Ouvrage Mont des Welches

Last updated
Ouvrage Mont des Welches
Part of Maginot Line
Northeast France
Ouvrage Mont des Welches carte.png
Plan de situation de l'ouvrage du Mont des Welches
France location map-Regions and departements-2016.svg
Red pog.svg
Ouvrage Mont des Welches
Coordinates 49°19′05″N6°24′30″E / 49.31806°N 6.40847°E / 49.31806; 6.40847
Site information
Controlled byFrance
Site history
In useAbandoned
MaterialsConcrete, steel, deep excavation
Battles/wars Battle of France, Lorraine Campaign
Ouvrage Mont des Welches
Type of work:Large artillery work (Gros ouvrage)
sector
└─sub-sector
Fortified Sector of Boulay
└─Hombourg-Budange
Work number:A21
Regiment:164th Fortress Infantry Regiment, 153rd Position Artillery Regiment
Number of blocks:7
Strength:490 enlisted + 17 officers (1940)

Ouvrage Mont des Welches, a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line fortifications, is part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It comprises two entrance blocks, one infantry block, one artillery block, one observation block and two combination blocks. It is located between petit ouvrage Coucou and gros ouvrage Michelsberg, facing Germany. Relatively small for a gros ouvrage, Mont des Welches saw a brief period of sharp action in June 1940, when German forces moving along the rear of the Maginot Line engaged the position without success. After modest renovations in the 1950s, Mont des Welches was abandoned in the 1970s.

Contents

Design and construction

Mont des Welches was approved for construction by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in June 1930 and became operational by 1935, [1] at a cost of 49 million francs. [2] The contractor was Gianotti of Nice. [3]

Description

The comparatively small gros ouvrage [nb 1] comprises two entrance blocks, one infantry block, one artillery block, one observation block, and two combination blocks. It lacks a central "M1" ammunition magazine, and unlike most gros ouvrages, its 60 cm internal rail network was not electrified, relying on human power to move the rail cars. The underground gallery system is compact, about 200 metres (660 ft) from end to end, and unlike larger ouvrages where the gallery system is linear in concept, the central portion of Mont des Welches is a dense network of cross galleries between to main galleries, housing the barracks and utility areas. [6] The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 metres (98 ft). [7]

Casemates and shelters

In addition to the connected combat blocks, a series of detached casemates and infantry shelters surround Mont des Welches, including

Manning

The manning of the ouvrage in June 1940 comprised 490 men and 17 officers of the 167th Fortress Infantry Regiment and the 151st Position Artillery Regiment, commanded by Chef de Bataillon Tari. The units were under the umbrella of the 42nd Fortress Corps of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2. [6]

The Casernement de Férange provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Michelsberg and other positions in the area. [6] [17]

History

See Fortified Sector of Boulay for a broader discussion of the Boulay sector of the Maginot Line.

1940

No attempt was made by the Germans to directly attack this central portion of the Maginot Line, the Germans preferring to go around the west end of the Line and take the Line from the rear. Mont des Welches provided covering fire to other ouvrages in the area through June as the Germans advanced eastwards behind French lines. On 15 June the German 1st Army broke through the Line at the Saar and pushed west and east along the Line, enveloping the French armies. [18] The German 95th Infantry Division under von Amim advanced on Mont des Welches on 21 June, with advance patrols taking fire the same day. An assault using 8.8cm guns was mounted against Blocks 2 and 3, but was disrupted by fire from the entry block's cloches. Artillery fire from blocks 4 and 6 and fire from the personnel entry destroyed a German battery. Hackenberg joined to provide further support. The fort remained under French control until the armistice of 25 June 1940. Mont des Welches's garrison evacuated on 4 July 1940. [19] Mont des Welches was partially appropriated by the Reichspost, serving as a depot for post office equipment. [20]

1944

During the Lorraine Campaign only Hackenberg was occupied by the Germans; Mont des Welches played no role in that campaign. [21]

