The Fortified Sector of Maubeuge () was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of 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 ...

between the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

border with

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 ...

and

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 ...

, a distance of about . The sector was not as strongly defended as other sections of the Maginot Line; large portions of the Maubeuge sector were defended by blockhouses or casemates. The sector includes only four of the type found in stronger sections of the Line, arranged in an arc to the north and east of the fortified city of Maubeuge, incorporating defenses from 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 ...

. The Maubeuge sector and the Fortified Sector of the Escaut were the final sections of the Maginot line to be authorized, and were termed the "New Fronts". In the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

, the large fortifications of Maubeuge successfully resisted determined German bombardments and infantry attacks, despite their failure to protect Maubeuge against the Germans, who had outflanked the defensive line and who assaulted the fortification lines from the rear. Surrender or evacuation came only after the positions were surrounded and cut off from any hope of reinforcement. One and one pre-Maginot fortification have been preserved.

Concept and organization

Initial work in the sector established a series of casemates in the Mormal Forest, well to the rear of Maubeuge. The casemates were built by the (CORF), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency. At the same time, studies proceeded on the fortification of the exposed salients, or , of

Bavai Bavay () is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town was the seat of the former canton of Bavay. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bavaisiens'' or ''Bavaisiennes'' Geography Bavay ...

and Maubeuge. As the fortification of the Maubeuge Front was commenced later than the main section of the Line to the east, funds were restricted by the impact of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

, which had reached France. A relatively ambitious project was nevertheless advanced, planning for five artillery (

Eth (colloquially) , former_name = eidgenössische polytechnische Schule , image = ETHZ.JPG , image_size = , established = , type = Public , budget = CHF 1.896 billion (2021) , rector = Günther Dissertori , president = Joël Mesot , ac ...

, Bavai, Quatre-Bras, L'Épine and Boussois) between Valenciennes and the Ardennes. The plan was progressively scaled back to four infantry in front of Maubeuge, resembling larger-than-usual casemates more than the mutually supporting artillery positions of the main Line. Sarts and Boussois, the last-surviving artillery , were reduced to infantry positions. Geological and groundwater conditions made construction of deep of the kind found in the main Line difficult in the Maubeuge area.Kaufmann 2006, p. 58 The plan was also affected by political considerations, in which the fortification of the Belgian frontier was seen as a betrayal of the French plan for forward defense on Belgian territory.Mary, Tome 1, pp. 30–32 The CORF lines were augmented by lesser positions in the principal line of resistance constructed in 1937–38, backed by further fortifications about to the rear, built in 1940. A total of 300 fortifications were built to cover of frontier, but in 1940 there were only enough fortress troops to fully man the CORF positions and 125 of the hastily built reinforcing positions.Mary, Tome 3, pp. 66–69

Command

The Maubeuge sector was under the overall command of the

French 1st Army The First Army (french: 1re Armée) was a field army of France that fought during World War I and World War II. It was also active during the Cold War. First World War On mobilization in August 1914, General Auguste Dubail was put in the ch ...

, under the command of General

Blanchard Blanchard is a French family name. It is also used as a given name. It derives from the Old French word ''blanchart'' which meant "whitish, bordering upon white". It is also an obsolete term for a white horse. Geographical distribution As of 2014, ...

, which was in turn part of Army Group 1 under General

Gaston Billotte Gaston-Henri Billotte (10 February 1875 – 23 May 1940) was a French military officer, remembered chiefly for his central role in the failure of the French Army to defeat the German invasion of France in May 1940. He was killed in a car accident ...

. From 16 March 1940, the sector became the 101st Fortress Infantry Division. The SF Maubeuge was commanded by General Hanaut, then General Béjard from 1 January 1940. The command post was at the Wargnories farm.

