Fort des Dunes

Fort des Dunes, sometimes also known as Fort Leffrinckoucke, lies next to the town of Leffrinckoucke in the Nord department in France.

Fort des Dunes was built in 1878 as the westernmost frontier fort in the Séré de Rivières system. This system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers and coasts of France. The fort is situated in the coastal sand dunes within a few hundred meters of the English Channel. It served to protect Dunkirk and its port from attacks from the east. It was initially armed with about 25 artillery pieces, served by 451 men.

During the WW I the fort did not see any action, since it was well behind the lines. It was garrisoned largely by reservists. The fort's primary function during this time was as an ammunition depot.

In WW II, during the Battle of France in 1940, large numbers of French and English soldiers arrived in the area. The fort was then at first used to process soldiers. The allied forces however abandoned the fort during the Dunkirk evacuation because it was bombed repeatedly by the Luftwaffe. Following the last evacuations, the Germans took possession of Fort des Dunes. They later incorporated it into the Atlantic Wall fortifications and built several bunkers on the fort. German forces held the Dunkirk Pocket through the Siege of Dunkirk to the end of the war, when they surrendered. Many of them were subsequently kept prisoner in the fort.

In the 2nd half of the 20th century it lay abandoned for 20 years but finally was restored.

The fort has a somewhat rectangular plan, is circled by a dry moat, and is mostly covered by dunes and vegetation. At present scars from the 1940 bombings still remain, mainly at the entrance tunnel. It now houses a museum.

Fort des Dunes can be visited for a fee. A nice fort.

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