Ouvrage Oberheid

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Ouvrage Oberheid
Part of Maginot Line
Northeast France
Po-oberheide-2004-05-21.jpg
Machine gun turret, ouvrage Oberheid
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Ouvrage Oberheid
Coordinates 49°26′04″N6°15′09″E / 49.43436°N 6.25261°E / 49.43436; 6.25261
Site information
Controlled byFrance
Open to
the public
No
ConditionAbandoned
Site history
Built byCORF
MaterialsConcrete, steel, deep excavation
Battles/wars Battle of France, Lorraine Campaign
Ouvrage Oberheid
Type of work:Small infantry work (Petit ouvrage - infantry)
sector
└─sub-sector
Fortified Sector of Thionville
└─Hettange-Grande
Work number:A14
Regiment:168th Fortress Infantry Regiment
Number of blocks:1
Strength:2 officers, 27 men

Ouvrage Oberheid, also called Ouvrage Oberheide, forms a portion of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line in northeast France. The petit ouvrage d'infanterie is located on a salient point of the Cattenom Forest between the gros ouvrages Kobenbusch (to the north) and Galgenberg (to the south), which provided covering fire during June 1940, when Oberheid faced daily bombardments and infiltrations. Oberheid has been abandoned and after extensive vandalism has been sealed.

Contents

Design and construction

Oberheid was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in 1930. [1] and the position became operational in 1935, [2] at a cost of 8 million francs. [3] It was built by the contractor Verdun-Fortifications. [4]

Description

The single combat block has two firing chambers and a central barracks surmounted by a machine gun turret. Each firing chamber has a mixed armament of a machine gun and a 37mm anti-tank gun at one embrasure and a machine gun at the other. The ouvrage [nb 1] is surmounted by a machine gun turret and four automatic rifle cloches (GFMs), which provided artillery spotting for the ouvrage Métrich. The small usine is equipped with two 36 horsepower (27 kW) Baudouin engines. [7]

Manning

The ouvrage possessed a garrison of 78 men of the 168th Fortress Infantry Regiment, under the orders of Lieutenant Pobeau and his assistant, Lieutenant Sépulchre. [1]

History

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

Oberheid did not see significant action in the Battle of France in 1940, nor in the Lorraine Campaign of 1944. In 1940 German infiltrators occupied the surface of Oberheid, requiring suppressing fire to be directed from neighboring Kobenbusch. [8] The Germans largely bypassed the area, advancing along the valley of the Meuse and Saar rivers, threatening the rear of the Thionville sector. [9] The garrison therefore remained in place. Following negotiations, the positions on the left bank of the Moselle finally surrendered to the Germans on 30 June 1940. [10]

Current condition

The French Army continues to control Oberheid. After extensive vandalism, the entrances have been buried to prevent access. [7]

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. [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]

Related Research Articles

Ouvrage Kobenbusch

Ouvrage 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. The position saw little action during World War II. Its deep passages have been flooded by the construction of a cooling water lake for a nearby nuclear power plant, but its surface features are being developed with an interpretive path through the surrounding forest.

Ouvrage Village Coume

Ouvrage Village Coume is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Bovenberg and Coume Annexe Nord, facing Germany. The position saw little action in World War II. It was sold in the 1970s and stripped by salvagers.

Ouvrage Laudrefang

Ouvrage Laudrefang is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont, the ouvrage consists of one infantry block, and is located between petits ouvrages Einseling and Teting, facing Germany. Laudrefang was originally planned as a gros ouvrage. With a heavy armament for a petit ouvrage it successfully defended its neighbors against German attack during the Battle of France. Laudrefang is abandoned and flooded, and was heavily damaged by German bombardment in 1940.

Ouvrage Sentzich

Ouvrage Sentzich is part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line. The petit ouvrage for infantry is located to the south of gros ouvrage Galgenberg, on the edge of the main road to Luxembourg near the village of Sentzich. Gros ouvrage Métrich is to the east. As a small work it was not considered for use after World War II and was abandoned. It is secured, but is not open to the public.

Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois

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.

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 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 Galgenberg military museum

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.

Ouvrage Rohrbach

Ouvrage Rohrbach is a petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line located in the community of Bettvillier, near Rohrbach-lès-Bitche in the Moselle département, facing Germany. The Fortified Sector of Rohrbach was built somewhat later than its neighbors to the east and west, and in company with positions on the extreme western end of the Maginot Line, became one of the "New Fronts."

