In August 1914, Fort Loncin underwent several days of continuous bombing by the German enemy. As a result, the fort was the scene of an unprecedented massacre. The cause was the use of large-caliber German artillery machines, nicknamed Big Bertha. Already present during the attack on Fort Pontisse, the 42 cm shells characteristic of Big Bertha wreaked havoc at Loncin. With a maximum range of 12,500 meters, the shells triggered the explosion of 12 tons of powder stored in the heart of the fort. As a result, the fort collapsed, immediately burying 350 of the 550 soldiers in the garrison.<\/p>\n\n
The site thus became a graveyard. Only 17 men came out alive; the rest of the soldiers died on the spot. In spite of everything, Fort Loncin was the only fort defending Li\u00e8ge that did not surrender. Today it is a unique relic of the First World War because it is one of the only places where one can still observe period weapons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-5933","temoignages","type-temoignages","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n