withstand heavier artillery. Armament Flémalle's armament included two turrets with a single 21 cm Krupp gun, a 15cm turret with twin guns and two 12 cm turret with two Krupp guns, all for distant targets. Four 57 mm gun turrets were provided for local defense. The fort also mounted an observation turret with a searchlight. Eleven rapid-fire 57 mm guns were provided in casemates for the defense of the ditches and the postern. 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 the neighboring Fort de Loncin and Fort de Liers. The guns were fired using black powder rather than smokeless powder, producing choking gas in the confined firing spaces that spread throughout the fort. First World War In 1914 Flémalle was commanded by Captain-Commandant Falize with five officers and 150 men. Liège first came under attack on 6 August 1914. When the Liège's fortifications proved unexpectedly stubborn, the Germans brought heavy siege artillery to bombard the forts with shells far larger than they were designed to resist. Flémalle was one of the last forts to come under heavy bombardment, and was the last of the Liėge forts to surrender. Following the explosion of the Fort de Loncin, the Germans sent delegations to the last two holdouts, Flémalle and the Fort de Hollogne, emphasisizing the consequences of continued resistance. Flémalle surrendered at 0930 on 16 August, two hours after Hollogne. Fortified Position of Liège Flémalles armament was upgraded in the 1930s to become part of the Fortified Position of Liège II, which was planned to deter a German incursion over the nearby border. The armament was upgraded with new guns in the turrets and an anti-aircraft battery. This was accompanied by improvements to ventilation, protection, sanitary facilities, communications and electrical power. Armament included a machine gun turret, a twin 105mm gun turret, a turret with a single 150mm gun, and four single 75mm guns in retractable turrets. The 57mm guns were replaced with machine guns. Six anti-aircraft guns were also provided. Second World War In 1940 Flémalle was commanded by Captain-Commandant Barbieux, with five officers and about 150 men. Following the successful German assault on Fort Eben-Emael to the east, Flémalle provided fire support for Belgian field units for the next few days. On 15 May the fort came under