Fort de Hollogne
50°38′46.7″N 5°27′57.7″E / 50.646306°N 5.466028°E
| Fort de Hollogne | |
|---|---|
| Part of Battle of Belgium |
The Fort de Hollogne is one of twelve forts built around
Description
The Fort de Hollogne is located about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the Liège city centre, directly adjacent to the Liège Airport's runway.
The fort forms an
With the exception of the Fort de Loncin, the Belgian forts made little provision for the daily needs of their wartime garrisons, locating latrines, showers, kitchens and the morgue in the fort's counterscarp, a location that would be untenable in combat. This would have profound effects on the forts' ability to endure a long assault. The service areas were placed directly opposite the barracks, which opened into the ditch in the rear of the fort (i.e., in the face towards Liège), with less protection than the two "salient" sides.[1] The Brialmont forts placed a weaker side to the rear to allow for recapture by Belgian forces from the rear, and located the barracks and support facilities on this side, using the rear ditch for light and ventilation of living spaces. In combat heavy shellfire made the rear ditch untenable, and German forces were able to get between the forts and attack them from the rear.[3]
The Brialmont forts were designed to be protected from shellfire equaling their heaviest guns: 21 cm.[4] The top of the central massif used 4 metres (13 ft) of unreinforced concrete, while the caserne walls, judged to be less exposed, used 1.5 metres (4.9 ft).[5] Under fire, the forts were damaged by 21 cm fire and could not withstand heavier artillery.[6]
Armament
Hollogne's armament included a Grusonwerke turret with a single
The fort's heavy guns were German, typically
The fort was manned by 230 artillerymen and 120 infantry, commanded by Captain-Commandant Cuisinier.[7]
First World War
Liège first came under attack on 6 August 1914. When the Liège's fortifications proved unexpectedly stubborn, the Germans brought heavy siege artillery to bombard the forts with shells far larger than they were designed to resist. Hollogne was heavily bombarded starting 13 August. On 15 August the neighboring Fort de Loncin exploded under bombardment at 1720 hours. At 1900 hours a German delegation arrived and offered to take the commandant to see the wreckage of Loncin. The fort's doctor and another officer went to Loncin, reporting back at 2200. A plan was then proposed the evacuate and blow up the fort, which was stymied when the garrison discovered that it was surrounded. German artillery bombardment recommenced the next day; Hologne surrendered at 0730 on the 16th, the next-to-last Liège fort to capitulate.[7][9]
Second World War
Hollogne was not upgraded in the 1930s as part of the
Present
The fort has been restored by and is operated by the preservation organization Comité de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Historique du Fort de Hollogne. It is open for public tours at stated times.[2]
References
- ^ ISBN 978-1-84603-114-4.
- ^ a b c d "Historique Succinct du Fort de Hollogne" (in French). Comité de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Historique du Fort de Hollogne. Archived from the original on 16 September 2010. Retrieved 28 October 2010.
- ^ Donnell, p. 36
- ^ Donnell, p. 52
- ^ Donnell, p. 12
- ^ Donnell, pp. 45-48
- ^ a b c Hoet, Jean-Claude. "Le fort de Hollogne, 1914". La Position Fortifiée Liègeois (P.F.L.) (in French).
- ^ Donnell, p. 17
- ^ Donnell, p. 51
- ^ Donnell, p. 56
Bibliography
- Donnell, Clayton, The Forts of the Meuse in World War I, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84603-114-4.
- Kauffmann, J.E., Jurga, R., Fortress Europe: European Fortifications of World War II, Da Capo Press, USA, 2002, ISBN 0-306-81174-X.
External links
- Comité de Sauvegarde du Patrimoine Historique du Fort de Hollogne site (in French)
- Le fort de Hollogne 1914 (in French)