Ouvrage Bersillies

Ouvrage Bersillies is a petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line, built as part of the "New Fronts" program to address shortcomings in the Line's coverage of the border with Belgium. Like the other three ouvrages near Maubeuge, it is built on an old Séré de Rivières system fortification, near the town of Bersillies. The preserved Ouvrage La Salmagne is nearby to the southeast. Bersillies is not open to the public.

Ouvrage Arrondaz

Ouvrage Arrondaz is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block, and one observation block fin the vicinity of the Col de Fréjus to the south of Modane at an altitude of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). All but one of the blocks are presently buried by later construction.

Ouvrage Saint Ours Bas

Ouvrage Saint Ours Bas is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block. The location is unusual on lacking the underground galleries typical of a Maginot fortification, making it more like a blockhouse than an ouvrage. It was armed with two machine gun cloches and three heavy twin machine guns and six light machine gun embrasures. The interior is laid out on two levels.

Ouvrage La Béole

Ouvrage La Béole is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block and two observation blocks at an altitude of 1,548 metres (5,079 ft). The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks and one observation block facing Italy. The ouvrage was manned by 94 soldiers in 1940, under the command of Sub-Lieutenant Caillard. Additional blocks were planned but not built. The ouvrage was never provided with electricity. Three more blocks were planned but not built.

Ouvrage La Déa

Ouvrage La Déa, also known as the Petit Ouvrage de la baisse de la Déa, is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks and one observation block facing Italy at an altitude of 1,777 metres (5,830 ft), armed with one observation cloche and one machine gun embrasure. The ouvrage was manned by 81 soldiers in 1940, and commanded by sous-lieutenant Guillemin. The position was sited to control the Maglia valley. A fourth block with three machine gun positions was not built.

Ouvrage Champ de Tir

Ouvrage Champ de Tir, also known as Champ de Tir de l'Agaisen is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. It is located at an altitude of 672 metres (2,205 ft), less than 1 kilometer to the northwest of Ouvrage l'Agaisen. The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks and one infantry block, sited to control the valley of the Nieya and to observe for l'Agaisen.

Ouvrage Barbonnet

Ouvrage Barbonnet is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block and one infantry block facing Italy. The ouvrage was built somewhat behind the main line of fortifications on the old Fort Suchet, which was already armed with two obsolete Mougin 155mm gun turrets.

Ouvrage Col de Garde

Ouvrage Col de Garde is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks, one infantry block and one observation block, slightly more than 1 km south of Sainte-Agnès.

Ouvrage Croupe du Reservoir

Ouvrage Croupe du Réservoir is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. Located on the heights of Roquebrune at an elevation of 139 meters, the ouvrage consists of one entry block and one observation block facing Italy and covering the Grande Corniche road. The fortification was manned by 60 troops of the 58th Demi-Brigade Alpin de Forteresse (DBAF) under the command of sous-lieutenant Roman.

Ouvrage Thonnelle

Ouvrage Thonnelle is a petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Montmédy between the towns of Thonnelle and Verneuil-Petit, facing Belgium. It possesses four combat blocks. It is located between gros ouvrages Vélosnes and Chesnois. 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 abandoned.

Casemate de Marckolsheim Sud

The Casemate de Marckolsheim Sud is a pre-World War II fortified position near the Rhine river in eastern France. The casemate was part of an extension of the Maginot Line fortifications along France's border with Germany. As a unit of the Fortified Sector of Colmar, the casemate was part of French defenses during the German assault of 15–18 June 1940, Operation Kleiner Bär. It has been preserved and is part of a museum focusing on the Rhine section of the Maginot Line. The museum is located at the eastern edge of the town of Marckolsheim.

References

  1. 1 2 Mary, Tome 3, p. 93
  2. Kaufmann 2006, p. 25
  3. Wahl, J.B. "Infanteriewerk (P.O.) Oberheid - A14" (in German). darkplaces.org. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
  4. Mary, Tome 1, p. 52
  5. Kaufmann 2006, p. 20
  6. Kaufmann 2006, p. 13
  7. 1 2 Puelinckx, Jean; Aublet, Jean-Louis; Mainguin, Sylvie (2010). "Oberheid (petit ouvrage d')". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  8. Mary, Tome 5, p. 208
  9. Kaufmann 2006, pp. 168-169
  10. Mary, Tome 5, p. 230

Bibliography