Stars and Stripes | 2014-18.brussels

Displaying the famous Stars and Stripes, four infantrymen of the American Army parade in the streets of Brussels. Even if Belgian troops were the heroes of the “Joyous Entry”, it was an inter-allied detachment that had entered the city on 22 November 1918. The French, British and American liberators were also acclaimed. Enthusiasm would not last very long.

During the following months, Brussels was a place of passage and lodging for allied soldiers. The massive presence of foreign forces caused all sorts of trouble, notably due to drunkenness, fights and prostitution. Thereby, the duty of hospitality towards the liberators turned out difficult to fulfill. Some people went so far as to compare the allied presence to German occupation. It was, for them, as if Brussels had been occupied for a second time.