Had a meeting of the Dutch Fire Arms Collectors Association today.
This time the meeting was organized at “Fort bij Edam” (Fort near Edam).
Preparation of the soil started in 1895 en the actual building of the fort started in 1908.
The fort was ready for use in 1913, just before WW I started.
This fort is one of many that was build for the protection of Amsterdam.
Next to the forts, we depended on inundation.
The plan was to flood the surroundings of the forts and give the enemy just one way to Amsterdam.
They had to go past the forts first though.
Some pictures of course.
Entrance at the back of the fort.
Inside the fort you find several rooms…..for example:
The infirmary (The guy in the picture didn't make it) 
The kitchen…..this one still works, but I decided to skip lunch….. 
Post office
The roof of the fort looks like this.
You can only see a couple of chimneys.
The sand that is used to cover the roof is sand that comes from the dunes near the North Sea.
It filters the rain water before it is collected inside the fort.
When the enemy approached, the soldiers ran to the various defense walls.
The forts were never actually attacked, but IMHO approaching infantry had no chance at all.
There was only one road to approach the fort….for the rest typical Dutch flat country.
Stairs to the observation tower
The observation tower can be approached from the inside.
This is what it looks like on the outside.
View from the observation tower towards the north.
Back then there was no fence and I suspect that the grass was mowed regularly.
Enough about the fort.
Here are some pictures of weapons that were displayed at the meeting.
Different versions of the Dutch AR-10.
Various Dutch M95 carbines
An instruction model of the Dutch M95
A United Defense Model 42.
Enough for now.
It has been a long day, but I enjoyed it very much.
Met vriendelijke groet,
Martin
Login
Register
FAQ
