Historiography praised the Belgian soldier... just a month into the war. His highly picturesque silhouette, marked by a headdress from a different era, initially rendered him a subject of amusement. The numbers of this tiny army were as yet insufficient to counter the omminent threat, mandatory military service only being brought into force from 1909 to 1913. 230,000 men for a nation with a population of 7 million...
