In October of 1914, Belgian and British troops were holding the Nete river in the face of German attacks during the Siege of Antwerp. This river would prove to be one of the main defenses for the city, for if it fell then the Germans could move their mighty Big Bertha howitzers into range, and Antwerp would be lost, and with Antwerp gone the Belgians would be forced to give up most of their nation to German occupation.