Tribal destroyers initially supported monitors bombarding German troops and artillery along the Belgian coast. The Royal Marine Brigade reached Antwerp in requisitioned London buses, while the Royal Naval Division and an armored train reinforced the defense. Antwerp still lacked the supplies and strength to survive the German concentration, but holding it delayed that advance and helped roughly 80,000 Belgian troops escape. British losses were 57 dead, 138 wounded, 936 captured, and 1,479 interned after crossing into the neutral Netherlands. The figures show both the cost and the operational value of the delaying action.
Chapter · 43:53-48:34
Dover monitors intervene in the Race to the Sea
The Dover Monitor Squadron and Royal Naval Division helped delay the German advance through Antwerp as the Western Front raced toward the Belgian coast.