Fort de Giromagny, also known as Fort Dorsner, was built near

Belfort Belfort (; archaic german: Beffert/Beffort) is a city in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Northeastern France, situated between Lyon and Strasbourg, approximately from the France–Switzerland border. It is the prefecture of the Terri ...

in northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

between 1875 and 1879. The fort forms the southern end of the defensive curtain of the Haute Moselle Region, abutting the

fortified region of Belfort The fortified region of Belfort () formed the first line of defense in the Séré de Rivières system of fortifications in the Belfort Gap. Located in northeastern France between Épinal and Besançon, the primary line was built in the late 19th c ...

, which lies to its south. The Haute Moselle defenses form a link between the fortified encampments of

Épinal Épinal (; german: Spinal) is a commune in northeastern France and the prefecture of the Vosges department. Geography The commune has a land area of . It is situated on the river Moselle, south of Nancy. Épinal station has rail connecti ...

and

. The fort overlooks the main roads to the northeast of Belfort, which form a crossroads at

Giromagny Giromagny () is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in northeastern France. Geography Climate Giromagny has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). The average annual temperature i ...

. The fort was built as part of France's

Séré de Rivières system The system was named after Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, its originator. The system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers and coasts of France. The fortresses were obsolescent by 1914 but were used during ...

of fortifications to defend France against a recurrence of the

Prussian Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an e ...

invasion of the 1870-71 Franco-Prussian War. The fort was among the most strongly armed forts in the northeast in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It received the first rotating armored turrets to be installed in a land fortification in France. The fort's official name, Fort Dorsner, commemorates General Jean Philippe Raymond Dorsner, who fought in the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

and the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

Description

The trapezoidal fort is arranged to face to the north, its entry to the south. The pink sandstone walls enclose a court which contains a central block which in turn contained magazines and barracks, as well as two twin 155mm Mougin gun turrets, which constituted the fort's primary armament. It was originally furnished with a variety of guns on the ramparts, which were gradually reduced as the vulnerability of fixed gun emplacements in the open air became apparent. Six casemates were arranged for indirect fire, along with two satellite batteries. An optical signal post permitted communication with the Fort du Salbert to the south. An 1890 modernization suppressed the casemates and replaced

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'' ...

s with

counterscarp A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides, respectively, of a ditch or moat used in fortifications. Attackers (if they have not bridged the ditch) must descend the counterscarp and ascend the scarp. In permanent fortifications th ...

s. Further modernizations saw the installation of electricity, three armored observation posts and detail improvements. More substantial changes, including the proposed installation of a 75mm gun turret were not carried out, but a shelter or ''abri-caverne'' for 100 soldiers was excavated. Portions of the fort were reinforced with concrete against shellfire during the

First World War 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 ...

History

In 1940 the fort was manned by the 7th Battery of the 159th Position Artillery Regiment (RAP), part of the

under the French 8th Army, Army Group 3. From 16 March 1940 the RF Belfort became the 44th Fortress Corps (CAF). During the Battle of France the Mougin turrets fired on German forces. After the armistice the Germans used Giromagny to make propaganda films purporting to show the capture of a Maginot Line fortification using flamethrowers on a turret before blowing it up with dynamite. The Germans reinforced the fort during the war, but blew up the entry on retreating in 1944. Fort de Giromagny has been in the care of a preservation association since 1988. Visits may be arranged upon request.

References

External links

Fort de Giromagny
at Chemins de mémoire

at Fortiff' Séré {{DEFAULTSORT:Giromagny, Fort de Fortifications of Belfort Fortified region of Belfort Séré de Rivières system World War I museums in France World War II museums in France Museums in the Territoire de Belfort

Description

History

See also

References

External links