Fort de Tancrémont-Pepinster

Built in 1937, this fort was part of 'La Position Fortifiée de Liège' (PFL). However, at the start of World War II, the fort was still unfinished. It was one of four new forts built after World War I.

The other three were; Neufchateau, Battice and Eben-Emael.

The fort had 2 turrets with two 75 mm guns per turret. There were also 3 mortars of 81 mm, 4 antitank guns of 47 mm, 8 smaller turrets equipped with machine guns and 3 slightly larger turrets of the type F.M.

Bloc 1 (photo 3) was equipped with a searchlight (leftmost opening) and next to it a machine gun. The block was also the entrance (not visible in the photo) and had a decontamination room to the left of the entrance if soldiers from outposts had been exposed to battle gases. On top (photo 2) was a turret with a machine gun as well.

Photo 4 shows the so-called contrescarpe C4. This was located in the dry moat of the fort and could eliminate intruders who had penetrated into this moat.

The left hole was for the machine gun, the middle one contained the searchlight and the right one a 47 mm anti-tank gun.

The soldiers in this fort were among the last Belgian soldiers to surrender on May 29, 1940. One day later after the capitulation on May 28, 1940 !

For current visiting hours, please visit the website of the museum.

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries en Ed Lewandowski
• Photos: B. Valgaeren (1, 5), Ed Lewandowski (2, 3, 4)
• La Position Fortifiée de Liège, Les nouveaux forts, Coenen & Vernier

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