For over four long years, Belgium had been almost entirely occupied by the German Empire. Antwerp, a vital strategic port city, had suffered heavy bombardment early in the war and had endured a grueling period of military rule, extreme food shortages, and harsh deprivations.
When the news of the armistice broke on the morning of November 11, the relief and euphoria were absolute. Thousands of citizens spontaneously abandoned their homes and workplaces to converge onto the streets to embrace strangers, wave Allied flags, and celebrate their hard-won freedom.