the brigades had become mingled; Boncelles village was captured but fire from the fort forced the Germans into woods to the north-west. Attacks were made later against high ground south and south-west of Ougrée. Skirmishing went on all day, with many casualties around Fort Boncelles; as ammunition ran short, the 43rd Brigade retreated to Fontin and the 38th Brigade withdrew to Lince. The attacks from the north and south had failed and a raid by Zeppelin Cologne, at had little effect. The airship had been fired on by the Belgian artillery and was wrecked near Bonn, while making a forced landing due to loss of gas. In the centre, the 14th Brigade (Major-General von Wussow) advanced at led by Emmich and Ludendorff and made a rapid advance to Retinne, where Belgian troops covered the road with machine-guns and forced the Germans under cover with many casualties. Wussow and a regimental commander were wounded; Ludendorff took over and rallied the survivors, the Belgians were outflanked and taken. At Queue-du-Bois, the advance was stopped during house-to-house fighting, until two howitzers were brought up and the village was captured around dawn. By noon, the brigade had reached high ground near a Carthusian convent and saw a white flag flying on the Citadel over the river. An officer was sent forward to investigate and found that the flag was unauthorised and was repudiated by Léman. Attempts were made to contact flanking units but communications to the rear had been cut and no ammunition had been delivered, which left the force of isolated during the night. During the morning of 7 August, Emmich made "a desperate and bold decision" that the bridges in Liège were undefended and ordered the town to be occupied. Infantry Regiment 165 ( von Oven) crossed the river over the bridge and reached the north-western gate without resistance, taking several parties of Belgian infantry prisoner. Ludendorff, motoring ahead of Infantry Regiment 27 under the impression that the Citadel had been captured, found that he was alone with the garrison and bluffed them into surrender. The town and the Meuse bridges had been captured with most of the railway lines intact. Emmich sent officers to make contact with the other brigades and the 11th Brigade began an advance into Liège at noon, through artillery fire from Fort Chaudfontaine, was in the town by evening and formed a defensive line along the west