Oostduinkerke

Wulpen (West Flemish: Wulpn) is a village in the municipality of Koksijde in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The village can be reached via the N39. Until 1970, Wulpen was an independent municipality.

Koksijde (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkɔksɛi̯də] (listen); French: Coxyde [kɔksid]; West Flemish: Koksyde) is a town and a municipality in Belgium. It is located on the North Sea coast in the southwest of the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises apart from Koksijde, the villages of Oostduinkerke, Saint-Idesbald and Wulpen. On 1 January 2018, Koksijde municipality had a total population of 21,957 on a total area of 43.96 km² (17 sq mi), which gives a population density of 499 inhabitants per km² (1251/sq mi). Since 1995 Marc Vanden Bussche has been mayor of Koksijde.

Koksijde Air Base (ICAO: EBFN) is a Belgian Air Component facility in Koksijde, 1 nautical mile (1.9 km; 1.2 mi) north northwest of Veurne, Belgium. 40 Squadron, historically operating 5 Westland Sea King Mk.48 helicopters for search and rescue (SAR) duties. Also based at Koksijde Air Base were Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopters. The Westland Sea King Mk.48 and Alouette III helicopters were replaced with NH90 NFH helicopters starting in March 2012. It features two airframes as gateguard: a Hawker Hunter F.4, and a Sikorsky S-58C, both ex-Belgian Air Force. Finally, one more Sikorsky S-58C is stored and used for static displays. This base was featured in the popular TV show "Windkracht 10" and in the movie Windkracht 10: Koksijde Rescue.Like many Belgian Air bases, both active and non-active, it is available to private recreational aviation during weekends.During World War II, the base was used by the German Luftwaffe. In 1942, one of their assignments was fighter protection for the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau and the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen, when these ships successfully broke out from Brest, in France, through the English Channel to Germany. One of the Luftwaffe pilots based at Koksijde who was involved was Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who eventually became the highest-scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare.

The Battle of Furnes, also known as Battle of Veurne and Battle of Bulskamp, was fought on 20 August 1297 between French and Flemish forces. The French were led by Robert II of Artois and the Flemish by Guy of Dampierre. The French forces were victorious. However, Robert's son Philip was gravely wounded during the battle and died a year later of his wounds.The Flemish were supported by Walram, Count of Jülich, who was killed during the battle.

Ten Duinen Abbey or the Abbey of the Dunes (Dutch: Abdij Ten Duinen) was a Cistercian monastery at Koksijde in what is now Belgium. It was one of the richest and most influential religious institutions in the medieval County of Flanders. It later relocated to the city of Bruges.

The Arrondissement of Veurne (Dutch: Arrondissement Veurne; French: Arrondissement de Furnes) is one of the eight administrative arrondissements in the Province of West Flanders, Belgium. It is both an administrative and a judicial arrondissement. However, the Judicial Arrondissement of Veurne also comprises all municipalities in the Arrondissement of Diksmuide.

The Yser (US: ee-ZAIR, French: [izɛʁ]; Dutch: IJzer [ˈɛizər] ) is a river that rises in French Flanders (the north of France), enters the Belgian province of West Flanders and flows through the Ganzepoot and into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort. The source of the Yser is in Buysscheure (Buisscheure), in the Nord department of northern France. It flows through Bollezeele (Bollezele), Esquelbecq (Ekelsbeke), and Bambecque (Bambeke). After approximately 30 kilometres (19 mi) of its 78-kilometre (48 mi) course, it leaves France and enters Belgium. It then flows through Diksmuide and out into the North Sea at Nieuwpoort. During the Battle of the Yser in the First World War, by opening the sluices, part of the polder west of the Yser was flooded with seawater between Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide to provide an obstacle to the advancing German Army and keep westernmost Belgium safe from German occupation. The Yser river itself never overflowed its banks.

The Battle of the Yser (French: Bataille de l'Yser, Dutch: Slag om de IJzer) was a battle of the First World War that took place in October 1914 between the towns of Nieuwpoort and Diksmuide, along a 35 km (22 mi) stretch of the Yser River and the Yperlee Canal, in Belgium. The front line was held by a large Belgian force, which halted the German advance in a costly defensive battle. The victory at the Yser allowed Belgium to retain a small strip of territory, with Germany in control of 95 per cent of Belgian territory, which made King Albert a Belgian national hero, sustained national pride and provided a venue for commemorations of heroic sacrifice for the next hundred years.

Veurne/Sint-Augustinus Heliport (ICAO: EBVS) is a hospital heliport located near Veurne, West Flanders, Belgium.

Veurne (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvøːrnə] (listen); French: Furnes, pronounced [fyʁn]) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Veurne proper and the settlements of Avekapelle, Booitshoeke, Bulskamp, De Moeren (Belgium), Eggewaartskapelle, Houtem, Steenkerke (West Flanders), Vinkem, Wulveringem, and Zoutenaaie.

Nieuwpoort ( NEW-port, Dutch: [ˈniupoːrt] ; West Flemish: Nieuwpôort; French: Nieuport [njøpɔʁ]) is a city and municipality located in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium, in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Nieuwpoort proper, as well as Ramskapelle and Sint-Joris. On 1 January 2008, Nieuwpoort had a total population of 11,062. Its land area is 31.00 km² which gives a population density of 350 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Nieuwpoort is Geert Vanden Broucke (CD&V) In Nieuwpoort, the Yser flows into the North Sea. It was also the home of a statue created by Jan Fabre called Searching for Utopia. The Stadshalle Grain Hall (market hall) with its belfry was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, owing to its historical civic (not religious) importance and its architecture.

Operation Hush was a British plan to make amphibious landings on the Belgian coast in 1917 during the First World War, supported by an attack from Nieuwpoort and the Yser bridgehead, positions which were a legacy of the Battle of the Yser in 1914. Several plans were considered in 1915 and 1916, then shelved due to operations elsewhere. Operation Hush was intended to begin when the Third Battle of Ypres, the main offensive at Ypres, had advanced to Roulers, Koekelare and Thourout, linked by advances by the French and Belgian armies in between. Unternehmen Strandfest (Operation Beach Party) was a German spoiling attack, conducted on 10 July by Marine-Korps-Flandern, in anticipation of an Allied coastal operation. The Germans used mustard gas for the first time, supported by a mass of heavy artillery, captured part of the bridgehead over the Yser and annihilated two British infantry battalions. After several postponements, Operation Hush was cancelled on 14 October 1917, as the advance at Ypres did not meet the objectives required to begin the attack. In April 1918, the Dover Patrol raided Zeebrugge to sink blockships in the canal entrance to trap U-boats, which closed the canal for a short time. From September to October 1918, the Belgian coast was occupied by the Allies during the Fifth Battle of Ypres.