After the War of 1870, France discovered its weak defenses. Cities have become vast factories to preserve enemies. Must surround them with strong to prevent them approaching. Dunkirk is not a priority because in the years 1870-1880, no one imagines that one day Germany dares violate Belgian neutrality.
coastal batteries were built from 1878 to defend the port. The city has built an enclosure between 1818 and 1848, enlarged in 1849, 1852 and 1861 but the war of 1870 has slowed the work to resume between 1878 and 1883: we must reorganize the coastal defense because of improvements in artillery and navy. Dunkirk is a place with strong hybrid planned for the front of the land and waterfront
Towards the sea
Zuydcoote The battery is finished in 1879. Rectangle bordered by a parapet 10 feet thick, surrounded by dry moats, the approaches are defended by two caponiers open, to flank the ditch and dike protection rubble lies on the beach prevent the walls from being undermined by the surf. This is a book composed of 10 high battery powerful guns but the barracks for 128 men, is not bomb-proof, a powder magazine of 33 m² houses 17,600 kilograms of powder and a tank of 75 m3 ensures the supply of water. A guard with a crane of 3 meters wide, so that guards the entrance road 10 meters wide connects Fort des Dunes ... In 1893, a new magazine semi-buried concrete is high. Under a shell of 3.5 m thick, it stocks 19,442 kg of powder. Near the battery, the semaphore Zuydcoote est élevé en remplacement de la Tour des sables, vestige de l’ancien village. En 1900, un projecteur est ajouté, puis de 1913 à 1920, de nouveaux canons, plus puissants, remplacent les premières pièces.
coastal batteries were built from 1878 to defend the port. The city has built an enclosure between 1818 and 1848, enlarged in 1849, 1852 and 1861 but the war of 1870 has slowed the work to resume between 1878 and 1883: we must reorganize the coastal defense because of improvements in artillery and navy. Dunkirk is a place with strong hybrid planned for the front of the land and waterfront
Towards the sea
Zuydcoote The battery is finished in 1879. Rectangle bordered by a parapet 10 feet thick, surrounded by dry moats, the approaches are defended by two caponiers open, to flank the ditch and dike protection rubble lies on the beach prevent the walls from being undermined by the surf. This is a book composed of 10 high battery powerful guns but the barracks for 128 men, is not bomb-proof, a powder magazine of 33 m² houses 17,600 kilograms of powder and a tank of 75 m3 ensures the supply of water. A guard with a crane of 3 meters wide, so that guards the entrance road 10 meters wide connects Fort des Dunes ... In 1893, a new magazine semi-buried concrete is high. Under a shell of 3.5 m thick, it stocks 19,442 kg of powder. Near the battery, the semaphore Zuydcoote est élevé en remplacement de la Tour des sables, vestige de l’ancien village. En 1900, un projecteur est ajouté, puis de 1913 à 1920, de nouveaux canons, plus puissants, remplacent les premières pièces.
La batterie de Mardyck est construite en 1878. De forme rectangulaire, le parapet de 10 mètres d’épaisseur est protégé par un fossé en eau. L’accès se fait par deux ponts de bois sur pilotis. Ici aussi, une caserne est construite pour 115 hommes que rien ne protège des bombes. 6 canons de 240 mm sont installés et sont renforcés par une batterie annexe de 4 pièces avec des abris bétonnés et deux poudrières pour 50 tonnes de poudre in 1884, supplemented in 1901, 8 guns of smaller caliber.
The enclosure of Dunkirk
City and port at a time, Dunkirk is protected by a ditch with riprap unpaved until the water body. Strongholds watching the sea, numbered 5-28, are topped by pieces of artillery. From 1892, two command posts in concrete are carried out and completed by a steel domed observatory. The men are stationed to bastions 28 (54 men) and 32 (32 men) and 32-5 in the curtain (which is the memorial of Operation Dynamo), for 104 soldiers. The bastion 5 is transformed into a tinderbox: Shop concrete contains 100 tons of powder. As for the front floor, a powder magazine no concrete, 100 tonnes, is established strongholds in 18, 20 and 21.
forehead ground
The fort was built in the dunes behind the battery Zuydcoote from 1878. His role is simple: deny access to Dunkirk by rail from Belgium and the canal of Veurne. Built on an original model of high ground, it is a safe and solid central low battery whose barracks accommodates 188 men. In 1900, a magazine is built of reinforced concrete for 100 tons of explosives.
The law of 24 December 1903 amends the defense of the port which must accommodate new docks and a new outlet channel. It plans to remove the enclosure to the west and replaced by the construction of the project west of the fort and Petite Synthe. Only the strong are built. We also dug a canal from the defensive south of the city, passing through the small hard-Synthe and leads west to the book. The latter is built from 1908 to 1911. Later, he hosts a pillbox of Bourges for two 75 mm cannons covering the Fort de Petite-Synthe. A concrete barracks houses 220 soldiers and two caponiers defend the position plus a water ditch. Sea side defended by seven large-caliber guns, led by two command posts concreted. Four 120 mm cannon looking towards the earth. Later, at 1,200 meters to the south, a magazine for 100 tons of high explosive is 1911-1912.
Rest Fort Petite Synthe, largely built between 1906 and 1908. The wide gulf water protects a triangular fort built of reinforced concrete with a slab of 1, 60 feet thick. A bunker protects the Bourges right flank and the book covers west, two turrets with machine guns on armored turret and a coiffent for two 75 mm guns that are informed by two armored observatories. In addition, four 120 mm cannons were placed to cover the face of earth. The fort is home to 180 men ...
And further?
Designed as a fortified camp, the position of Dunkirk more or less abandoned the forts that Louis Vallieres are decommissioned in 1889. Bergues is a strong stop by the arrangement of the crown of St. Winoc in 1879, modified for artillery struck out with two new barracks and a magazine. As for Gravelines, the place back in service in 1877 with a magazine built at the foot of the citadel and new bunkers in addition to the barracks.
The Great War saw these fortifications fill with soldiers. They know the baptism of fire and occupation between 1940 and 1945 and then fall into disuse. Become useless, they are abandoned, crumbling or destroyed as the work west razed to make way for Usinor ... Anyway, no longer Dunkirk garrison town.
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