Fortress des Dunes Leffrinckoucke
The fortress des Dunes (1878-1880) served during operation Dynamo (1940) as headquarters of the 12e Division d'Infanterie Motorisée. Between 2 and 3 June 1940, the fortress was bombed by Stuka's and artillery. A great number of French soldiers perished among whom General Guillaume Janssen. They are currently buried at the French "Fort des Dunes" war cemetery. During the German occupation, a radar installation of the type [i]Würzburg See Reise Fumo 21[/i] was placed on top of the fortress. The military barracks served as stocking place for the submarine base of Dunkirk's harbour. On 6 September 1944, eight French resistance members were shot at the fortress. In May 1945, fortress des Dunes held 10.000 German POW's. [b]The fort today:[/b] It is currently a museum. Two plaques are placed near the entrance of the fortress. The inscription on the first plaque reads: [i]"A la memoire du general Janssen des officiers sous-officiers et soldats de la 12de division d'infanterie motorisee tombes a leur poste de combat au fort des Dunes les 2 et 3 juin 1940."[/i] The inscription on the second plaque reads: [i]"A la memoire des huit resistans Francais victimes de Nazisme fusilles le 6 septembre 1944 dans ce fosse de fort des Dunes. Marcel Reynaert - 46 ans. Roger Reynaert - 21 ans. Elisee Willaert - 22 ans. Robert Vangheluwe - 22 ans. Georges Claeyman - 32 ans. Vincent Dewaele - 22 ans. Henri Gadeyne - 18 ans. Daniel Decroos - 20 ans. Passants souvenez vous de leur sacrifice pour la patrie."[/i]