Cold War

Following World War II, interest revived in the use of the Maginot Line to defend against a possible Soviet advance through southern Germany. Funds were allocated for restoration of the gros ouvrages Work was limited to restoration of systems and improvements to existing armament. [22] The renovations did not include the command post or the barracks. By 1956, Mont des Welches had been designated part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack. [23] By the late 1950s interest in fixed fortifications was waning after France developed a nuclear deterrent. The money needed to maintain and upgrade the fortifications was diverted for the nuclear programs. Mont des Welches was maintained for use by the Army until 1971 when it was placed in second-class reserve. [24]

Current condition

Much of the fortification's equipment has been removed for use in other Maginot museums. The lands remain military property. The entrances have been buried. [25]

See also

Notes

  1. English-language sources use the French term ouvrage as the preferred term for the Maginot positions, in preference to "fort", a term usually reserved for older fortifications with passive defenses in the form of walls and ditches. [4] The literal translation of ouvrage in the sense of a fortification in English is "work." A gros ouvrage is a large fortification with a significant artillery component, while a petit ouvrage is smaller, with lighter arms. [5]
  2. An abri is an infantry shelter, sometimes underground or under earth cover. An abri in the main Maginot Line often closely resembles a casemate, but is more lightly armed and can hold more occupants. [15]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Schoenenbourg</span>

Ouvrage Schoenenbourg is a Maginot Line fortification. It is located on the territory of the communes of Hunspach, Schœnenbourg and Ingolsheim, in the French département of Bas-Rhin, forming part of the Fortified Sector of Haguenau, facing Germany. At the east end of the Alsace portion of the Maginot Line, its neighbour is the gros ouvrage Hochwald. It is the largest such fortification open to the public in Alsace. Officially recorded as an historical monument, it retains all its original structural elements. Schoenenbourg was heavily bombarded during the Battle of France in 1940, receiving more enemy ordnance than any other position in France, with no significant damage. In 1945, retreating German troops used explosives to destroy much of the ouvrage. After the war it was fully repaired and placed back into service as part of a programme to use Maginot fortifications to resist a potential Warsaw Pact advance through Europe. By the 1970s the plan had lost favour and funding, and Schoenenboug was abandoned. In 1987 a local organisation undertook Schoenenbourg's preservation, and today it is open to public visitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Kobenbusch</span>

Ouvrage du Kobenbusch is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Cattenom Forest. It possesses seven combat blocks and two entrance blocks, one for ammunition and the other for men. It is located between petit ouvrage Bois-Karre and petit ouvrage Oberheid, and was named for the surrounding Kobenbusch Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Hochwald</span>

Ouvrage Hochwald is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, one of the largest fortifications in the Line. Located on the Hochwald ridge in the Fortified Sector of Haguenau in the community of Drachenbronn-Birlenbach in the Bas-Rhin department of northeastern France, it was designed to protect the northern Vosges region of France. Ouvrage Hochwald is sometimes considered as two ouvrages because of its separation of the western and the eastern portions of the ouvrage. Uniquely, the original plans for the position included an elevated battery to the rear with long-range 145 mm or 155 mm gun turrets of a new kind. Hochwald is used by the French Air Force as an armoured air defense coordination center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Hackenberg</span>

Ouvrage Hackenberg, one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications, is part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It is situated twenty kilometres east of Thionville, in the Moselle département, near the village of Veckring, on the Hackenberg. It is located between gros ouvrage Billig and petit ouvrage Coucou, facing Germany. The fort occupies the wooded Hackenberg ridge. Before World War II it was considered a showpiece of French fortification technology, and was visited by British King George VI.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Michelsberg</span>

Ouvrage Michelsberg, one of the Maginot Line fortifications, formed part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay as well as the fortified region of Metz. The ouvrage is located in Moselle (département) between the towns of Dalstein and d'Ebersviller, about 23 km from Thionville. It is located between gros ouvrage Mont des Welches and petit ouvrage Hobling, facing Germany. Michelsberg did not see significant action in the Battle of France until June 1940, when it was attacked from the rear by German forces that had bypassed the Maginot Line. It successfully resisted these attacks, but was compelled to surrender in accordance with the 25 June 1940 armistice. After the Second World War it was renovated as a Cold War fortification against a potential Soviet invasion, then abandoned. It is now operated as a museum, and may be visited.

