Built in 1878, the For des Dunes is part of the complex of fortifications erected on the orders of General Séré de Rivières, following the defeat of France against Prussia in 1871 in order to create a line of defense around France and prevent any further Prussian incursion. In this context and more particularly in that of the protection of the main French ports, the fort was responsible for defending the port of Dunkirk from an attack coming from the east. A key piece of the defense strategy of the territory and the Dunkirk agglomeration, it was, at the time of its construction, the only land fort of the « Séré de Rivières » type built on the coast. The Zuydcoote coastal battery, located 800 meters north of the fort, was only added to it in 1879 as a support position.
It would later undergo some modifications and be integrated into the Maginot Line. Used during the Battle of Dunkirk and then under the German occupation, it now houses a memorial center dedicated to Operation Dynamo, in June 1940, and is open to the public.
