Ouvrage Bousse

Last updated
Ouvrage Bousse
Part of Maginot Line
Northeast France
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Ouvrage Bousse
Coordinates 49°15′00″N6°26′00″E / 49.25°N 6.43333°E / 49.25; 6.43333
Site information
Controlled byFrance
Open to
the public		Yes
Site history
Built byCORF
In usePreserved
MaterialsConcrete, steel, deep excavation
Battles/wars Battle of France
Ouvrage Bousse
Type of work:Small artillery work (Petit ouvrage)
sector
└─sub-sector		 Fortified Sector of Boulay
└─Burtoncourt
Work number:A24
Regiment:162nd Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF)
Strength:138 men + 4 officers

Ouvrage Bousse, also known as Ouvrage Bois de Bousse, is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) 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.

Contents

Design and construction

Bousse was approved for construction by the Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées (CORF), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in 1930 and became operational by 1935, [1] at a cost of 23 million francs. [2] The contractor was Gianotti of Nice. [3] Bousse was sited to control the Thionville-Hargarten and Metz-Bouzonville railroad lines. A planned block to cover the railroad cutting just beyond Block 1 was never built. It would have functioned much like a casemate in a counterscarp had it been built, with the cutting standing in for a traditional outer ditch. [4]

Description

Bousse is a petit ouvrage [nb 1] with three combat blocks and an entry block. The blocks are linked by an underground gallery with barracks and a utility area (usine). [7] The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 metres (98 ft). [8]

A planned Block 4, equipped with an 81mm mortar turret, was not built. [7]

Casemates and shelters

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

Manning

In June 1940 the garrison comprised 144 men and 5 officers of the 162nd Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF). The commanding officer was Captain Ramaud. The Casernement de Bockange provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bousse and other positions in the area. [7] [14] The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2. [15]

History

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

In June 1940, as German units bypassed Maginot fortifications to the east, French commanders ordered garrisons in the Boulay and Falquemont sectors to prepare for withdrawal to avoid their isolation by German units operating behind the lines. As it became clear that retreat was impractical, the orders were countermanded. A poorly understood telephone call from Ouvrage Anzeling on the 15th caused the reservists manning Bousse to evacuate the position between 1600 and 2100 hours. Before departing they sabotaged their equipment, including their telephone switchboard, preventing them from receiving the counter-order to remain in place. After three days' march, the garrison was captured at Pange near Metz on the 18th. [16] [17] [18] Block 2 was damaged by covering fire from its neighbor, ouvrage Aumetz, a unique occurrence. [19]

Bousse played no significant role in the Lorraine Campaign of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack. [20] Bousse remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold. [21]

Current condition

Ouvrage Bousse is under the care of a preservation society, the Association Fort aux Fresques, which organizes tours for the public. The association is named for the well-preserved frescos or wall paintings found within the ouvrage. [18]

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. [5] 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. [6]
  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. [13]

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Ouvrage Michelsberg

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Ouvrage Anzeling

Ouvrage Anzeling is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It is located between petit ouvrage Bousse and petit ouvrage Berenbach, facing Germany just to the east of Bockange. With one of the longest main galleries of any Maginot position, it consists of two entrance blocks, three infantry blocks and four artillery blocks. A second phase of construction was planned to add nine more combat blocks and an anti-tank ditch, but was never executed. Anzeling saw limited action in World War II, and was rehabilitated for use during the cold war. It was de-activated in the 1970s and sold for private use.

Ouvrage Coucou

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.

Ouvrage Hobling 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 Berenbach

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Ouvrage Bovenberg

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Ouvrage Denting

Ouvrage Denting is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Bovenberg and Village Coume, near the village of Denting in Moselle département, facing Germany. The position saw little action in World War II.

Ouvrage Coume Annexe Sud

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Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois

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Ouvrage Aumetz

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.

Ouvrage Soetrich

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.

Ouvrage Bois-Karre

Ouvrage Bois- Karre is located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line, facing the France - Luxembourg border. The petit ouvrage is situated in the Cattenom Forest between the gros ouvrages Soetrich and Kobenbusch, just south of Boust. It is unusual for a Maginot fortification in its construction as a single blockhouse, with no underground gallery system or remotely located entries. Bois-Karre has been preserved and is maintained as a museum.

Ouvrage Otterbiel

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.

References

  1. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p. 25
  2. ↑ Wahl, J.B. "Infanteriewerk (P.O.) Bois de Bousse — A24" (in German). darkplaces.org. Retrieved 25 May 2010.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. ↑ Mary, Tome 1, p. 52
  4. ↑ Kaufmann 2011, pp. 231-232
  5. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p.13
  6. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p.20
  7. 1 2 3 4 Mary, Tome 3, p. 105
  8. ↑ Mary, Tome 2, p. 117
  9. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; Aublet, Jean-Louis & Mainguin, Sylvie (2010). "Bousse (po du bois de) Bloc 1". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 25 May 2010.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  10. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bousse (po du bois de) Bloc 2". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  11. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bousse (po du bois de) Bloc 3". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  12. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bousse (po du bois de) Entrée". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  13. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p. 14
  14. ↑ Wahl, J.B. "Festungsabschnitt Boulay" (in German). darkplaces.org. Archived from the original on 5 December 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  15. ↑ Mary, Tome 3, p. 99
  16. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p. 170
  17. ↑ Mary, Tome 3, p. 209
  18. 1 2 Hohnadel, Alain; Goby, J.-L. "La Page Histoire" (in French). Commune de Hestroff. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  19. ↑ Mary, Tome 5, p. 155
  20. ↑ Mary, Tome 5, p.175
  21. ↑ Mary, Tome 5, p. 171

Bibliography

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