Fort des Dunes

With its buildings hidden beneath the sand, Fort des Dunes is a remarkable example of nineteenth-century military architecture. It was built in 1878, at the same time as the Zuydcoote battery, to protect Dunkirk and its port from any attack from the east.

Following the invention of new explosives, it quickly lost its strategic role and was used as a barracks, housing 450 soldiers.

During the Second World War, Fort des Dunes was at the heart of Operation Dynamo. This was the largest military evacuation in history, enabling the evacuation of 338,000 Allied soldiers. Around a hundred soldiers died under intense German bombings, including General Janssen, head of the 12th Motorised Infantry Division.

Other dramatic events took place here during the war, including the execution of eight Resistance fighters in 1944. After the war, the fort was abandoned for many years before being bought by the town of Leffrinckoucke in 1998. It is now a cultural and heritage site and a place of remembrance dedicated to the Second World War.