Ouvrage Bovenberg

Ouvrage Bovenberg
Part of Maginot Line
Northeast France
Ouvrage Bovenberg
Coordinates 49°13′29″N 6°30′16″E / 49.22472°N 6.50444°E / 49.22472; 6.50444
Site information
Controlled by France
Site history
In use Abandoned
Materials Concrete, steel, deep excavation
Battles/wars Battle of France
Ouvrage Bovenberg
Type of work: Small artillery work (Petit ouvrage)
sector
└─sub-sector		 Fortified Sector of Boulay
└─Tromborn
Work number: A27
Regiment: 161st Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF)
Number of blocks: 6
Strength: 7 officers, 228 men

Ouvrage Bovenberg is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage is located between petits ouvrages Berenbach and Denting, facing Germany. It consists of two infantry blocks and two artillery blocks.

Design and construction

The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency; Bovenberg was approved for construction in early 1931. It was completed at a cost of 26 million francs by the contractor Omnium of Paris.[1] The petit ouvrage[nb 1] was planned for construction in two phases, the original second phase designed to expand the position into a gros ouvrage with artillery. A scaled-down second phase was contemplated in 1939. No version of the second phase was ever carried out.[4]

Description

Bovenberg comprises six infantry blocks. Block 3 is not connected to the main ouvrage. A connection was planned for Phase 2, which also envisioned an entry several hundred meters to the rear, but was not pursued in time for the war.[4] The blocks are linked by deep underground galleries, which also provide space for barracks, utilities and ammunition storage. The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 metres (98 ft).[5]

Casemates and shelters

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

Manning

The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Lieutenant Lambret comprised 228 men and 7 officers of the 161st Fortress Infantry Regiment.[4] The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.[11] The Casernement de Boulay provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Berenbach and other positions in the area.[4][12]

History

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

Bovenberg played no significant role in either the Battle of France in 1940 or 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.[13] Bovenberg remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.[14]

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]

References

  1. ↑ Mary, Tome 1, p. 52
  2. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p. 13|
  3. ↑ Kaufmann 2006, p.20
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Mary, Tome 3, p. 108
  5. ↑ Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques (2003). Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 2 (in French). Histoire & Collections. p. 117. ISBN 2-908182-97-1.
  6. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bovenberg (petit ouvrage du) Bloc 1". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  7. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bovenberg (petit ouvrage du) Bloc 2". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  8. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bovenberg (petit ouvrage du) Bloc 3". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  9. ↑ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bovenberg (petit ouvrage du) Bloc 4". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  10. 1 2 Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Bovenberg (petit ouvrage du) Bloc 5". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 26 May 2010.
  11. ↑ Mary, Tome 3, p. 99
  12. ↑ Wahl, J.B. "Festungsabschnitt Boulay" (in German). darkplaces.org. Retrieved 25 May 2010.
  13. ↑ Mary, Tome 5, p. 171
  14. ↑ Mary, Tome 5, p. 175

Bibliography

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