Loncin Fort
From Accounts by the Army Doctors: Maloens, of the 3rd Battery of
Heavy Howitzers; Courtin, of the 1st Chasseurs; Roskam, of the 14th
Line Regiment; Defalle, Director of the Calais Municipal Crèche
Ambulance; and Quartermaster Krantz, of the Gendarmerie
On the morning of August 6, 1914, Lieutenant-General Leman suddenly
arrived at the Loncin Fort.
"An attempt has just been made to assassinate me," he said to Captain
Naessens, Commander of the Fort, "I have come to take refuge behind
your cannons."
The Captain immediately asked him for orders.
"I have no orders to give you here," replied the General. "You give
your own orders in the Fort. My business is to attend to the defence of
the fortified position."
The Commander of the Fort immediately called his men together and
addressed them in French and in Flemish:
"General Leman has done us the great honour of taking refuge with us,
my boys," he said. "Shall we give up the General?"
There were cries of "No! No!" on all sides.
"Well, then, if we have decided not to give up the General, we shall
perish here. For, either the Fort will be blown up and I shall be blown
up with you, or the Germans will come up here to attack us and, when
they have passed the accessory defences, walking over the dead bodies
of their own men, we shall form a last square. I shall keep seven
bullets in my Browning, six for my enemies and the last for myself and
we will all go together to Paradise."
Commander Naessens, a short, thick-set man, with a very determined
face, and steel-blue, piercing eyes, was adored by his men, and this
speech was greeted with indescribable enthusiasm.
"You must all swear that you will never yield," he cried, in the midst
of the tumult. Thereupon, one by one, the soldiers filed up to their
Commander and took this solemn oath.
From that moment, Naessens had his men thoroughly in hand. They would
stand by him to the very death and his greatest pride was to be able to
reply to the General's question: "Are you sure of your men?" with the
words: "As sure as I am of myself, General!"
It was quite true, too. They were absolutely ready for anything. If
volunteers were wanted for a dangerous expedition, double the number
needed volunteered to go and they all beseeched the Commander to let
them be the ones chosen. Those who were not accepted went away greatly
disappointed.
Three or four of those brave fellows had formed themselves into a band
which was known as "the Bonnot Band." Armed with guns or carbines,
these explorers set off, each day, in a motor-car and acted either as a
_liaison_ between Loncin and the Forts which were still holding out, or
as a patrol for getting information for the Commander, with reference
to the presence of the enemy. Their daring was amazing. On one occasion
the Commander's horse, whilst grazing in a neighbouring enclosure, had
been killed. This "Band" promised to provide him with another mount. A
few hours later, they returned with the horses of two German officers,
laden with helmets and lances.
After the combats round Liége, soldiers of the 1st and 4th Unmounted
Chasseurs and of the 9th and 14th Line Regiments, men who had lost
their units, came to take refuge in the Loncin Fort, but, the following
day, the Commander sent an officer with them to Waremme, only keeping
for himself his own garrison of about five hundred men. This number
was really sufficient and, during the terrible days from August 6th
to 15th, the calmness and indifference to danger of these men were
admirable.
During a violent bombardment, General Leman, on coming into the central
building with Commander Naessens, saw a little scene which moved him to
tears. The men, scattered about in little groups, were playing cards or
talking together quite tranquilly, whilst, in one corner, indifferent
to the noise, a soldier was playing some Liége _cramignons_ on a flute,
and his comrades, standing round him, were singing the refrains in
chorus.
The following notes are taken from the diary of Quartermaster Krantz
of the Gendarmerie, who had been appointed bodyguard to General Leman.
After the explosion of the Loncin Fort, Krantz, with eight serious
wounds, was taken to the St. Servais College of Liége.
_August 7th._ The fortress Infantry, sent out to reconnoitre, called
our attention to a patrol of Uhlans on their way from Ans to Loncin.
