Gun Emplacement German 380 mm Gun 'Max'

In 1914 the German front line ran along the sides of the river Meuse and Verdun was defended by 43 forts and defenses. At the beginning of the war the German heavy artillery broke the resistance of the Belgian forts with her ​​enormous guns, also known under the name "Big Bertha's", these guns had a range of about 15 km. But there were also guns called "Max", the 380 mm guns were perhaps less threatening but their psychological impact was not to be underestimated.

Originally this type of cannons were build for the German warships but because the front line stabilized, they were also placed on land. With a range of over 40 km they were therefore hard to be destroyed. In the dense forests of Warphemont (Bois de Wharpemont near Duzey) were three of these type 38 L/45 cannon placed, their attempt was to attack Verdun and the defenses around the city. At the end of 1915 they were also deployed to shoot the rear lines as well as the 'Voie Sacrée'.

The platform (today partly under water) was created as the deck of a ship, there are underground chambers, tunnels, shelters and a (concrete) deck. Small cars carried the ammunition in this tunnel. A cannon weighed more than 220 tons, the lenght of the tube was 17,1 m long and ammunition weighed 750 kg each. For this reason, a special unit set up, the 'Marinesonderkommando N°1' which stood under the command of Captain Schulte, along with three officers and 70 naval shooters. The headquarters was in Rouvrois, about 2.5 kilometers away. Due to the large amount of made it very likely to be struck by lightning. The detachement placed for this reason lighting conductors in the trees around.

In the woods can be found fossilized cement bags, which were used for the construction of location, exactly in the place where they were again left behind by the Germans units almost 100 years ago. To find the location you drive to the city of Duzey, from here on you can find signs that guide you the location in the forrest. There's a small parkingplace for cars.

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Source

• Text: Tim De Vleeschouwer
• Photos: Tim De Vleeschouwer (1, 2, 3), Adri Kramer (4, 5)