Fort de Barchon
The Fort de Barchon is one of twelve forts built around Liège, Belgium, in the late 19th century. The overall Fortified Position of Liège was a constituent part of the country's National Redoubt. Fort de Barchon was built between 1881 and 1884 according to the plans of General Henri Alexis Brialmont. Contrasting with the French forts built in the same era by Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, the fort was built exclusively of unreinforced concrete, a new material, rather than masonry. The fort was heavily bombarded by German artillery in the Battle of Liège. Barchon was upgraded in the 1930s in an attempt to forestall or slow an attack from Germany. It saw action in 1940 during the Battle of Belgium, and was captured by German forces. It is preserved as a museum and may be visited by the public.
Description
The Fort de Barchon is located about northeast of the center of Liège, just off the E40 highway.The fort forms an isosceles triangle whose base is long and whose sides measure. A deep by ditch encircles the fort. The principal armament was concentrated in the central massif. The ditches were defended in enfilade by 57 mm guns in casemates resembling counterscarp batteries, firing at shot traps at the other end of the ditch. It is one of the larger forts of Liège.
With the exception of the Fort de Loncin, the Belgian forts made little provision for the daily needs of their wartime garrisons, locating latrines, showers, kitchens and the morgue in the fort's counterscarp, a location that would be untenable in combat. This would have profound effects on the forts' ability to endure a long assault. The service areas were placed directly opposite the barracks, which opened into the ditch in the rear of the fort, with lesser protection than the two "salient" sides. The Brialmont forts placed a weaker side to the rear to allow for recapture by Belgian forces from the rear, and located the barracks and support facilities on this side, using the rear ditch for light and ventilation of living spaces. In combat heavy shellfire made the rear ditch untenable, and German forces were able to get between the forts and attack them from the rear.
The Brialmont forts were designed to be protected from shellfire equaling their heaviest guns: 21 cm. The top of the central massif used of unreinforced concrete, while the caserne walls, judged to be less exposed, used. Under fire, the forts were damaged by 21 cm fire and could not withstand heavier artillery.
Armament
Barchon's armament included two rotating Grüsonwerke turrets with a single 21 cm gun, a 15 cm Creusot turret with twin guns and two 12 cm Châtillon-Commentry turret with two guns, all for distant targets. Four retractable 57 mm Grüsonwerke gun turrets were provided for local defense. The fort also mounted an observation turret with a searchlight. nine rapid-fire 57 mm Grüsonwerke guns were provided in casemates for the defense of the ditches and the postern, as well as two mobile guns.The fort's heavy guns were German, typically Krupp, while the turret mechanisms were from a variety of sources. The fort was provided with signal lights to permit communication with the neighboring Fort de Loncin and Fort de Liers. The guns were fired using black powder rather than smokeless powder, producing choking gas in the confined firing spaces that spread throughout the fort.
The fort was defended by 300 artillery troops and 90 infantry, commanded by Captain-Commandant Hannefstingels.
First World War
Barchon first came under attack on 5 August 1914, a day before the city first came under fire. On the 6th German forces seeking to infiltrate between Barchon and the Meuse were forced to retreat. Because the Liège fortifications had proved to be unexpectedly stubborn, the Germans brought heavy siege artillery to bombard the forts with shells far larger than they were designed to resist. Barchon was heavily bombarded starting 8 August with 21 cm artillery. The fort's surrender was demanded under a flag of truce: once refused, the bombardment recommenced. Much of the fort's armament was damaged, and the air became unbreathable. Barchon surrendered at 1600 hours, the first of the Liège forts to do so. Twenty-two of the garrison had been killed.In 1915 the Germans undertook an improvement program for Barchon and other Liège positions, modifying the entrance, adding concrete cover and adding metal decking under concrete ceilings. Non-structural improvements included forced ventilation and moving latrines, kitchens and the bakery into the main fort.