It was at once dispersed by one of our sub-officers, at the head of
his section. We learnt from some courageous men that the German Field
Artillery had taken position near the Ans aviation base.
_August 8th._ During the morning, German patrols, which had reached
Awans, were driven back by our shrapnels and our Infantry. At three
o'clock, the Fort opened fire with its twelve-centimetre guns over
the Ans aviation base, where our reconnaissances had signalled enemy
batteries and a movement of troops.
_August 9th._ I have been to Liége, where I heard that the Germans
were bringing heavy artillery in order to attack the Forts. I told the
General, and he ordered me to watch the movements and the passage of
this artillery. He also gave me the mission of examining whether the
Nasproué tunnel near Dolhain were practicable. I discovered that the
line, which we had destroyed, had been repaired by the Germans, as they
had no other way for their "420" cannons. During the afternoon, the
Fort fired on various enemy batteries. We observed that a _Taube_ had
come down on the Ans aviation base and we fired on it violently with
shrapnels. We also took a patrol of Uhlans prisoners on the Tongres
road.
In the night, we bombarded a mass of troops quartered in the direction
of Awans.
_August 10th._ The enemy bombarded with about thirty shells of
light calibre, which caused no further damage than to chip one of
our chimneys. The Fort replied on the enemy's batteries near Ans. I
was sent to discover the movements of the troops and returned with
important information. Among other things I had been informed of the
installation of a post of observation by the Germans, in the steeple
of the church on the Ans plateau. We fired on this steeple and brought
down the tower, thus rendering it impossible for observation purposes.
_August 11th._ Calm. Reconnaissances in all directions by motor-car.
_August 12th._ Morning, terrific and rapid bombarding by the Germans.
We replied each time with great energy and with very exact aim.
Unfortunately, the cupola of one of our twelve-centimetres was soon
injured, but, during a lull, we managed to repair it.
The entrance to the Fort was also hit. We captured four more Uhlans.
During the night, reciprocal bombarding.
_August 13th._ We noted that the heavy German Artillery had commenced
action. A violent firing from guns of 150 millimetres injured two of
our cupolas.
_August 14th._ At three in the morning, we were bombarded by Howitzers
of 280 and 305mm. The Fort shook to its foundations, an iron whirlwind
broke loose in perfect avalanches over the exterior surface, and the
gusts continued, every other two minutes, for some hours. After each
shock, fragments of cracked and powdered cement fell on our heads.
A grey dust, mingled with thousands of glass splinters from the
window-panes, crackled under our feet, parching and irritating our
throats and nostrils. The Fort was gradually crumbling. A 305 shell
entered the Infirmary, killing and wounding several soldiers. At eleven
o'clock, the clothing stores met with the same fate and, one after
another, various buildings were destroyed, also the electric material,
the ventilators, and the draw-bridge at the entrance of the Fort.
At about three or four in the afternoon, a truce-bearer asked to be
allowed to speak to the Commander and demanded the surrender of the
Fort.
"We prefer dying to surrendering," answered Captain Naessens. It was
a proud answer and it expressed the general feeling. Towards evening,
the firing slackened and everyone could rest. During the night, a Staff
officer slipped out, taking away with him the various valuable papers
belonging to the position.
_August 15th._ What a terrible day! From five in the morning, the
bombarding has been continual, coming in gusts. Four crashes, one after
another, and then a whizzing, a fall, and explosions in the cement.
The shells penetrated to a depth of half a yard, digging out holes
of four yards square. Towards eight o'clock the soldiers' rooms were
wrecked, their beds overturned, and windows, fastened with iron bars
eighteen centimetres thick, were broken; the Infirmary, the operating
room, the kitchen, refectory, and the General's room were swept away.
