Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois

Last updated
Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois
Part of Maginot Line
Northeast France
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Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois
Coordinates 49°27′54″N5°47′45″E / 49.46491°N 5.79596°E / 49.46491; 5.79596
Site information
OwnerPrivate
Controlled byFrance
ConditionAbandoned
Site history
Built byCORF
MaterialsConcrete, steel, deep excavation
Battles/wars Battle of France, Lorraine Campaign
Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois
Type of work:Small infantry work (Petit ouvrage - infantry)
sector
└─sub-sector
Fortified Sector of the Crusnes
└─Sub-sector of Morfontaine
Work number:A4
Number of blocks:3
Strength:139

Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois is a petit ouvrage of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes on the Maginot Line. It is located between the gros ouvrage Latiremont and the petit ouvrage Bois-du-Four, facing the Belgium/Luxembourg border. The original plan for the position was for two phases of construction, resulting in a gros ouvrage provided with heavy artillery. The increase in tension between France and Germany in the late 1930s caused resources to be diverted elsewhere, and only the first three combat blocks were built. In 1940 the ouvrage was regularly bombarded, but not directly attacked by German infantry. When the French military divested itself of the majority of the Maginot fortifications, Mauvais-Bois was the second to be sold.

Contents

Design and construction

Mauvais-Bois was approved for construction in October 1931. It was completed at a cost of 11 million francs by the contractor Monod of Paris. [1] The initial phase consisted of three combat blocks linked by deep underground galleries. In a second phase, Mauvais-Bois was to be expanded to function as a gros ouvrage, [nb 1] with two additional blocks mounting artillery, as well as remote entrances for munitions and personnel, and a larger network of deep underground galleries. The rise in tensions between France and Germany in the late 1930s prevented this second phase from being pursued. [4]

Description

Three combat blocks were built at Mauvais-Bois, linked with underground galleries and with an incomplete gallery extending in the direction of the proposed artillery blocks and entrance blocks.

The unbuilt portions of the ouvrage were projected to be:

Casemates and shelters

A series of detached casemates and infantry shelters surround Bois-du-Four, including the:

None of these are connected to the ouvrage or to each other. The Casernement de Morfortaine provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Mauvais-Bois and other positions in the area. [13]

Manning

The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Lieutenant de Mecquenem comprised 135 men and 2 officers of the 139th Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 42nd Fortress Corps of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2. [14] de Mecquenem would go on to fight in Tunisia and eventually at Dien Bien Phu, retiring as a brigadier general. [4]

History

See Fortified Sector of the Crusnes for a broader discussion of the events of 1940 in the Crusnes sector of the Maginot Line.

In June 1940, the German 183rd Division considered a plan to penetrate the Maginot Line between Bois-du-Four and Mauvais-Bois, eventually rejecting it in favor of operations farther to the east. [15] Mauvais-Bois saw mostly harassing attacks through June. [16] After the 22 June 1940 armistice brought an end to fighting, the Maginot fortifications to the west of the Moselle did not immediately surrender. [17] They maintained their garrisons through a series of negotiations. Mauvais-Bois, along with Bois-du-Four, Bréhain and Aumetz surrendered on 27 June. [18] The area of Mauvais-Bois saw little action during the Lorraine Campaign of 1944.

During the 1950s and 1960s the Maginot Line was kept in readiness for possible use in the event of an invasion by the Warsaw Pact. After the establishment of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined, and in 1970 Mauvais-Bois was lowered in importance, allowing the use of formerly reserved areas around the ouvrage. Mauvais-Bois was the second Maginot ouvrage to be sold to the public. [19]

Current

Mauvais-Bois is privately owned and is not accessible to the public. It is reported to be in poor condition, with all metal components salvaged. [20] The Casemate de Morfortaine may be visited by appointment with the owner, who seeks to restore it. [21]

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 defensives in the form of walls and ditches. [2] 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. [3]

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

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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 Bambesch</span>

Ouvrage Bambesch is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Kerfent and Einseling, facing Germany. Completed in 1932, it is located in the Bois de Bambesch. On 20 June 1940 during the Battle of France, Bambesch was attacked by German forces, whose artillery battered the position, which could not be effectively supported by its neighbors, into surrender. Since 1973, Bambesch has been operated as a museum and is open to the public.

