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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Battery Deutschland Saved By The Ecologists.


Guest Gil

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The remnants of the most powerful of the German batteries along the Belgian coast have involuntary been saved by the Flemish government when they declared the site a natural reserve. Battery Deutschland is situated in Bredene, 6 km east of Oostende. This battery consisted of four 38 cm naval guns thus forming the most powerful gun emplacement of the coastal defences. Primary destined to keep British monitors and battleships away form the Belgian U boat ports of Oostende and Zeebrugge, they played a role during the final Allied offensive and more particularly on the 15th, 16th and 17th of October 1918. In the evening of the 17th the guns were destroyed by the own troops. After the armistice a little war museum was installed in the gigantic storage bunkers. During the Second World War the German occupying forces shipped the damaged guns to Germany for recuperation purposes. In the early fifties the Belgian government started dismantling the premises. For some reason this was never finished. For those interested in these “big boomers” I have some pictures of those impressive guns I can mail you.

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  • 2 years later...

Interesting, but a 'natural reserve' on the basis of... what? Flora? Fauna? Picturesque scenery?

Are we talking equivalent of UK national parks here, or something more like sites of special scientific interest. Is there even an equivalent?

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