Everything was destroyed, not a single place remained which could serve
as a shelter. The Fort is now in ruins from top to bottom, and we are
in complete darkness and scarcely able to breathe, on account of the
poisonous and noxious gases, as not a single ventilator works. Only
two cupolas remain with which we can reply to the enemy's terrible
avalanche. We are not continuing, though, as we do not know where the
enemy's batteries are and they are certainly beyond our reach. During
a lull, this morning, another truce-bearer paid us a visit. He was not
escorted and carried a white flag. The sentinel ordered him to halt and
to return, so that he should not be able to communicate any information
with regard to the result of the adverse firing. On the Boche's refusal
to obey, the sentinel ordered him a second time to halt and, as the
second time he refused to obey, he was shot down. He had time to signal
with his white flag before falling to the ground dead. We believe, and
it is also the opinion of our officers, that this supposed truce-bearer
came treacherously to take his bearings for the firing of the four
hundred and twenty guns, and that he sacrificed his life for the sake
of giving the exact spot to the Artillery. Immediately after his death,
we had to endure a very exact and continued bombardment. It was on
this day, August 15th, that the Germans employed their famous "420"
Howitzers.
From time to time, we saw the General and the officers walking about
in the open on the fortification glacis, observing the enemy, with the
most admirable _sang-froid_ and an utter disregard for danger. The most
miraculous and incomprehensible thing was that not one of them was
injured by the explosions on every side of them.
At 5.20 in the afternoon, General Leman, Captain Naessens, Lieutenant
Modard, their two Sub-Lieutenants, several other sub-officers and I
were in the shooting gallery, and, although the Fort was practically
destroyed, our brave, valorous chiefs continued giving orders. The
others were sitting down in the central passage awaiting events.
Suddenly we heard the protracted whizzing sound of a big projectile.
"Here's another!" said one of the men in the passage. A huge burst of
flame and then a formidable shock which flung us all against the wall
and then--nothing but silence!
* * * * *
Quartermaster Krantz's diary stopped here. He had fainted and did not
come to himself until he was in the hospital.
Dr. Courtin, who had the good luck to come out of the explosion
uninjured, soon regained his presence of mind.
"I found myself lying on the ground," he said, "after a faint. It was
very difficult to breathe, but fortunately a little air from a broken
window reached me. I managed to get up and found that Dr. Maloens was
lying at my side. His face was bleeding and I gave him a few drops of
brandy. Nearly all the men had instinctively protected their eyes. All
of them remembered their oath and refused to surrender. A remarkable
example of heroism was given us by a young soldier who was at the end
of a passage. He was black with powder, his clothes were in rags and
he had two holes covered with blood in place of pupils to his eyes. He
continued shooting, nevertheless, until he had used his last cartridge.
On approaching him, we discovered that one of his feet was wedged
between two blocks of stone and it had to be amputated so that he could
be released.
"In the meantime, a few men who had escaped injuries managed to get out
through the window, by taking down the bars. As I knew the passage,
I moved slowly forwards in the darkness and found all the windows
blocked. Suddenly, I saw a ray of light filtering through some pieces
of cement which had fallen. By widening the aperture, I managed to get
out. All round the Fort, our poor men were hurrying along in flames,
half wild with pain. Others, on their knees, were reciting prayers. It
was a frightful sight!"
* * * * *
In the evening, a German Colonel went to the Liége Military Hospital
to say that a terrible explosion had destroyed the Loncin Fort. Two
or three doctors, one of whom was Dr. Defalle, started immediately to
this Fort. "We met some of the wounded," he told me, "coming along the
Thier d'Ans road and, as we went along, we kept meeting motor-cars
and pedestrians. In the villages, nearly all the inhabitants were at
their doors, anxiously looking out. At Ans plateau, where the church
steeple had been razed to the ground, we met a cart in which General
Leman was lying. The cart was drawn by two horses and the General was
accompanied by Staff Deputy Commander Collart and by a German officer.
The General, who had just been taken from the ruins through a hole
in the escarpment, was still half suffocated, and his face was blue.
