Battery Silesia

Located in the middle of the fields, east of the farm "ter Blauwe Sluys". The battery was built starting from August 1917. It was armed in December 1917 with four pieces of 17 cm field artillery. It fired for the first time in January 1918.

The battery was intended to thwart a possible Allied breakthrough. On October 2, 1918, the pieces were withdrawn so that the positions turned out to be empty during the Belgian advance.

Four concrete platforms were built, integrating a 5-ton chassis. The cannon – brought in on wheels – was mounted on a central axle. There was no protection (armoring) provided for the pieces. Two machine guns, positioned behind a parapet, were to secure the battery.

The ammunition was stored in four small concrete bunkers (with a wall thickness of barely 30 cm), which were covered with soil and turf.

The personnel of the battery – 4 officers and 120 men – stayed in the nearby farm buildings. For observation, R.N. Stand "Weistritz" from battery Hindenburg was used.

In the photo, one of the pieces from battery "Schlesien" with the farm "ter Blauwe Sluys" in the background.

Toerisme Bredene