Sector Sloten
This sector is the south-western part of the Defence
Line. |
 Sector depot Sloten, Materials Division
Located along a side canal of the North Sea canal near the village Halfweg. Used for the storage of artillery and other materials.
Partly dismantled except a official residence and two sheds for vehicles from 1937.
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 Sector depot Sloten, Ammunition Division
Built in 1898 for the storage of ammunition and explosives for the Sector Sloten.
(Also named "1800 Roeden"; roeden is an old linear measure, 1800 Roeden is measured from the Haarlem city gate in Amsterdam)
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 Group Depot Halfweg no. 1
Built in 1905 it consists of a house and a shed, both made from wood. Most were intended to be built in wartime. This depot is one of few built and completely intact.
These depots were lowest level of the logistics from the central depots to the forts.
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 Side Canal B Casemates
This side canal of the North Sea canal is the main part
of the Defence Line between two forts. In 1934, two
casemates were constructed to close the road access along
the canal. The canon casemate was demolished so only the
machine-gun casemate remains.
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 Pontoon
Bridge Side Canal C
A pontoon bridge planned to cross Side Canal C (behind B)
was to be part of a system of military roads. On one side of
the canal, the joists, planks, anchors and tools for
assembling the bridge were stored in two engineers'
sheds.
Although a pontoon bridge was planned and prepared at two other locations,
this is the only location where the sheds were not on the area of a
fort.
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 Position
at Spaarndam
Defences West of Spaarndam, consisting of two forts, a
rampart with two secondary batteries and concrete shelters
in and in front of the rampart. Spaarndam had important
inlet sluices and was an important route to Amsterdam. The
rampart dates from 1809 and the defences improved until
1960.
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 Position
at Spaarndam -
Fort North of Spaarndam
Completed in 1901 as part of the Position
at Spaarndam. Has one of the few remaining access
bridges in the Defence Line. In 1903 a secondary battery was
built South of it, which is now covered-over with
ground.
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 Position
at Spaarndam -
Fort South of Spaarndam
Also completed in 1901 as part of the Position
at Spaarndam. Its access bridge was replaced by a dam
like with many other bridges. In 1903 a secondary battery
was built North of it and is still visible.
Restored in 1998-1999, including a new bridge.
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 Position
along the Liede
This consisted of three forts, a connecting rampart and a
few earth- and concrete- secondary batteries. There were
also some concrete shelters of which only one remains. Part
of the original military road behind the earth rampart still
exists.
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 Position
along the Liede -
Fort near Penningsveer
Built between 1898 and 1901 for 295 soldiers. Nearby
sluices are still present, along with a secondary battery
North of the fort.
Now in use for educational and youth camps.
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 Position
along the Liede -
Fort near the Liebrug
Completed in 1900 to defend the Haarlem - Amsterdam
railway. Has a small fort with only one gorge-side
casemate.
Now in use as storage and distribution centre for the
transport of valuables.
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 Position
along the Liede -
Fort along the Liede
A tower fort of the Defence Line's predecessor was built
in 1843 but partially demolished (lowered) in 1885 and
futher demolished in 1914-1918. We believe the lower level
is still present below ground.
It lies partly in the Circular Canal of the
Haarlemmermeer polder to effectively block water
traffic.
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 Fort near the Fuikvaart
Only "built" on paper (1904, 1906, 1911-1915) but never
constructed because of the Great
War. Early drawings show plans for a fort very similar
to the Fort near Hoofddorp, whereas
later plans show a smaller fort. Sources indicate a battery
was located here during the Great
War. The purpose of the fort/casemate/battery was to
increase defences and to protect a nearby dam sluice.
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 Rampart
between Fort along the Liede and M.P. 19, also Casemate M.P.
20
Alongside plans for a Fort near the
Fuikvaart were plans for a 2.7 km rampart between Fort along the Liede and mile stone 19
near the village of Vijfhuizen. Because of the Great
War it was never constructed. It would have eight
batteries, one casemate and three cut ditches for roads. The
casemate would have been similar to one previously designed
and planned near mile stone 20.
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 Fort near Vijfhuizen
One of the first concrete forts built of the Defence
Line. Completed in 1899 with an iron military shed from
1896, which is the only remaining one.
To the Southwest were two areas with shelters for troops retreating
into the Defence Line. Behind the fort was the Military
Tree Nursery.
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 Fort
near Vijfhuizen -
Advanced Defence at Vijfhuizen
One of the oldest locations with a reinforced concrete
construction; model 1916 shelters which were built in 1917
and 1918. They would provide shelter from enemy fire while
men retreated into the Defence Line. Also has five machine
gun blocks.
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 Fort
near Vijfhuizen -
Advanced Position near Heemstede
On the site of an older fort, here too were reinforced
concrete shelters built in 1916. They had the same purpose
as those of the Advanced Defence
at Vijfhuizen.
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 Engineers'
dike through the Haarlemmermeer polder
The large Haarlemmermeer polder was split into two by an
engineers' dike about 15 kilometres from the centre of
Amsterdam. Built between 1890 and 1895 it is 10.5 kilometres
long and it allowed the Southern half of the polder to be
inundated while the remaining half stayed dry.
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 Battery along IJweg
To support the two forts on either side, a 'mini fort'
was built in the engineers' dike in 1906. It was similar to
the Battery along Sloterweg but is
not visible anymore.
Only a hill of earth persists, most likely covering the
remains.
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 Fort near Hoofddorp
In the middle of the Haarlemmermeer polder and the Engineers' dike, this fort was
built between 1903 and 1904. Because of limited space and
the depth of the polder, a two level bomb proof building was
built with a deep moat and a special machine gun post to
cover the deep moat.
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 Battery along Sloterweg
The only remaining 'mini fort' which supports the two forts on either side. Built in 1906, it could only cover the flank with guns and not the front.
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 Slotertocht
Casemates
As specified in the State Road Plan of 1926, Highway 4,
between The Hague and Amsterdam crosses the Engineers'
dike, which has the undesired effect of adding an extra
access point into the Defence Line. Three concrete
casemates, for one canon and two machine guns, were built in
1934 to defend this access.
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 Battery
along Aalsmeerderweg
An earth battery, used to close the 'Aalsmeerderweg'
road. A recent shed was built and demolished.
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 Lift-lock near Aalsmeer
Built in 1891 and used until around 1957, this double
lift-lock is the largest of the sluices built for the
Defence Line. In wartime it was used for the inundation of
the large Haarlemmermeerpolder. In peacetime it was the only
direct connection between the polder and the outside waters
and used heavily to transport vegetables to Amsterdam and
sugarbeet to the factory in Halfweg.
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 Fort near Aalsmeer
Completed in 1904 with a double wet moat and two
sluices at the gorge side.
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 Fort along the Schiphol
Completed in 1851 as part of the predecessor of the
Defence Line. The tower fort was not demolished until 1935.
Next to it was the Military
Airfield Schiphol since 1916 which later became a civil
airfield, Amsterdam
Airport Schiphol.
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 Fort near Kudelstaart
Built between 1906 and 1907 to defend the lake
Westeinderplassen and its dike.
Now in use as a yachting-club for (retired) military
personnel.
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