Fort De Loncin Belgium

[@johnpotter8039]

I made my bucket-list tour of European forts this August. My first stop was Fort Loncin. I knew the history of the fort, having seen many videos and photos. There is no substitute for walking down that entry ramp, over the ramp and looking at the ruin, then climbing up to the top. The violence of the fort's destruction is staggering. I also walked the dry ditch to the counterscarp battery. I also visited Fort Lantin to see what Fort Loncin looked like. I continued on to visit the Maastricht Forts, then to Verdun, Forts Douamount and Vaux, then down to the Maginot Line forts. It was a wonderful and solemn experience.

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

Hi John. Brilliant mate. We can all read books and watch videos , but there is no substitute for visiting these sacred places. You get a completely different perspective. The devastation on fort de loncin and the soldiers below this structure is so tragic 😥 Thanks for watching and commenting 😊

[@billyslittlebigadventurech9050]

Hi John. I've just realised that I've replied to you from my other channel. Billy.

[@SteelyBud]

Writing a novella that takes place at Fort de Loncin. Your video was very helpful and informative. Thanks so much!

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

@@SteelyBud @JobberBud morning Bud. Im glad that the video was of some use to you. Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂

[@neilchatten9661]

Didn't know you had a channel.Great videos love the stuff on pa de calais.keep bunkering alive.

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Hi Neil. It's all about keeping history alive. I try and show the lesser know stuff aswell. Thanks for watching and commenting.😁

[@TheLuapsch]

Thank you Billy. Very well done, and informative. Heart retching.

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Hi Paul. Yes it's a strange feeling when you walk around and know that your walking on sacred ground. ❤️ Thanks for watching and commenting 😊

[@fanroche8573]

Another excellent video of a lesser known site for me anyway. There was a low sculpture i think of boots as you passed the ditch area...i take it that commemorates the fallen ?

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Hi fran. Yes they represent the fallen soldiers. It looks like the Fort has had a 'restructure' recently. The statue of the soldiers that where once inside the Fort have all been moved up and around the entrance now. Glad that you enjoyed it, and thanks for watching and commenting. 😊

[@VictorCrtn]

A very nice fort. My grandfather fought there, he burned half his body because the ammunition exploded.

[@VictorCrtn]

I meant my great grandfather

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Good morning VictorCrtn. Im so sorry to hear about your great grandfather 😪. It must have been horrendous. He was a very brave man indeed ❤️. Thankyou for watching and commenting.

[@georgeflaxman]

Fascinating. I was driven past Liege in the 1970's but never saw any of the fortifications there. I was lucky enough to visit Verdun in the 1980s and did visit those at Vaux and Douamont. I have hundreds of books, postcards, e.t.c. on fortifications. You sound like you come from Lancashire. I'm a scouser myself.

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Hi George. I've been fascinated with fortifications and both world wars since I was a teenager. Its only recently that I've had the time to explore them. I , like many others are trying to keep history alive. And yes I'm not to far from you. I'm from wigan 😁. Thanks for watching and commenting . 😊

[@georgeflaxman]

​@@bunkersfortificationsandme7688 I no longer live in Liverpool, I 'm in Bedford now. This is the first of your videos that I've viewed, but I'll get round to looking at the rest. You caused me to look at the website for Fort De Loncin to see if there are any books etc that can be bought, but sadly you have to be able to visit the fort to do so... no online purchases. A great pity as I'd like to be able to buy them and related items such as coffee mugs, T-shirts etc.

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

@@georgeflaxman yes, you can only purchase items from the shop itself. Its run by volunteers. One of the volunteers lives next door. As far as I can see, they are all not young, so probably not very 'tecno' if that's the correct word to use. 😊

[@georgeflaxman]

@@bunkersfortificationsandme7688 I guess old people helping out as volunteers comes with the territory. So far I've only found Fortress Graudenz in Poland with a website geared up for making the most of Internet Tourism. Maybe 10 years ago I bought a boxful of books, maps, Mugs and posted to me for something in the £30 range total (including postage). We were in the EU then of course and even then it was all ridiculously cheap. Not now of course, the cost of posting a single mug would be maybe £20. I managed to buy a book from another museum in Poland about the fortifications, reasonably priced but in Polish. The Internet can be a godsend for buying things from places you would find difficulty in visiting but only in Eastern Europe have they organised themselves on the Internet. If only we still had access at cheap prices. The Czech Republic also has books on fortifications, but the prices are now beyond reach mainly because of the postage charges. I also have books from all over Europe on WW bombing (Blitz, Bombenkrieg, etc). Amazon UK is useful but fairly random. Luckily I've been collecting for over 50 years.

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

@@georgeflaxman I can recommend a good book called 'fortress Europe from stone to steel' ( amazon ) written by an American historian called Joe kaufman. ( it's his latest book ) Joe has quite a few fortress books out on the subject. If you decide to buy the above book then look for a contributor called Billy Sherratt. That's me 😁

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

Nice video. Visited Eben-Emael and Sedan (F).

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Hi Michel. Thanks very much. The place is interesting indeed. So much devastation and sadness 😔 Thanks for watching and commenting 🙂

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

@@bunkersfortificationsandme7688 Belgium has been a pon in a game of chess unfortunately. I live in the south of the Netherlands. 10 miles west and I am in Belgium, 3 Miles east and I am in Germany. History is a bit of a hobby and went through different eras. The era 1870-1914 and 1918-1939 I so far find most interesting. Though I do not mind visiting a castle 😃

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

@@michelvondenhoff9673 yes, its an hobby for me aswell. Belgium has been a walkover for the Germans in both world wars. Now that we are all friends then its much better. I love europe and especially ypres. Im hoping to travel into poland this year. 🙏 😊

[@michelvondenhoff9673]

@@bunkersfortificationsandme7688 Ypres I have visited twice. The museum in the 90's I found better than current Flanders Fields. My recommendation is the Passchendaele museum in Zonnebeke. Poland has been ran over and in and out of existance as a country over time as well... People one on one regardless of nationality I think can talk and work things out. Governments...😉

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

@@michelvondenhoff9673 ypres is a special place for us Brits, especially at 8pm every night ❤️. Im off to poland to look at what the Germans left behind. There is loads of things to look at 😊

[@yaarge2]

Thanks for posting, really informative. Those turrets seem to really limit the elevation of the guns, altough I suppose this was factored into the design. Difficult to imagine the violence of the explosion on a peaceful sunny day like this...

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

Hi Bernie. Believe it or not. These 21cm guns had nearly the same range as the german bertha guns. The fort is a static position where has the berthas could be moved about. The devastation is unreal when you see it close up. 😪

[@1johanverhasselt]

The biggest problem was the lack of information. There was no good communication between the troops in the field and the fortifications. So they couldn't locate the big Bertha. Also the germans fired from different places at the same time with smaller artillerie to mask the big Bertha.

[@bunkersfortificationsandme7688]

@@1johanverhasselt yes, sounds very plausible indeed. German artillary could be moved around to different locations and still hit a fixed target, whereas the Fort would have to rely on any outposts that where still active. Thanks for watching and commenting 😁