Fort Belleville |
Fort Belleville was one of the six "Forts de la Panique" - literally Panic Forts - built in great haste in 1874 when diplomatic relations between Germany and France again deteriorated to the point where it was expected that another war was imminent. It's location is on a hill close to, and overlooking the city. At the time of it's construction it was not actually designated a fort, rather it was a large gun battery with parapets for infantry to defend the guns, and masonry shelters to protect the infantry during heavy bombardments. The shelters featured an unusual double "skin" construction with an air gap between the masonry layers to allow the blast from a penetrating artillery shell to dissipate without breaching the inner "skin". Unlike many of the Verdun forts Belleville did not have any armoured artillery, machine gun or observation turrets. The fort today is very heavily damaged and the devastating effects on the structure of the heavy German artillery pieces such as their 420 mm howitzers, can be clearly seen. Penetration of the fort is possible and it is relatively easy to get a good idea of the fort layout. Great care should be taken when wandering around on top of the fort as there is nothing to prevent a serious fall into the fort interior and with the long undergrowth it is treacherously slippery. The glacis of the fort is very overgrown as is the ditch. Here are some photographs taken at the fort in May 2011. To view any of the photographs in a larger format just click the small photograph of your choice and a larger version will open in a secondary window.
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