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An unsuspected attack on the forts of Liège

Fort de Lantin
Fort Lantin was one of the last forts to be bombed.The garrison maintained its resistance, sometimes even deprived of access to toilets, forcing them to go out under enemy fire.

Fort Lantin was one of the six small forts that defended Liège. It was one of the last to be bombed by the Germans. It finally surrendered on 14 August 1914, after the garrison was utterly exhausted.

When the Fortified Position of Liège was built, it was not imagined that attacks could be launched from inside the belt. However, in August 1914, the Germans managed to get into the city center. They set up their fire batteries there, taking the forts from the rear. As a result, some parts of the fort became unusable. In particular, the toilets located at the back, accessible by crossing a ditch, were dangerously exposed! Because of this danger, the stinking atmosphere that followed contributed to the discouragement of the garrison.

Fort Lantin has not been rearmed or modified. Today, it is still possible to visit it to admire in its original state, a rare unchanged example of 19th-century military architecture.

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