Fort de Saint - Héribert The Fort de Saint - Héribert or the Fort de Wépion 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 Saint - Héribert is located about south of the center of Namur . The fort , one of the larger Brialmont forts , is a triangle . 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 . Armament . Saint - Héribert ' s guns included one twin 15 cm turret , two single 21 cm turrets and two twin 12 cm turrets , all for distant targets . Four 57mm turrets with another nine 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 Saint - Héribert was under the command of Captain - Commandant Derzellez , with about 400 artillerymen and 80 fortress troops . 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 . Telephone contact with the outside was lost on 23 August , the same day that the infantry in the intervals between the forts were withdrawn . The fort repelled an infantry attack early on the 24th , but took heavy German fire from 1530 to 1945 . At 2100 the garrison surrendered , while the Germans continued to fire around them to prevent their escape . Fortified Position of Namur . Saint - Héribert ' 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 , Saint - Héribert was armed with one twin 75mm turret , four retractable 75mm single turrets , two twin machine gun turrets and a number of observation cloches . Machine guns provided close protection . Ventilation was provided by an air inlet in a nearby ravine . Six anti - aircraft guns were installed as well . Second World War . The Fort de Saint - Héribert in May 1940 was commanded by Captain - Commandant : L ' Entrée with about 400 men . It started firing on nearby German forces early on 15 May at an initial rate of 50 shots per hour from the 75mm guns , increasing to 75 shots per hour , the 120 . The same day the supporting infantry was withdrawn and the fort was on its own . The fort came under aerial attack in the afternoon . The 16th and 17th were quiet , but on the 18th the fort came under heavy bombardment , returning harassing fore from the fort ' s 75mm guns , which had so far been unaffected by the German fire . On the 19th the fort received damage to its concrete cover , but was able to use direct fire against enemy observation stations in the neighborhood . German fire intensified on the 20th , causing damage . During the early hours of the 21st German patrols began moving in the woods nearby under the cover of smoke bombs . The fort was encircled during daylight hours , but received supporting fire from the Fort d ' Andoy , Fort de Malonne and the Fort de Dave . Nevertheless , German artillery was placed within 500 metres of the fort , destroying each turret in turn . The fort continued to resist with machine guns in the ditches , but the fort lost electric power at midday . After sabotaging their remaining weapons and destroying documents , the garrison surrendered at 1210 . The fort suffered one dead , while the Germans had 129 dead and 602 wounded , primarily from the 317th Infantry Regiment . Present . The Fort de Saint - Héribert is on private property and is not open to the public . The entrances have been sealed with concrete . It was never repaired or rehabilitated after World War II .