Site Lange Max, Koekelare Belgium, December 2018.
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Site Lange Max
One hundred and two years ago today the Batterie Pommern fired its first shell. Launched from the “Lange Max” gun emplaced at Koekelare Belgium the shell, which weighed nearly 900 pounds and stood taller than a man, traveled 30 miles to score a direct hit on the city of Dunkirk France.
38cm naval gun on the right, Photo Wikipedia
Originally designed for naval use, the 38cm gun was modified as a fixed position artillery piece when it became clear that the German Empire would not take on the British Navy in any formal manner.
38cm shell, Photo Wikipedia
The emplacement for the gun took a month to construct and consisted of rail lines to bring in the gun and ammunition into place and the concrete platform for the gun itself.
Lange Max emplaced at Koekelare Belgium, Photo Wikipedia
As the biggest gun used in 1917, the Lange Max was used in the shelling of Dunkirk, Ypres and during the Battle of Passchendaele. Following the war, the gun became a tourist attraction until the Belgians sold it to the French for experimental purposes.
Today only the concrete platform is left. I visited the site on a cold and rainy day in December 2018. I was not sure if there was a fee to visit the site at the nearby museum, but there did not seem to be anyone around so I just parked my car and walked to the site for a few photos.
June 27, 2019