Ouvrage Coucou is a lesser work of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay. The ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks, and is located between the gros ouvrages of Hackenberg and Mont des Welches, facing Germany, just north of Kemplich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Hobling</span> Lesser work of the Maginot Line

Ouvrage Hobling is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks and two observation blocks, and is located between gros ouvrage Michelsberg and petit ouvrage Bousse, facing Germany. It has been stripped of metals and abandoned.

Ouvrage Bousse, also known as Ouvrage Bois de Bousse, is a lesser work of the Maginot Line in the Fortified Sector of Boulay. The ouvrage is located between petit ouvrage Hobling and gros ouvrage Anzeling, near Hestroff in the Bois du Bousse, facing Germany. A small position, it was manned primarily by reservists. It is noted for the events of 15 June 1940, when it received orders to prepare for an evacuation as German forces advanced along the Line in the Battle of France. As the garrison prepared to abandon the position, sabotaging equipment, they destroyed their telephone connection, leaving them unable to receive the order countermanding the evacuation. The garrison was captured three days after leaving Bousse. Bousse is now managed as a museum and is open to public visitation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Coume Annexe Sud</span>

Ouvrage Coume Annexe Sud is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks, one artillery block and one observation block, and is located between petits ouvrages Coume and Mottemberg, facing Germany.

Ouvrage Mottenberg is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of one entrance block and two infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Coume Annexe Sud and Kerfent, facing Germany.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Billig</span>

Ouvrage Billig, a gros ouvrage or large fortification of the Maginot Line, was located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville, Moselle in northern France. It is located between the gros ouvrages Metrich and Hackenberg, facing Germany. It saw relatively little action during World War II and after a period of reserve duty in the 1950s, was abandoned in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Métrich</span> Ouvrage of the Maginot Line

Ouvrage Métrich located in the village of Kœnigsmacker in Moselle, comprises part of the Elzange portion of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line. A gros ouvrage, it is the third largest of the Line, after Hackenberg and Hochwald. It lies between petit ouvrage Sentzich and gros ouvrage Billig, facing Germany. Located to the east of the Moselle, it cooperated with Ouvrage Galgenberg to control the river valley.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Rochonvillers</span> Ouvrage of the Maginot Line

Ouvrage Rochonvillers is one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications. Located above the town of Rochonvillers in the French region of Lorraine, the gros ouvrage or large work was fully equipped and occupied in 1935 as part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Moselle. It is located between the petit ouvrage d'Aumetz and the gros ouvrage Molvange, facing the border between Luxembourg and France with nine combat blocks. Rochonvillers saw little action during World War II, but due to its size it was repaired and retained in service after the war. During the Cold War it found a new use as a hardened military command centre, first for NATO and then for the French Army.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Molvange</span>

Ouvrage Molvange is a large work, or gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line. The fortification complex faces the France-Luxembourg border from a height near Entrange in the Moselle department. The complex, armed and occupied in 1935, is located on the heights of Entrange, at an altitude of about 400 metres (1,300 ft). Molvange is flanked by the even larger Ouvrage Rochonvillers to the west and smaller petit ouvrage Immerhof to the east, part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville. Molvange was not involved in significant combat during World War II, but due to its size it was repaired and retained in service after the war. During the Cold War, Molvange's underground barracks and former ammunition magazine became a hardened military command centre.

Ouvrage Aumetz is a small work, or petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line. It is part of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes and is located near the community of Aumetz in the Moselle département of France. The petit ouvrage flanked by the gros ouvrages Bréhain and Rochonvillers, all facing the France-Luxembourg border. Aumetz was initially planned as a gros ouvrage of six combat blocks, but only three infantry blocks were built. Aumetz saw limited action during the Battle of France. In the 1970s it was the first Maginot position to be offered for sale to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Immerhof</span>

