page_title: German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I
section_title: Invasion
hierarchical_section_title: German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I / Invasion
context_page_description: The German occupation of Luxembourg during World War I was the first of two military occupations of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by Germany in the 20th century. From August 1914 until the end of World War I on 11 November 1918, Luxembourg was under full occupation by the German Empire. The German government justified the occupation by citing the need to support their armies in neighbouring France, although many Luxembourgers, contemporary and present, have interpreted German actions otherwise.
  During this period, Luxembourg was allowed to retain its own government and political system, but all proceedings were overshadowed by the German army's presence. Despite the overbearing distraction of the occupation, the Luxembourgish people attempted to lead their lives as normally as possible. The political parties attempted to focus on other matters, such as the economy, education, and constitutional reform.
  The domestic political environment was further complicated by the death of Paul Eyschen, who had been Prime Minister for 27 years. With his death came a string of short-lived governments, culminating in rebellion, and constitutional turmoil after the withdrawal of German soldiers.
context_section_description: On 1 August 1914, Germany declared war on Russia.  On the outbreak of war with its eastern neighbour, Germany put the Schlieffen Plan into action, and Luxembourg's government's fears were realised.  Initially, Luxembourg was only a transit point for Albrecht von Württemberg's Fourth Army.  One of the railways from the northern Rhineland into France passed through Troisvierges, in the far north of Luxembourg, and Germany's first infringement of Luxembourg's sovereignty and neutrality was the unauthorised use of Troisvierges station. Eyschen protested, but could do nothing to prevent Germany's incursion.
  The next day, while French troops were still at a distance from the German frontier, Germany launched a full invasion. German soldiers began moving through south-eastern Luxembourg, crossing the Moselle River at Remich and Wasserbillig, and headed towards the capital, Luxembourg City.  Tens of thousands of German soldiers had been deployed to Luxembourg in those 24 hours (although the Grand Duchy's government disputed any precise number that was suggested).  Grand Duchess Marie-Adélaïde ordered that the Grand Duchy's small army, which numbered under 400, not to resist. On the afternoon of 2 August she and Eyschen met the German commander Oberst Richard Karl von Tessmar on Luxembourg City's Adolphe Bridge, the symbol of Luxembourg's modernisation.  They protested mildly, but both the young Grand Duchess and her aging statesman accepted German military rule as inevitable.
  
  On 2 August, German Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg justified the complete occupation of Luxembourg in terms of military necessity, arguing that France was ready to invade Luxembourg itself.  The French minister in Luxembourg dismissed this argument, claiming that it would not have considered violating Luxembourg's neutrality unless Germany had done so first.  Bethmann Hollweg attempted to prove his country's regret by offering Luxembourg compensation for the losses due to the military presence.  On 4 August, Bethmann Hollweg told the Reichstag: 
  We have been forced to ignore the just protestations of Luxembourg and the Belgian government.  We shall make amends for this injustice as soon as our military goal is accomplished.
  However, when it seemed that Germany was on the verge of victory, the Chancellor began to revise his statements.  In his Septemberprogramm, Bethmann Hollweg called for Luxembourg to become a German federal state, and for that result to be forced upon the Luxembourgish people once Germany achieved victory over the Triple Entente. However, the British and French halted the German advance at the Battle of the Marne in mid-September.  This resulted in the indefinite continuation of German occupation.
caption: Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg, German Chancellor
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