The emplacement of Leugenboom was noted for the first time the 7th of May 1917 by Captain Jaumotte while making one of his aerial reconnoitrings. He took a photograph of it, which clearly showed the advanced state of the works, the switch line, grafted on a point to a normal gauge, thus forming the junction at Eerneghem, to the state railway line Ostend-Thourout.
Without a doubt the firing on Dunkirk was going to begin again.
The Belgian artillery staff, started at once a plan of action against that urgent threat. The said staff obtained of the 36th French army corps, which was operating on the Belgian front the aid of two guns of A. L. V. F. (artillerie lourde sur voie ferrée, i. e. Heavy railway battery) two magnificent naval guns of 305 (12 inch.).
These two pieces will be the soul of the counter-battery, they will be upheld in their action by a special group of numerous heavy batteries which will make opposition on all german batteries opening fire on the two heavy guns.
The plan was prepared, but to realise it, important and preliminary works had to be executed, which took five days after Captain Jaumotte’s reconnoitring.
These works consisted thus: first of all, the building of firing emplacements for the heavy artillery; establishing many telephone connections, needed since the creation of the special group, connections which had to perform not only the centralisation of the command, but also a perfect understanding between the director of the firing, the batteries and the observation-posts and the cross registering section, as well as the creation of antennas to receive the messages of aerial observations.
The railway battalion, pushed on after three days of splendid and extraordinary efforts, the works sufficiently far to render the point of Eggewaertscappelle capable of bearing the firing of the heavy guns. The group of telegraphists and telephonists accomplished at the same time, grand and important works of liaison, which altogether constituted the tool of the firing director.
A firing program was elaborated, a program which led the action on Leugenboom and on the Tirpitz battery (see site no 4) at the same time. The firing on the Tirpitz was assured by two heavy guns of 305 in position on the point of Coxyde-Bains.
The 13th of May, the two heavy guns of 305 were brought to the place of firing which had been chosen—the switch-point of Eggewaertscappelle—and a nice clear day was waited to open action. That beautiful day was longed for right up to the 20th of May 1917.
The execution of the genuine program was preceded by an independant firing directed on the German observation-post installed in the belfry of Eessen, with a 240 (10 inch.) gun in position at the East of Burg Molen, upheld by the special group. The tower was partially demolished.