Belgium: the forts of Liège

On the morning of 4 August 1914 the garrison at Gemmenich, close to the border between Belgium and Germany, sent a message to General Leman, commanding the Belgian 3rd Division at nearby Liège. ‘Belgian territory has been invaded by German troops,’ it read.

The infiltrating soldiers reported by the outlying Belgian positions belonged to General Karl von Bulow’s 320,000-strong second army that was pouring into Belgium. Their initial target was Liège, which they hoped to storm before pushing on into France, cutting the two nations’ armies in two before their British allies could provide reinforcements.

Belgium’s military planners had foreseen just such a turn of events, however. Liège was heavily fortified – in the 1880s a ring of fortresses, six on either side of the River Meuse, had been erected to provide a fearsome barrier to any invading force coming from the east.

Built to the specifications of engineer Henri Alexis Brialmont, these concrete and steel strongpoints were largely subterranean, with retractable cupolas in which were housed heavy artillery pieces.

They had been built in a circular pattern between 6km and 10km outside the city and were designed so that if any of their number was attacked it could receive artillery support from its two nearest neighbours.

Realising the emplacements’ importance in buying time for the Allied cause, Belgium’s King Albert sent a message to the officer in charge of them, Lieutenant General Gerard Leman. ‘Hold to the end with your division the position which you have been entrusted to defend,’ it read.

By the early hours of 5 August, less than 24 hours after the invasion had begun, a German force of around 30,000 men, under the command of General Otto von Emmich, had advanced to the outskirts of Liège and was attacking its outlying defences.

Fort de Barchon

Its first target was Fort de Barchon, which initially drove off its attackers, before succumbing three days later. Shortly afterwards Fort L’Evegnee was captured, then, on 12 August, the German forces brought up their most potent and terrifying weapon, in the shape of a Krupp 420mm howitzer. These huge cannons had been designed with smashing the defences of Liège in mind.

For the men in the forts, bombardment from the monstrous guns was an appalling prospect. ‘Nobody will ever be able to form any adequate idea of what the reality was like,’ wrote General Leman afterwards. ‘I have only learned since that when the big siege mortars entered into action they hurled against us shells weighing 1,000 kilos, the explosive force of which surpasses anything known hitherto.

‘Their approach was to be heard in an acute buzzing; and they burst with a thunderous roar, raising clouds of missiles, stones and dust.’

One by one the bombardment forced the forts to capitulate. On the morning of 13 August Fort Pontisse was hammered into submission, with six more of the strongpoints being forced to surrender in the next two days.

German soldiers at the wrecked Fort Loncin

Fort Loncin, where General Leman had established his headquarters, was the scene of terrible loss of life after a shell hit its magazine. Some 12 tons of ammunition exploded and around 350 of the 500-strong garrison were killed.

As German troops picked their way through the still-smoking rubble they came upon the General himself, unconscious amid lumps of wrecked concrete. He was duly taken prisoner, his captors recognising his request that it be noted he had not surrendered, but had been captured while wounded and incapable of offering resistance.

The remaining two forts, Flemalle and Hollogne, surrendered on 16 August, bringing the battle of Liège to a close.

The city’s defence had succeeded in delaying the German army, helping British and French forces deploy and potentially preventing the German forces pushing considerably further into France.

Little more than a quarter of a century later, the forts of Liège were once again crucial to the defence of Belgium and its allies. By 1940, the city had three new fortifications, eight 19th century strongpoints – re-engineered since their experience in World War I – and 384 bunkers.

In addition, the fort of Eben-Emael had been built between 1931 and 1935 about 12 miles northeast of Liege in a position close to the German border where it could provide a strongpoint in an area where Dutch territory formed an enclave into Belgium.

At the time, this fortification was thought to be well-nigh impregnable. A development of Brialmont’s designs, made of reinforced concrete and bristling with gun emplacements, it housed a garrison of around 700 men, although most of these were reservists who were far from constituting an élite unit.

But for all the investment and planning that had gone into it, the huge fort’s resistance was short-lived. On 10 May 1940, a force of just 78 German paratroopers and engineers landed from gliders on the top of the fortress, bypassing many of its defences and surprising its garrison.

While they could not penetrate within its galleries, nor could the defenders emerge or bring to bear their weapons, and when supporting German troops arrived Eben-Emael was captured.

German paratroopers at Eben-Emael

Today, visitors can still gain an insight into what life was like for the troops based here. Several rooms have been restored to appear much as they would have in May 1940.

Among these are an officer’s mess, a soldiers’ barracks, a hospital and a barber’s shop as well as functioning artillery casements, complete with models depicting Belgian soldiers in their uniforms.

The sprawling Eben-Emael is not the only fortification that still endures to offer insights into those momentous times.