Description

The sector included, in order from west to east, the following major fortified positions, together with the most significant casemates and infantry shelters in each sub-sector: In addition to the cancelled mentioned below, the was also planned for the sector, but never built.Mary, Tome 1, p. 38

Sub-sector of Hainaut

87th Fortress Infantry Regiment ( (RIF)), Lt. Colonel Corbeil Resistance line (FCR/RM): * Blockhaus du Grand-Condé Ouest * Blockhaus du Grand-Condé Est * Blockhaus du Bois-Crête * Blockhaus du Bois-Crête (2) * Blockhaus de la Tournichette * Blockhaus de la Flamengrie * Blockhaus de Ruaince * Blockhaus de la Perche-Rompue * Blockhaus de la Ferme-de-la-Tour * Blockhaus de Saint Vaast-la-Vallé * Blockhaus de la Talpiette * Blockhaus de la Belle-Hôtesse * Blockhaus du Quêne-Luquet * Blockhaus de Houdain Sud-Est * Blockhaus de la Chemin-de-Fer Ouest * Blockhaus de la Chemin-de-Fer Est * Blockhaus du Petit-Chêne * Blockhaus de la Croix-Capouillez Est *Blockhaus de la Carlotte * Blockhaus de Tasnières * Blockhaus de la Riez-de-l'Erelle * Blockhaus de Malplaquet Ouest * Blockhaus de Malplaquet Est * Blockhaus du Bois-de-la-Lanière (1–10) * Blockhaus du Bois-de-la-Lanière * Blockhaus du Bois-des-Écoliers * Blockhaus de la Chapelle-Saint-Joseph * Blockhaus du Pavillon Ouest * Blockhaus du Pavillon Est 105th CEO * Casemate d'Héronfontaine *

Ouvrage Les Sarts Ouvrage Les Sarts is a ''petit ouvrage'' of the Maginot Line, built as part of the "New Fronts" program to address shortcomings in the Line's coverage of the border with Belgium. Like the other three ''ouvrages'' near Maubeuge, it is built on an ...

, of two combat blocks * Blockhaus de Saint-Pierre-d'Hautmont * Blockhaus du Grand-Camp-Perdu 104th CEO * Casemate de Crèvecoeur *

Ouvrage Bersillies Ouvrage Bersillies is a ''petit ouvrage'' of the Maginot Line, built as part of the "New Fronts" program to address shortcomings in the Line's coverage of the border with Belgium. Like the other three ''ouvrages'' near Maubeuge, it is built on ...

, of two combat blocks 103rd CEO *

Ouvrage La Salmagne Ouvrage La Salmagne is a ''petit ouvrage'' of the Maginot Line, built as part of the "New Fronts" program to address shortcomings in the Line's coverage of the border with Belgium. Like the other three ''ouvrages'' near Maubeuge, it is built on ...

, of two combat blocks * Blockhaus de la Cimitière-d'Elesmes * Blockhaus del la Ferme-Kean-Ansart Stop line (FCR/STG/RM) * Blockhaus de la Warpe * Abri de la Warpe * Abri de Ruisseau-des-Bultaix * Blockhaus de Preux-du-Sart * Blockhaus de la Chapelle-Saint-Hubert * Blockhaus de la Raperie * Blockhaus du Bracmart * Blockhaus du Boëte * Blockhaus de la Ferme-Cambron * Blockhaus du Moulin-de-Rametz * Blockhaus de Pissotiau * Blockhas de la Cimitière-de-Saint-Vaast * Blockhaus de Louvignies * Blockhaus de la Ferme-Fréhart * Blockhaus d'Audignies * Blockhaus du Bois-de-Louvignies * Blockhaus du Frêne * Blockhaus de Longueville * Blockhaus du Moulin-du-Bois * Blockhaus du Gors-Chêne * Blockhaus de la Berlière * Blockhaus de la Roullie * Blockhaus du Fort-Leveau (Plantis) * Blockhaus de la Ferme-Lepers * Blockhaus de la Ferme-des-Sarts * Blockhaus de la Maison-Rouge * Blockhaus du Faubourg-de-Mons-Ouest * Blockhaus du Faubourg-de-Mons-Est * Blockhaus du Pont-Allant Reinforcing Line, Mormal Forest * Casemate de Gommegnies Ouest * Casemate de Gommegnies Est * Casemate du Cheval-Blanc * Casemate de Tréchon * Casemate de Clare * Casemate d'Obies * Casemate du Bon-Wez * Casemate Ouest du Vivier-Nuthiau * Casemate Est du Vivier-Nuthiau * Casemate de la Haute-Rue * Casemate de la Poquerie Ouest * Casemate de la Porquerie Est * Casemate de Hurtebise