Ouvrage Immerhof, also known as Ouvrage Ferme-Immerhof, is one of the largest petit ouvrages of the Maginot Line of north-east, France. Located near the community of Hettange-Grande, it is 7 km north of Thionville between the gros ouvrages of Molvange and Soetrich, the closest ouvrage to the Luxembourg frontier. It was part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville, in the Fortified Region of Metz, the strongest portion of the Line. Apart from its function as a communication post between the neighbouring gros ouvrages, Immerhof also controlled the road and railway routes from Luxembourg, which pass in the immediate vicinity. In addition, Immerhof protected other Maginot works in the vicinity: the casemates of Kanfen, the infantry shelter of Stressling, the observation point and shelter of Hettange-Grande, and a number of nearby blockhouses constructed during the Phoney War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Soetrich</span>

Ouvrage Soetrich is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line in north-eastern France. Soetrich is located between petits ouvrages Immerhof and Bois Karre, facing the France-Luxembourg border near the town of Hettange-Grande, part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville. Compared with other gros ouvrages, Soetrich is compact in arrangement, with the entries and underground ammunition magazines and barracks in close proximity to the combat blocks, accessed through underground galleries at an average depth of 30 metres (98 ft). Its primary purpose was to cover the main road to Luxembourg, just to the west. Along with its neighbours, Ouvrage Rochonvillers and Ouvrage Molvange, Soetrich was used during the Cold War as a secure command centre for NATO forces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ouvrage Otterbiel</span>

Ouvrage Otterbiel forms part of the Maginot Line in the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, Sub-sector of Bitche, and is located on the Camp de Bitche of the French Army. It is located between gros ouvrage Schiesseck and petit ouvrage Grand Hohekirkel. Part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, the petit ouvrage comprises four combat blocks and an entry block. Due to budget restrictions, a planned flanking infantry block was never constructed. Otterbiel saw no significant action in the Battle of France, and limited action during the 1944/45 Lorraine Campaign. It was renovated for use during the Cold War. Otterbiel is used for ammunition storage by the French Army.

Ouvrage Schiesseck is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near Bitche in the French département of Moselle. Schiesseck is adjoined by gros ouvrage Simserhof and petit ouvrage Otterbiel, all part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, and faces the German frontier. Schiesseck saw comparatively little activity during the Battle of France, surrendering with other positions in its sector on 30 June 1940. During the Lorraine Campaign of 1944 Schiesseck was occupied by German forces and presented a point of resistance to American advances, requiring heavy bombardment and infantry assaults by engineer units to capture. The area was abandoned during the Battle of the Bulge, but was recaptured in March 1945. In the 1950s Schiesseck was repaired as part of a program to re-arm the Maginot Line against a potential advance by Warsaw Pact forces. It was abandoned in the early 1970s. Schiesseck is on military land and is not visitable by the public.

Ouvrage Grand-Hohékirkel is a petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near Bitche in the French département of Moselle. Grand-Hohékirkel is adjoined by gros ouvrage Otterbiel to the west and petit ouvrage Lembach at some distance to the east, and faces the German frontier. It was part of the Fortified Sector of the Vosges.

References

  1. Kaufmann 2006, p. 25|
  2. Wahl, J.B. "Artilleriewerk (G.O.) Mont des Welches - A21" (in German). darkplaces.org. Retrieved 3 May 2010.
  3. Mary, Tome 1, p. 52
  4. Kaufmann 2006, p.13
  5. Kaufmann 2006, p. 20
  6. 1 2 3 4 Mary, Tome 3, p. 102
  7. Mary, Tome 2, p. 117
  8. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 1". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  9. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 2". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  10. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 3". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  11. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 4". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  12. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 5". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  13. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 6". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  14. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Welsches (go A21 du mont des) Bloc 6b". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  15. Kauffmann, p. 14
  16. Mary, Tome 3, p. 104
  17. Wahl, J.B. "Festungsabschnitt Boulay" (in German). darkplaces.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 21 May 2010.
  18. Mary, Tome 3, pp. 203, 209
  19. Mary, Tome 3, p. 235
  20. Mary, Tome 5, p. 139
  21. Mary, Tome 5, p. 141
  22. Mary, Tome 5, p. 165
  23. Mary, Tome 5, p. 171
  24. Mary, Tome 5, p. 175
  25. "Bunkertours - Mont Des Welches" . Retrieved 21 May 2010.

Bibliography