- May 10th 1940, the German Blitzkrieg hits through the Benelux countries, trapping the British Expeditionary force, along with the French and Belgium units into Belgium and Northern-France. Within a month, France and it's allies are beaten, four years of occupation has just started for Belgium.

- The Fort de Breendonk was build in 1906 and it's main purpose was to strengthen the defenses of Antwerpen. When the war broke out in 1914, the Fort faced the Germans for the first time on 1st of October, when the siege of the fort was started. The Fort de Breendonk defended bravely while being hit with five hundred and sixty-three 305mm shells during the 1st, 6th and 8th of October. Finally the garrison surrendered, after their commander Captain Weyns had been killed and all the other forts, including Antwerpen itself, had surrendered. This heroic defense was remembered after the war, when in 1926 a bronze plague was attached to the fort wall, commemorating the garrison. 

- A place which is build for the purpose of war, usually isn't spared from such occasions, as long as it's standing and as the German troops started to cross the Belgium border during the morning hours of 10th of May 1940, the Fort de Breendonk was chosen as a place for the General Headquarters of the Belgium army. The war however was very different this time and the fort was abandoned on 16th of May. After the place, which was meant to serve the purpose of war, was abandoned, things took another turn. A place of war, was turned into a one small piece of genocide.

- Breendonk was never an extermination camp or even a work camp, it was an Auffanglager, meaning a detention camp from where the prisoners would be moved to the even more sinister sounding camps. The first prisoners arrived on 20th of September 1940 to the Breendonk camp. The camp was commanded by Sturmbannführer Philip Schmitt, who remained at this post nearly through out the war. The appearance of the fort was changed dramatically. Barbed wires were attached around the fort, the underground buildings were uncovered in order to create a courtyard and to raise the rampart. 

- The actual and correct camp records have never been found, so the exact numbers of victims is impossible to give exactly. However at least 3 532 victims passed through the camp and from these, at least 1 733 did not see the end of the war. Additionally, 185 persons were executed at the camp. The people who were sent to the Breendonk camp, resembles a bit to the early part of the KL Auschwitz I history. In Breendonk, the victims were petty criminals, resistance fighters, people who had broke the anti-Jew laws or had been taken as a hostages, during a street round-ups.

- The Breendonk camp was evacuated on 31st of August 1944 and a few days later, the first US troops were already on the Belgium soil. On 4th of September, British tanks that were on their way to Antwerpen passed the Fort de Breendonk. The camp itself was empty as the last guards had been evacuated during that morning. While leaving, the Germans had tried to remove all traces from their atrocities, but it tells a lot that when the camp was liberated on 4th of September 1944, people from nearby had already started to decorate the fort with flowers, to remember those who had suffered inside of it's walls. 

- After the war, Sturmbannführer Schmitt was brought to Belgium to face a trial for his crimes. He was found guilty and on 9th of August 1950 in Antwerpen, he was tied to a pole, his back facing towards his executioners and shot.

- During the over 47 months of the camp existence, thousands of victims and stories about suffering...you cannot hide behind your camera here...

- The place does not need any empty words.