The fort at Embourg saw action in both world wars. In 1914 it held out for almost a week before being finally shelled into submission. Extensively restored in the 1930s it was again the scene of dogged resistance in 1940. Today it houses a collection of uniforms and equipment from the two world wars.

Compared to Eben-Emael, Embourg would probably have seemed small, uncomfortable and rather bleak to its 150-strong garrison. As visitors can still observe today, kitchens, showers and latrines were all located on the far side of the defensive ditch from the main fortification. Once the garrison was under fire, crossing that open ground would have become extremely dangerous if not impossible.

In addition, the fort’s heavy guns, including a 21cm German-built Krupp howitzer and two 15cm guns, created thick smoke and fumes when fired – poisoning the air if their gun crews were in action for any length of time.

Even so, Embourg held off the German invaders from 12-17 May 1940.

Fort Embourg: held out against the odds

Similar heroics took place elsewhere. Fort Aubin was another more modern position, built between 1935 and 1940, and covering the route between Aachen and Liege. When Germany invaded Belgium, Fort Aubin was soon surrounded; its defenders subjected to bombardment from land and air as well as to infantry assault.

Largely cut off from the remainder of the Allied forces, Fort Aubin’s garrison fired thousands of rounds of ammunition and helped delay the German advance.

Ultimately their efforts may have bought time for the British and French forces that retreated to Dunkirk prior to escaping to England.

After its capture by the Germans, Fort Aubin was used as a testing area; in particular, as the target of the Rochling shell – a weapon that was designed to pierce concrete.

This was fired from a howitzer placed several miles away. Climbing high, it then tipped over on its nose and plummeted towards its target. The damage that the bomb created – as well as that caused by the 1940 battle – can still be seen by visitors today.

Nearby are two further 1930s forts, Battice and Tancremont. Both of these were also scenes of fierce fighting in World War II. At Battice the scars where a bomb from a Stuka dive bomber breached one of the gun positions can still be seen, as can the 60mm guns still in their original positions.

Battice was engaged for 12 days, finally surrendering on 22 May, but Tancremont, located slightly to the south of the German advance, was to hold out even longer.

Even when the Belgian army had otherwise surrendered, Tancremont, under the leadership of Commandant-Captain Abel Devos, remained defiant, its garrison only finally throwing in the towel 24 hours later, on 29 May.

All of the Liège forts remain emotive places to visit, with their echoing passages that are cool in summer and positively chilly in winter. Communal washrooms and sleeping areas give an idea of what everyday garrison life would have been like – often cramped, uncomfortable and claustrophobic.

Gun positions, sometimes with relics of their one-time armament intact, hint at the limited and possibly confusing view the defenders would have had once they were under attack.

That, combined with the thunderous noise, shouted orders and choking smoke would have made the soldiers’ position even more alarming.

In some places, there are poignant reminders of the young men who waited here for the inevitable attack to come.

The occasional sign offers advice such as: ‘Be quiet! Your comrades our sleeping.’ While at Fort Battice a range of illustrations depict pink rabbits up to various activities that must have struck a chord with its garrison – including marching, reading letters and sleeping.

A rather more wistful artwork depicts the same rabbits playing in a jazz band, complete with piano, trombone and accordion. Hopefully, that was the something many of the soldiers garrisoned here were to witness in happier times once their fortress service, and World War II, were over.

Fort Battice still bears the scars from 1940

Battice
Built between 1934 and 1937, Fort Battice withstood a 12-day siege in May 1940. Today, it houses some interesting murals and graffiti that date back to World War II.
www.welcome.to/fort-battice

Eben Emael
This huge fortress succumbed within 24 hours in May 1940. It has extensive exhibitions showing what life was like for its garrison and providing insights into the German special forces troops who assaulted it.
www.fort-eben-emael.be

Flemalle
Heavily engaged both in 1914 and 1940, Flemalle contains an exhibition of arms and memorabilia from the world wars as well as evidence of the aerial bombardment in suffered in World War II.
www.flemalle.be

Lantin
The fort today looks much as it would have in 1914. A 10-step audio-visual tour helps recreate an idea of how life would have been for those who were stationed here.
www.fortdelantin.info

Loncin
The fort was badly damaged in 1914 and is today a war grave. It also has a museum with uniforms, weapons and personal effects recovered from the site.
www.fortdeloncin.be

Pontisse
Originally built between 1888 and 1892, Pontisse was re-engineered prior to World War II. In the years following World War II it was used as an ammunition dump, but is still an emotive site.
www.fortdepontisse.net

Tancremont
One of the 1930s forts, Tancremont held out until the day after the Belgian army as a whole surrendered. Its original armament remains largely intact to this day.
www.fort-de-tancremont.be

Cointe Memorial, Liege
Situated on the Cointe hill in Liege, The Allied Nations Memorial comprises a church and a tower that commemorate the alliance of 1914-1918. The statues at the memorial were given by the nations that fought with Belgium during the Great War.