Act of 1870
The Franco-Prussian War in 1870 showed that the German artillery could bombard Paris from a distance of 7 km. The circle of Brialmont forts was thus too close to the city centre. Initially it was decided to build the forts Merksem, Zwijndrecht, and Kruibeke. In addition, the Scheldt Defence was extended with the forts St. Philip and De Perel (both rebuilt). These were small oblong armored fortresses, against enemy warships. They were to be heavily armed with 24 and 28 cm guns. De Perel however was never equipped with guns at all.
Read more about this topic: National Redoubt Of Belgium
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