The Fort de Domont was built following the
Franco-Prussian War to defend
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. Located to the north of Paris in
Domont, the fort was part of an outer ring of fortifications built in response to improvements in the range and effectiveness of
artillery
Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
since the construction of the
Thiers fortifications of the 1840s. It was built between 1875 and 1879 in accordance with improved principles of fortification developed for the
Séré de Rivières system. Work on the fort began in 1874 and were completed in 1878. The fort covered an area of and its garrison comprised 1175 men and officers.
The fort's artillery fire supported its neighbors, the
Fort de Montmorency and the
Fort de Montlignon. The pentagonal fort was entered through the south side, facing Paris. It featured a double
caponier
A caponier is a type of defensive structure in a fortification. Fire from this point could cover the ditch beyond the curtain wall to deter any attempt to storm the wall. The word originates from the French ', meaning "chicken coop" (a ''capon'' ...
on the point facing outward, and two flanking caponiers on the east and west sides. The fort's main armament was a 155mm
Mougin turret
The Mougin turret is a land-based revolving gun turret that housed some of the heaviest armament in French fortifications of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While not reliably resistant to the explosive shells of opposing artillery, Mougi ...
, added in 1884. Other artillery on the firing terrace, or cavalier, was of 120mm and 95mm caliber. The fort's artillery dominated the plains to the north, as well as the railway line to Pontoise.
On 3 and 4 September 1914, the fort fired on German scout parties in the vicinity of Luzarches, the only Parisian fortification to fire on Germans during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. The fort was occupied by German forces during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, who blew up the fort's ammunition stockpile before evacuating on 26 August 1944.
The fort was used by the
French Post (PTT) as an
ionospheric research station during the 1950s, followed by the Ministry of Agriculture. The fort was briefly used by a private company for radiography work in the 1990s before it became a training center for the fire services in 1993. It is now known as the Fort Domont Training Center ("Centre de Formation et d'entrainement, Fort de Domont"). The center provides comprehensive training, including live fire exercises
See also
*
Fortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries
The fortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries comprise:
*The Thiers Wall, surrounding the city of Paris, and farther from the city,
*The detached forts and their complementary fieldworks.
They were built in two stages:
*1840–1845 ...
References
External links
Fort de Domont training center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Domont, Fort De
Fortifications of Paris
Séré de Rivières system
Buildings and structures in Val-d'Oise