The Fort de Leveau, also known as Fort Schouller, is located in the commune of

Feignies Feignies () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Feignies is twinned with the English village of Keyworth. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of t ...

, France. It is part of the

fortifications of Maubeuge A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, located to the northwest of the city, overlooking the railroad to

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

. The

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 ...

fort was built 1882–1884, one of six forts built at the time. It is maintained as a museum by the town of Feignies.

Description

The fort is a typical example of a Séré de Rivières system, with a low wall, surrounded by a ditch, which is in turn defended by

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. The roof of the barracks is concreted and supports an artillery platform, or cavalier. The ditch was traversed by a drawbridge, no longer extant. The position was heavily bombarded in 1914. In 1893, four 120mm guns were mounted on the cavalier, while additional armament including 90mm guns were added in casemates. A 1914 project added a turret for two 75mm guns. However, the turret was not armed and equipped at the outbreak of

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 ...

. In the 1930s the fort was chosen as a site for fortifications associated with the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

extension around Maubeuge, part of the "New Fronts" program. An observation post, a casemate and a blockhouse were built on the fort. The casemate was furnished with a 25mm anti-tank gun, a machine gun port and an automatic rifle port.

History

In 1870, France was partly occupied by the

Prussian army The Royal Prussian Army (1701–1919, german: Königlich Preußische Armee) served as the army of the Kingdom of Prussia. It became vital to the development of Brandenburg-Prussia as a European power. The Prussian Army had its roots in the co ...

. As a result of this defeat, the

of fortifications was planned and constructed to defend the nation.

Maubeuge Maubeuge (; historical nl, Mabuse or nl, Malbode; pcd, Maubeuche) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is situated on both banks of the Sambre (here canalized), east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border ...

, located close by the border between France and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, received a complete ring of forts. Construction started in 1882, completing in 1884 for a garrison of 97 men. The armament was improved in 1893, and the fort was renovated again in 1914. In the opening stages of World War I the German army laid siege to Maubeuge, beginning 29 August 1914. On 7 September, the Fort de Leveau was bombarded by 25 42 cm projectiles and a number of 30.5 cm rounds, heavily damaging the fort, with one shot hitting the barracks and killing up to 120. At 1400 on the 7th, French forces evacuated the fort, shortly before the general surrender of the Maubeuge fortress. After occupying the fort, the Germans blew up the caponiers, the unfinished 75mm gun turret and other portions of the fort. In the 1930s, France invested in the construction of the

, which covered the eastern frontiers of France. The frontier with Belgium was regarded as a lesser priority because France's war plan called for the French Army to advance into Belgium and conduct an offensive there. Belatedly, France began construction of a limited series of defenses around Maubeuge in the mid-1930s. These fortifications were individually assaulted and captured in the opening phases of

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 ...

. The Leveau fortifications were attacked on 18 May 1940 and were subdued that afternoon, with one defender dead. In 1944 the fort saw fighting between Resistance and German forces. The site was acquired by the town of Feignies in 1993 and is administered as a museum by the ''Association de Sauvegrade du Fort de Leveau''. In 1998, excavations recovered the remains of nine soldiers killed in the 1914 siege, who were re-interred at the Assevent cemetery. FeigniesFortleveau 270607 (8)

References

External links

Official site

Fort de Leveau (59)
at Chemins de mémoire

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leveau, Fort De Fortifications of Maubeuge Séré de Rivières system World War I museums in France World War II museums in France