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The third of the Séré de Rivières' forts we visited around Verdun was a complete wash out and we spent an absolute age squatting on our heals in a dense wood hoping that the large bear we had heard barking - oh OK then, it was a dog really, but a dog on steroids - was not going to be able to climb up the moat wall of Fort Dugny. By the way, there are these horrible wee brown buggies in the woods around Verdun which bury themselves head first in your skin and you can only get them out by twisting them or their heads snap off under your skin. Note to TJ, next time wear long leg boots like mine and a pair of twisters to keep your lightweight legs sealed over your boots, that way I won't leave a buggy head stuck in your back... 
So... we wombled furtively through yet another wood and came to Fort Landrecourt. The main entrance beyond the drawbridge was barred with an old steel gate and it was securely padlocked, ergo the military are still using this fort. The razor wire was also a bit of a give away. But to the left of the entrance was a steep slope with narrow guage railway lines running down into the moat. In order to comply with the site guidelines I cannot give anything away about the route we took to get in to the fort but suffice it to say, I can't believe how easy egress was!!!
Once inside the scarp gallery the way up to the area immediately behind the entrance gate was but a few short steps.
The main entrance complete with razor wire avec les padlock (not to be confused with Pierre Padlock)...
The drawbridge and entrance gate seen from the moat bottom...
The only way is up - to the main entrance corridor from the area of the scarp galleries below the drawbridge...
It was right about now that I spotted someone else outside past the barred gate heading the same way we had come so we did a sharp about turn and scooted off tuit suite into the deepest recesses of the fort and kept quiet for a bit. We didn't see him reappear inside but all the same we crept around for the rest of the visit. But the sheer "quality" of this fort did go a long way to make up for the inconvenience of having to watch every foot fall. The paintwork is still extant and the general condition of the fort internally is extremely good, it having very little in the way of fallen ceilings etc.
The single level barrack block. I am guessing that the remains of the large fire out front indicate that the French military still use this fort fairly regularly, especially as the moat is in the process of being cleared.
Inside again...
Possibly an ablutions block?
Electricity ran on exposed wires along the walls and ceilings. Here insulated carriers can still be seen clearly...
Inside this room is an example of the forts inner colour scheme. A red line is often found running along a wall which denotes the area's degree of safety under bombardment - troops could see at a glance whether they were safe or not. This room has a green line and was close to the fort's outer walls so I wonder if a green line is an indication of an unsafe area or simply the fact that the decorator had a thing for avocado and white...
Squatting plates. The relatively recent oily black paint and the stains on the concrete would seem to be another indication that this fort is still in use as a training area.
A staircase descends to a tunnel running out beneath the moat. Note the red line on the wall now indicating safety from bombardment...
Another example of the safety red line...
Stairs descend deep into the ground towards a section of Travaux 17 tunnel. For those who have not read my previous report, in brief these tunnels were dug in 1917 to enable better access to and from fighting areas in all the Verdun forts and also to give soldiers a means of escaping the fort when all was lost.
Although the walls of this Travaux 17 tunnel are concrete lined, quite a rarity if the few we have been down are anything to go by, clearly the tunnel was never finished or it has suffered a serious roof fall.
A standard architectural design is common throughout all the Séré de Rivières forts - we even saw this kind of barrack block frontage at the late 1800s add on section of the citadel at Montmedy!
An exit on the top of the fort to give access to an artillery area. At Douamont this was referred to as the Rue Du Rempart.
A stairwell leads to another fighting area of the fort.
Inside the bottom of one of the fort's aptly named "Galopin" gun turrets. These turrets were armed with either twin 75 mm fast firing guns as in this case, or a single 155 mm gun in a much bigger turret. The entire turret is built of heavy armoured steel and sits inside a reinforced concrete skirt. It is exceptionally well balanced by a huge lever beam and counterweight situated to the rear of the turret mechanism so that when under direct bombardment the entire turret can sink down out of harms way. Even a direct hit with the very heaviest ordnance would cause no more than a bad headache and soiled underwear for the crew. The automatic shell lifts can be seen to right and left of the pillar as can the pipes for the hand operated fume ventilators.
Here you can see the beam lever - the counterweight sits in the pit at the end of the lever. For further pictures of this mechanism and of this type of turret in general please refer to my Froideterre report.
Looking out of a counterscarp gallery into the moat where the current undergrowth clearance work can be seen.
Outside the counterscarp gallery looking back. Some forts do not have this arrangement to protect the moat, relying instead upon scarp galleries built into the fort walls, a system that was intrinsically weak. Others have both scarp and counterscarp galleries and others still have just counterscarp bunkers like this where infantry sited machine guns to engage enemy in the moat with enfilade (side on) fire.
