Norwich bulletin., 1915-08-10
THE WAR PRIMER
By National Geographic Society

Dunkirk. one of the most bitterly
contested points of the world war,
which has continued to be a place of
first interest on the western battle
line ever since the fall of Antwerp, is
described in today's war primer issued
by the National Geographic Society as
follows:
"Dunkirk, the fourth seaport Of
France, has been an important strong
hold from the days when it was forti-
fed by Baldwin III, Count of Flanders.
in the 10th century, and, due to its
peculiar military value. it has been
the storm center of many European
troubles. changing masters as the
strife for the continental Channel
coast ran in favor Of first one and then
the other. The Kings of France dis
puted the possession of the town with
tured Dunl<irk in 1916 for his master,
louis XIV, and the Spaniards took
the place again in 1852. Austria held
it
1.-THE Frenchmen, the Anglo Saxon
the Dutchman and the German in
cluded the dune country in which Dun
kirk lay among their prominent as
pirations. The commercial and mil
itary value of Antwerp and Rotterdam
were then unguessed- Dunkirk was
geographically commercially and po-
litically central. a commercial promise
d
holding it. In 1868 Marshal Turenne
beat the Spaniards here, and with him
brought 5000 of Cromwell's 1ronsideS.
The battle of the Dunes was almost as
red and violent as are the relentless
struggles now going on amid the gray
wastes and sandy ridges.
THE port was ceded to England,
and the English strengthened it and
built a citadel here. Louis XIV pur-
chased it for France from the i'm
poverished Charles II, paying about
$1,000, 900. In the struggles, which fol-
lowed, between France and England,
Dunkirk became the center of war
of privateers on English trade. work.
ing sucn significant damage upon the
Island Kingdom, that the English in
sisted upon the destruction of the
harbor and Notifications as part of the
terms Of the Peace of Utrecht in 1713.
The English repeated this demand at
the Peace of Paris in 1898. In 1893, the
English forces under the Duke Of York
laid a determined but unsuccessful
siege to the port.
'Dunkirk is a fortress Of the first
class, and it Is a central point in a
complex net Of fortresses. Calais,
Gravelines. Bergues and Bourboug,
form : a triangle of strongholds, with
Dunkirk at the apex, whose fronts
protect the coast and the approach
from Belgium. A chain of forts stretch
east from Dunkirk to cover the move
ments of defending army. These
forts are surrounded and crossed by an
intricate system of canals and water
surfaces, and. to strengthen them the
undated. The water defenses make
this line all but impregnable. With all
the dune country awash, and domin-
ated by powerful batteries. the port of
Dunkirk offers a difficult military
problem.
THE port is situated in the de-
partment Of Nord, 155 miles north of
Paris, and 2S miles northeast of Calais.
1t is SO miles norwest of Lille, one of
the great French industrial towns back
of the German lines. Dixmude, on the
German front is scarcely more than
| 20 miles away. The surrounding
country is low, broken by sand ridges.
fertile in stretches, cut in all directions
by canals, and, in general, terribly
| monotonous. The city before the war
| had we'll do population of $4,000.
The harbor is highly improved con-
| sisting of a number of inner basins and
great floating docks in the roadstead,
| where the largest ships are handled.
"Dunkirk contested third place upon
the French list of ports hotly with
| Bordeaux. Its excellent canal and
| railway connections linked it with the
| manufacturing centers of Belgium and
| Northern France. The coal lands of
| Nord and Pas-de-Calais, the rich ag-
| rIcultural districts or Flanders and
| Artois, and the humming factory
1 towns Of Lille. Roubaix, Valenciennes
| Armentieres and Tourcoing poured
| their surpluses into this city in times
| of peace. 1t did an annual import and
| export trade to the value of $3.50, 900,
| 900, shipping sugar. coal, cereals, wool
| forage, cement, textiles and iron man.
ufactures. phosphates. tools, machin-
| cry and vegetables. 1t had growing
| textile and steel industries. 1t main
tanned communication with the CHIEF
ports of the United Kingdom, with
New York, ports of South America
and the Orient. and imported wool
jute. flax. petroleum, cotton, timber
metal ores and chemical products. Its
herring and cod fisheries were i'm
portant. Altogether. the famous Ole
fortress, was forging to the front
among great commercial seaports
when the disastrous world war broke
which has halted its business and
again conferred the military attention
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