German Army Burns Louvain

German troops systematically burned the Belgian university city of Louvain (Leuven), including its irreplaceable medieval library containing 300,000 volumes and thousands of irreplaceable manuscripts. The burning lasted several days and resulted in approximately 248 civilian deaths. Germany claimed it was retaliation for civilian sniping ('franc-tireur' warfare). The destruction of Louvain's cultural heritage became a major Allied propaganda event, branded as 'the Rape of Belgium.'