Back up from under the moat again...
It was about now that my camera went flat and I had to resort to using my iPhone camera instead which frankly was a complete waste of time! I hope you enjoyed these pictures and thanks for looking. Our next fort report will follow soon.
So... we wombled furtively through yet another wood and came to Fort Landrecourt. The main entrance beyond the drawbridge was barred with an old steel gate and it was securely padlocked, ergo the military are still using this fort. The razor wire was also a bit of a give away. But to the left of the entrance was a steep slope with narrow guage railway lines running down into the moat. In order to comply with the site guidelines I cannot give anything away about the route we took to get in to the fort but suffice it to say, I can't believe how easy egress was!!!
Once inside the scarp gallery the way up to the area immediately behind the entrance gate was but a few short steps.
The main entrance complete with razor wire avec les padlock (not to be confused with Pierre Padlock)...
The drawbridge and entrance gate seen from the moat bottom...
The only way is up - to the main entrance corridor from the area of the scarp galleries below the drawbridge...
It was right about now that I spotted someone else outside past the barred gate heading the same way we had come so we did a sharp about turn and scooted off tuit suite into the deepest recesses of the fort and kept quiet for a bit. We didn't see him reappear inside but all the same we crept around for the rest of the visit. But the sheer "quality" of this fort did go a long way to make up for the inconvenience of having to watch every foot fall. The paintwork is still extant and the general condition of the fort internally is extremely good, it having very little in the way of fallen ceilings etc.
The single level barrack block. I am guessing that the remains of the large fire out front indicate that the French military still use this fort fairly regularly, especially as the moat is in the process of being cleared.
Inside again...
Possibly an ablutions block?
Electricity ran on exposed wires along the walls and ceilings. Here insulated carriers can still be seen clearly...
Inside this room is an example of the forts inner colour scheme. A red line is often found running along a wall which denotes the area's degree of safety under bombardment - troops could see at a glance whether they were safe or not. This room has a green line and was close to the fort's outer walls so I wonder if a green line is an indication of an unsafe area or simply the fact that the decorator had a thing for avocado and white...
Squatting plates. The relatively recent oily black paint and the stains on the concrete would seem to be another indication that this fort is still in use as a training area.
A staircase descends to a tunnel running out beneath the moat. Note the red line on the wall now indicating safety from bombardment...
Another example of the safety red line...
Stairs descend deep into the ground towards a section of Travaux 17 tunnel. For those who have not read my previous report, in brief these tunnels were dug in 1917 to enable better access to and from fighting areas in all the Verdun forts and also to give soldiers a means of escaping the fort when all was lost.
Although the walls of this Travaux 17 tunnel are concrete lined, quite a rarity if the few we have been down are anything to go by, clearly the tunnel was never finished or it has suffered a serious roof fall.
A standard architectural design is common throughout all the Séré de Rivières forts - we even saw this kind of barrack block frontage at the late 1800s add on section of the citadel at Montmedy!
An exit on the top of the fort to give access to an artillery area. At Douamont this was referred to as the Rue Du Rempart.
A stairwell leads to another fighting area of the fort.
Inside the bottom of one of the fort's aptly named "Galopin" gun turrets. These turrets were armed with either twin 75 mm fast firing guns as in this case, or a single 155 mm gun in a much bigger turret. The entire turret is built of heavy armoured steel and sits inside a reinforced concrete skirt. It is exceptionally well balanced by a huge lever beam and counterweight situated to the rear of the turret mechanism so that when under direct bombardment the entire turret can sink down out of harms way. Even a direct hit with the very heaviest ordnance would cause no more than a bad headache and soiled underwear for the crew. The automatic shell lifts can be seen to right and left of the pillar as can the pipes for the hand operated fume ventilators.
Here you can see the beam lever - the counterweight sits in the pit at the end of the lever. For further pictures of this mechanism and of this type of turret in general please refer to my Froideterre report.
Looking out of a counterscarp gallery into the moat where the current undergrowth clearance work can be seen.
Outside the counterscarp gallery looking back. Some forts do not have this arrangement to protect the moat, relying instead upon scarp galleries built into the fort walls, a system that was intrinsically weak. Others have both scarp and counterscarp galleries and others still have just counterscarp bunkers like this where infantry sited machine guns to engage enemy in the moat with enfilade (side on) fire.
Back up from under the moat again...
It was about now that my camera went flat and I had to resort to using my iPhone camera instead which frankly was a complete waste of time! I hope you enjoyed these pictures and thanks for looking. Our next fort report will follow soon. 
