The Fort de Liouville, also known as Fort Stengel, located between the communes of Saint-Agnant-sous-les-Côtes and

Saint-Julien-sous-les-Côtes Saint-Julien-sous-les-Côtes () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. See also *Communes of the Meuse department *Parc naturel régional de Lorraine Lorraine Regional Natural Park (French: ''Parc naturel ...

, near the town of

Commercy Commercy () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. The 18th-century Lorraine historian Nicolas Luton Durival (1713–1795) was born in Commercy. History Commercy dates back to the 9th century, and at that time ...

in the

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

departement of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, is one of the forts built at the end of the 19th century to defend the valley of the

. The fort was located on what was then the French frontier facing the German-occupied province of

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...

. The Fort de Liouville was located between the Fort de Gironville and the

Camp des Romains Camp may refer to: Outdoor accommodation and recreation * Campsite or campground, a recreational outdoor sleeping and eating site * a temporary settlement for nomads * Camp, a term used in New England, Northern Ontario and New Brunswick to descri ...

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

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 was planned and constructed to defend the nation. Construction started in 1876 on the roughly rectangular fort with a garrison of 691 troops. Work was completed in 1880, at a cost of 2,108,000 francs. The fort was updated between 1892 and 1910 with a protected magazine, replacement of

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, and preparations for a

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 ...

with two 155mm guns. The Mougin turret and guns were installed in 1914, along with two machine gun turrets, a 75mm gun turret and two observation cloches. The fort was armed with a total of 40 artillery pieces in 1914. It was the only fort in the Hauts de Meuse line to receive concrete cover, but did not get concrete-protected barracks. The fort dominates the

Woëvre The Woëvre () (German: ''Waberland'') is a natural region of Lorraine in northeastern France. It forms part of Lorraine plateau and lies largely in the department of Meuse. Along with the Côtes de Moselle, the Woëvre is one of the areas in ...

valley and blocks the Marbotte and Lérouville gaps in the Hauts de Meuse, watching over the rail line to Lérouville. Unusually, the gorge, or entry side of the fort faces German territory, since the fort is built on a west-facing escarpment. Fort de Liouville was bombarded by German artillery for a large portion of the war, with the heaviest fire between 22 September and 16 October 1914. The Mougin turret was hit by a 305mm German shell, but continued to fire with one gun until 28 September. The north ammunition magazine was penetrated by shellfire. The 75mm turret fired despite considerable trouble with the mechanism and numerous casualties until the fort was evacuated, and the turret was jammed by a direct 305mm hit. Infantry continued to hold the area, and the fort was not taken. The fort suffered significant damage to its casemates. It served as an observatory facing German lines and resting place for the regiments taken out of combat. In 1938 a machine gun turret was removed and mounted at the Bastion de la Riene at the Citadel of Verdun. The fort displays an unusual degree of attention to design, with window frames resembling Gothic tracery. The fort is maintained by an association for its preservation.

Batterie de Saint-Agnant

A triangular position built 1878-1880 as an annex to Liouville, with three 120mm guns prior to 1910. The position also had two Pamart casemate/cupolas for machine guns. It was severely bombarded during the first world war and is now abandoned.

References

External links

Fort de Liouville
site
Fort de Liouville
at fortiff.be

at fortiff' sere {{authority control Séré de Rivières system World War I museums in France