He had no wound visible though, and he was perfectly conscious.[4]
On reaching the Fort, I found it was surrounded by numerous enemy
troops of different arms and particularly by the Engineers. Some of
the soldiers were waving a large Red Cross flag, in order to stop the
firing from the Hollogne Fort. The explosion had chiefly affected the
south-east part and the moats there were filled with the _débris_. The
central masonry was destroyed and encumbered with blocks of cement. The
cupola was knocked down. There was very little smoke, but, from time to
time, detonations, caused by the cartridge stores exploding from the
heat.
"From these ruins, could be heard the most unearthly groans and cries.
The poor, suffering men, who were burning there, were begging us to
help them. Blocks of stone or cement had to be raised and sometimes we
were obliged to saw off a limb, in order to release these brave men.
They were partly carbonised, quite black, and almost naked, when we
succeeded in transporting them to a meadow near. From there they were
taken to the town. In the counterscarp, separated by the moat, were
some flanking coffers. The occupants of these had not been able to
get back to the central construction, as the subterranean passage was
obstructed. After some hours of labour, we were able to push in the
ventilation gratings and to get the half suffocated men out.
"The Loncin inhabitants, overwhelmed with anguish, watched our terrible
work. The recruiting had been local and they all dreaded lest they
should recognise a member of their own family in these poor tumefied,
charred bodies, with burnt hair, which were dragged from under the
_débris_. They helped the doctors in bandaging and in administering the
morphia for attenuating the traumatic shock. They gave the patients
soothing drinks and installed them in their houses. Nearly every house
had its wounded men, who were sent as soon as possible to Liége, either
to the Military Hospital, the ambulances of the Daughters of the Cross
and of the Jesuits, or to the one in the Rue des Rivageois.
"The Germans seemed surprised at the immensity of the catastrophe.
Their officers, particularly those belonging to the Engineers,
endeavoured to ease the suffering of the victims. When a few shots
were fired, though, from the Waroux wood, they changed their attitude,
blamed the Belgians, and talked of reprisals. We doctors reminded
them that _our_ lives were as much in danger as theirs, and that that
fact did not prevent us from doing our duty. The Boches were somewhat
confused and were quiet after this. Towards ten o'clock at night all
the wounded were removed."
* * * * *
"I was at the St. Laurent Hospital," said Dr. Roskam, "when the wounded
were brought in, towards nine in the evening. The sight of these
poor men, with frizzled hair, black hands and faces, and scorched
clothes, was frightful. The Germans took them for Senegalese. In the
operating-room, scenes took place which filled us with horror. On
taking off their clothes, shreds of flesh were torn off, legs and arms
separated from the body, and horrible wounds and burns of all sorts
appeared. There was a frightful odour of carbonised flesh. What made
this scene more poignant still, was the courage, the stoicism of all
these men _who did not complain_.
"They had scarcely come to themselves again after their dizziness,
from which they were roused by the suffering caused by the washing of
their wounds with green soap, when they asked after their Commander
and their Lieutenant. Many of them had tears in their eyes when they
heard that their chiefs were saved and they asked to be carried into
the ward where Naessens and Modard were lying, seriously wounded.
The two officers could scarcely recognise their men, thanks to
powder, bandages, scars, and swollen features. They encouraged and
congratulated them nevertheless, and in all justice. The whole of the
time these men were in hospital, they were admirable. Horribly burnt,
some of them blind, some with the sight of one eye gone, in many cases
the drum of the ear perforated and the patient suffering from otitis,
they endured everything with resignation, never complaining, grumbling,
or protesting in any way. They were veritable heroes. When the first
to recover started for Germany, Naessens and Modard, who had never
intended to leave their soldiers and who were obliged to stay longer in
Liége, in order to finish their cure, were carried to the courtyard by
the men-nurses, in order to say a last farewell to the brave men who
adored them!"
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 4: This was confirmed by a letter from Captain Commander
Hauteclerc to Mlle. Leman, the General's daughter.]