This book describes the incredible story of the ACM, the Belgian army’s first unit of armored cars. It covers the unit’s formation in 1915 and its transfer to the Russian Front, where the Belgians fought against Austrian and German troops. It recounts the adventures of the ACM-men in the midst of the Russian Revolution and their odyssey, first along the Trans-Siberian railway through China to Vladivostok, then across the Pacific Ocean to the United States, where King Albert’s heroes are received with tremendous enthusiasm. This amazing story concludes with the unit’s return to France and the subsequent fate of the ACM-veterans.

King Albert’s Heroes is a human interest story with a breathtaking historical background, a worldwide story about Belgians who went to war and made the best of it. One reads about the Thiry brothers who survived against all odds, about a world champion wrestling who attacked like a madman, about counts and barons whose noble blood was spilled, about volunteers who became writer, communist or winner of Olympic gold. A true story told through young men’s eyes and illustrated with color drawings and more than two hundred original photos.

August Thiry (1948) reviewed Russian literature and wrote travelogue stories for Belgian newspapers. He wrote novels and travel books. He published the non-fiction books Mechelen on the Tigris and Travelers through the Great War and was main adviser for the ACM exhibitions in Ukraine, Russia and the USA.