigantic WWI British Mark II tank. The Mark II was first used during the Battle of Somme, although its performance was terrible as almost all broke down before they saw action. They were slowly improved throughout the war, eventually becoming a decisive weapon on the Western Front.

A French Renault UE Chenillette gun carrier in German livery. After the Nazis conquered France they commandeered all manner of vehicles for their war effort. Although obsolete for front line service by the time the war started, they were useful for supporting roles, such as ammunition carriers and gun carriages.

The tank gallery in a outside courtyard. Most of the tanks however were Cold War era and therefore not particularly interesting to me.

Me with a Russian tank and German tank destroyer.

A WWII German Hetzer (significantly modified). After experiencing defeats against the Russians on the Eastern Front, the Germans introduced a new type of tank, the Jagdpanzer or tank destroyer. As the Jagdpanzer was designed to ambush other tanks and would be engaging head on, it was able dispense with a turret in favor of mounting a heavier gun with thicker frontal armour. It also had the advantage of a lower profile, making it easier to hide. As the war progressed and German fortunes turned for the worst, more and more jagdpanzers were built as their lack of a traversing turret meant they were quicker and less complicated to manufacture.

A post war German tank destroyer.

Polar explorer

Ship models in the naval section. Unfortunately we didn't get to look through that section because it was closing.

All of the photos above were taken in 2011. After we had visited the Aero Museum next door, we discovered the military museum was about to close so we did a very quick run through, hence the very few photos. In 2018 we returned to Belgium and took a much more leisurely tour through both museums.

2018 Visit

The Napoleonic Wars

An officer's hat

The Napoleonic period was distinguished by its extraordinarily elaborate uniforms and headwear.

German pickelhelms. They appear to be steel but were in fact made of tanned pigskin.

Steel cuirassiers helms

Tall hats and distinctive plumes signified rank and unit.

More cavalry helments and headwear.

Liberty or Death!

This cap was based on a Roman 'emancipation cap' worn by freed slaves. It became popular as a revolutionary headwear.

Grenadiers headwear

German pickelhelms of the Franco-Prussian War 1870

Medieval and Early Modern Era

14th and 15th century armour and helmets

Full armour suits from 15th Century

15th Century

With the advent of gunpowder, armour was reduced to chest and head armour.

Jousting armour

Russian Imperial Uniforms of the Tsars (special exhibit 2018)

The dress uniform of Tsar Alexander III

Dress uniform Tsar Alexander II

Russian Imperial uniforms 19th Century

Russian Imperial dress uniforms 19th Century

Tsarevitch Alexei

Russian summer uniform and equipment from the Great War.

Russian Imperial decorations

Russian winter uniform

German First World War Helmets

Like the other powers of Europe, the German army entered the war equipped with weaponry and uniforms largely unchanged from peacetime ceremonial wear from the 1890s. This included cavalry helmets with ostrich feather plumes and bedecked bear fur busbys. Totally impractical for the war that was about to be fought.

German ceremonial cavalry headwear was, like in other armies of the time, more about show than practicality.

Cavalry and officer ceremonial helmets

Pickelhelms

After the first months of war, the elaborate, pigskin pickelhelm was being replaced with something a little less 'visible.' Dust covers in mud brown became standard issue. By 1915 the ubiquitous 'stahlhelm' (steel helmet) would be standard issue.

First World War Tanks