From the 17th of April, our soldiers at Merckem felt themselves masters of the sector. Patrols and audacious raids were undertaken, sometimes on Kloostermolen, sometimes on the trenches of the Kwaebeek position or on the Little-son and on Italy, Portugal and Epernon farms.
The numerous prisoners brought back from these expeditions supplied our Staff with informations, which were the more interesting because, at that time, the allied armies had begun to drive back the enemy from the French front.
At last, on the 9th of September, at dawn, a brilliant attack was executed without great loss by the 3d line regiment. The position of Kwaebeek, entirely taken, was organized, and, when a few days later, the enemy who had recovered, attempted with the aid of great reinforcement to drive back our troops in their former lines, the success was of short duration, for the enemy had to let go.
It was from the position of Kwaebeek, that the 1st Infantry division, started the 28th of September 1918 to the signal for the great liberating offensive.
25.—The big german gun of Leugenboom at Couckelaere near Moere.
Not having succeeded, in spite of their brutal effort and the use of asphyxiating gas, which till then had never been made use of, to pierce the front at Steenstraat, in April 1915, the Germans who had foreseen every thing, began to bombard Dunkirk, this permitted to their press to hide the check, to cry out loudly “Victory, our artillery is bombarding Dunkirk”.
A marine gun of 380 mm. installed in a public house called “In het Predikboom” (kilometer 12th, road Dixmude-Poelcappelle) had just started, to execute its first shot. That was on the 26th of April 1915.
A powerful counter-battery action was soon organized and proved a success. Twice the gun was disabled, the first time for a period of forty two days and the second time for forty eight. The 9th of August 1915 registered its last shot.
Nevertheless the counter-battery maintained its firing in order to prevent the Germans rebuilding the place and arming it.
In October 1916, an extraordinary activity was shown at the former emplacement of Predikboom. Numerous and deliberate firings were executed by the counter-batteries; and one might well ask if this German activity was not a new dodge. Another place, in fact was being built at Leugenboom (3200 meters to the North of Couckelaere).