Fort de Maizeret The Fort de Maizeret is one of nine forts built as part of the Fortifications of Namur in the late 19th century in Belgium . It was built between 1888 and 1892 according to the plans of General Henri Alexis Brialmont . Contrasting with the French forts built in the same era by Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières , the fort was built exclusively of unreinforced concrete , a new material , rather than masonry . In 1914 the fort was heavily bombarded by German artillery in the Battle of Namur . Maizeret was upgraded in the 1930s to become part of the fortified position of Namur in an attempt to forestall or slow an attack from Germany . It saw action in 1940 during the Battle of Belgium , and was captured by German forces . The fort is presently abandoned on private property . Description . The Fort de Maizeret is located about east of the center of Namur . The fort , one of the smaller Brialmont forts , is an irregular trapezoid overlooking a bend in the Meuse . A deep by ditch encircles the fort . The ditches were defended in enfilade by 57mm guns in casemates resembling counterscarp batteries , firing at shot traps at the other end of the ditch . The principal armament was concentrated in the central massif , closely grouped in a solid mass of concrete . Belgian forts made little provision for the daily needs of their wartime garrisons , locating latrines , showers , kitchens and the morgue in the fort ' s counterscarp , a location that would be untenable in combat . This would have profound effects on the forts ' ability to endure a long assault . The service areas were placed directly opposite the barracks , which opened into the ditch in the rear of the fort ( i . e . , in the face towards Namur ) , with lesser protection than the front and " salient " sides . The Brialmont forts placed a weaker side to the rear to allow for recapture by Belgian forces from the rear , and located the barracks and support facilities on this side , using the rear ditch for light and ventilation of living spaces . In combat heavy shellfire made the rear ditch untenable , and German forces were able to get between the forts and attack them from the rear . The Brialmont forts were designed to be protected from shellfire equaling their heaviest guns : 21 cm . The top of the central massif used of unreinforced concrete , while the caserne walls , judged to be less exposed , used . Under fire , the forts were damaged by 21 cm fire and could not withstand heavier artillery . Construction . The three forts on the right bank of the Meuse were linked by a military railway , with a repair shop for the rolling stock at Maizeret . Materials delivered from the Meuse were moved to Maizeret by an inclined plane from the river below . Armament . Maizeret ' s guns included one twin 15 cm turret , one single 21 cm turret and two twin 12 cm turrets , all for distant targets . Three 57mm turrets with another six 57mm guns in embrasures providing defense of the fort ' s ditches and postern . The fort also mounted an observation turret with a searchlight . The fort ' s heavy guns were German , typically Krupp , while the turret mechanisms were from a variety of sources . The fort was provided with signal lights to permit communication with neighboring forts . The guns were fired using black powder rather than smokeless powder , producing choking gas in the confined firing spaces that spread throughout the fort . World War I . In the summer of 1914 the Fort de Maizeret was under the command of Captain - Commandant Poncelet , with about 400 men . The fort was bombarded by invading German forces beginning on 21 August 1914 . The Germans did not bother with infantry assault at the Namur forts as had been tried at Liège , at a heavy cost , preferring to batter the Namur positions with artillery . The Namur forts fell quickly . Maizeret was abandoned by Poncelet and his garrison on 22 August , its ability to resist destroyed by the heavy German artillery . Fortified Position of Namur . Maizeret ' s armament was upgraded in the 1930s to become part of the Fortified Position of Namur , which was planned to deter a German incursion over the nearby border . Protection was substantially increased and armament was modernized . This was accompanied by improvements to ventilation , protection , sanitary facilities , communications and electrical power . The area surrounding the fort was equipped with improved shelters for the interval troops . After its renovation , Maizeret was armed with one twin 105mm turret , four 75mm single turrets , one twin machine gun turret and two twin grenade launcher turrets . Machine guns provided close protection . Ventilation was provided by an air inlet in a nearby ravine . The 75mm turrets could be lowered for better protection . Second World War . The Fort de Maizeret in May 1940 was commanded by Captain - Commandant Hambrenne . The fort opened fire against distant targets on 14 May . On the 15th Maizeret fired in support of the Fort de Marchovelette , but was inactive on the following two days . On the 18thy Maizeret again supported Marchovelette . On the 19th there were skirmishes and two wounded Germans were captured . In the 20th , Maizeret supported the Fort d ' Andoy . Sporadic action continued on the 21st and 22nd . On the morning of the 23rd the fort came under heavy fire from 88mm high - velocity guns , followed by an infantry assault . The fort surrendered at 1445 hours , having lost all means of resistance . Present . The Fort de Maizeret is on private property and is not open to the public . It was never repaired or rehabilitated after World War II . A quarry has been excavated just to the east of the fort . One of the counterscarp positions is directly on the edge of the quarry , overlooking the Meuse . It was never repaired or rehabilitated after World War II . The present owner lives in the former commandant ' s house .