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

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Ouvrage Bréhain is part of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes of the Maginot Line, located near the community of Bréhain-la-Ville in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department of France. Bréhain is flanked by petits ouvrages Mauvais Bois and Aumetz. The gros ouvrage was equipped with long-range artillery, and faced the border with Luxembourg. It saw no major action in either the Battle of France in 1940 or the Lorraine Campaign of 1944. While not open to public visitation, it has been secured and is in relatively good condition when compared to other abandoned Maginot positions. A flanking casemate has been restored and may be visited.

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.

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

Ouvrage Galgenberg forms a portion of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line. It is situated in the Cattenom Forest, near the gros ouvrage Kobenbusch and petit ouvrage Oberheid. The ouvrage was tasked with controlling the Moselle Valley and as such was called the "Guardian of the Moselle." Galgenberg did not see significant action in 1940 or 1944. After a period of reserve duty in the 1950s and 1960s, it was deactivated. It is now a museum.

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

Ouvrage Haut-Poirier is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry and three infantry blocks, and is located between the Saare valley and petit ouvrage Welschhof, facing Germany. It is the only ouvrage in the Fortified Sector of the Sarre, the remainder of the area being covered by smaller blockhouses and areas of inundation. It was assaulted by German forces during the Battle of France and was captured after a seven-hour bombardment. Haut-Poirier is abandoned, although one of its satellite casemates is maintained as a museum.

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

Ouvrage Simserhof is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the French commune of Siersthal in the Moselle department. It faces the German border and is adjoined by the petit ouvrage Rohrbach and the gros ouvrage Schiesseck. Located 4 km west of Bitche, the ouvrage derived its name from a nearby farm. It was part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach. During the Battle of France in 1940, the Simserhof supported its neighboring fortifications with partially successful covering artillery fire. After the surrender of France, it was repurposed by the Germans as a torpedo storage depot, and later resisted the American advances of late 1944. The Americans briefly occupied the fort in the first days of 1945 until the German counter-offensive of Operation Nordwind, which allowed them to take back control of the Simserhof. The fort was finally liberated by the 100th Infantry Division on March 15, 1945. Following the war, it was initially repaired for the French Army and later converted into a Maginot Line museum in the early 1960s. Retained by the Ministry of Defense, Simserhof now functions as a museum, and has the most extensive visitor infrastructure of any of the preserved Maginot fortifications.

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

Ouvrage Chesnois, also known as Ouvrage Chênois, is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Montmédy, facing Belgium. The ouvrage lies between the towns of Montlibert and Thonne-le-Thil. It possesses six combat blocks. It is located between gros ouvrage Thonnelle and petit ouvrage La Ferté. The position was sabotaged and abandoned by French forces that were ordered to retreat from the exposed position in June 1940 during the Battle of France. The ouvrage is now abandoned and sealed.

References

  1. Mary, Tome 1, p. 52
  2. Kaufmann 2006, p. 13
  3. Kaufmann 2006, p. 20
  4. 1 2 Mary, Tome 3, p. 84
  5. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Bloc 1 (entrée)". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  6. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Bloc 2". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  7. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Bloc 3". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  8. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Bloc 4". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  9. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Bloc 5". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  10. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Entrée hommes". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  11. Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Mauvais Bois (PO A4 de) Entrée Munitions". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 6 May 2010.
  12. Mary, Tome 3, p. 84
  13. Wahl, J.B. "Festungsabschnitt Crusnes" (in German). darkplaces.org. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
  14. Mary, Tome 3, p. 79
  15. Kauffmann 2006, p. 168
  16. Mary, Tome 3, p. 201
  17. Mary, Tome 3, p. 207
  18. Mary, Tome 5, p. 228
  19. Mary, Tome 5, pp. 174-175
  20. Donnell, Clayton. "Off the Beaten Path". The Maginot Line. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  21. Kaufmann 2011, p. 215

Bibliography