"Battle for the North Sea" Exhibition in Bruges, Belgium
- Aug 8, 2018
- 1 min read
This was a really interesting exhibition I went to this summer when I was in Bruges. I just happened to be walking in the old town square when I noticed a poster advertising the exhibition, which was located inside the former headquarters of the WWI German U-boat Command. Germany occupied Belgium during the war and used Bruges as a strategic location to launch U-boat attacks on ships in the North Sea. Some very interesting artifacts, models, and information on this early U-boat technology and the Allied efforts to combat them. Most people remember the Battle of Jutland as the only real naval conflict during WWI, but this museum showed that the Battle for the North Sea, or the battle for the supply lines was a very important part of the war. To combat the U-boat threat, the Allies developed new techniques to hunt, target, and destroy U-boats, developed the convoy system to help passenger and merchant ships to reach their destinations, and learned how to keep shipping lanes clear of U-boats. Despite this, the U-boats remained an ever-present threat and a fear of every ship's captain. Finally, in April 1918, the British Royal Navy staged a massive, daring raid on the occupied harbours of Bruges. This exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of that raid.
What began as just a walk around a town square turned into a chance to learn about a forgotten, but important, aspect of WWI!
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