5 Francs

Belgium's wartime occupation by Germany from August 1914 created an immediate problem for the Banque Nationale: German military authorities aggressively withdrew gold and large-denomination notes, leaving the civilian population starved of small change. These lower-denomination francs were a deliberate countermeasure, pushed into circulation to keep everyday commerce functioning under occupation. The date range spans the entirety of the German occupation and beyond, reflecting continuous reissue rather than a single print run.

Hendrickx and Doms were both Brussels-based, and the note was produced domestically — unusual given that Belgian security printing often relied on foreign firms even in peacetime. Wartime necessity made that impossible.