Sub-sector of Thièrache

84th Fortress Infantry Regiment ( (RIF)), Lt. Colonel Marchal * Blockhaus du Bois-d'Elesmes Nord * Blockhaus du Warinet 102nd CEO * Casemate de l'Épinette * Casemate d'Ostergnies *

Ouvrage Boussois Ouvrage Boussois is a ''petit ouvrage'' of the Maginot Line, built as part of the "New Fronts" program to address shortcomings in the Line's coverage of the border with Belgium. Like the other three ''ouvrages'' near Maubeuge, it is built on an ...

, of three combat blocks * Blockhaus de Recquignies * Blockhaus de l'Hogniau * Blockhaus de la Buchelotte 101st CEO * Casemate du Rocq * Casemate du Bois-de-Marpent Nord * Casemate du Bois-de-Marpent Sud, planned to be linked with Marpent Nord and Rocq; shafts excavated, but the underground galleries were not completed. This would have become Ouvrage Marpent, a * Casemate d'Ostergnies * Blockhaus du Fief * Blockhaus des Tous-Vents Nord * Blockhaus des Tous-Vents Sud * Blockhaus de Petit-Branleux * Blockhaus de Colleret * Blockhaus de Falquemont Nord * Ouvrage de Quatre-Bras, , never built * Blockhaus de Quatre-Bras * Blockhaus de Falquemont Sud * Blockhaus Est d'Ostergnies * Blockhaus du Noisier * Blockhaus de Cayaut * Blockhaus de la Pavé * Blockhaus de Coulmie-Bras * Blockhaus de Coulmie-Haut * Blockhaus de Coulmie-Haut ''bis'' * Blockhaus d'Aibes * Blockhaus du Bout d'en Haut * Blockhaus du Bout d'en Haut ''bis'' * Blockhaus de Bérelles * Blockhaus de la Ferme-d'en-Bas * Blockhaus de la Ferme-de-la-Folie * Blockhaus des Champs-Élysées * Blockhaus du Bois-de-Nielles * Blockhaus de Malakoff (2) * Blockhaus de Groëz * Blockhaus de Solre-le-Château (Riamé) * Blockhaus de la Perche-à-l'Oiseau * Blockhaus de la Gobinette * Blockhaus de Trieux-du-Chêneau * Blockhaus des Garennes * Blockhaus de Mon-Plaisir * Ouvrage de l'Epine, , never built * Blockhaus de l'Épine * Blockhaus de la Ferme-aux-Puces * Blockhaus de la Ferme-des-Fils-de-Fer * Blockhaus de la Ferme Clavon * Blockhaus de Trieux-Anicole * Blockhaus du Garde-de-Willies * Blockhaus de Beaumont * Blockhaus des Beaux-Monts * Blockhaus de Liessies * Blockhaus de la Croix-de-Trélon * Blockhaus de Champiau * Blockhaus de Sainte-Hiltrude * Blockhaus du Beau-Chêne * Blockhaus de la Fond-Saint-Jean * Blockhaus de la Route-de-Willies * Blockhaus du Fond-Madame Second position * Blockhaus de Bellevue Nord * Blockhaus de Bellevue Sud * Blockhaus de Belleux * Blockhaus des Beaux-Sarts

History

Battle of France

On 16 May 1940, elements of German Army Group A, including the German

8th 8 (eight) is the natural number following 7 and preceding 9. In mathematics 8 is: * a composite number, its proper divisors being , , and . It is twice 4 or four times 2. * a power of two, being 2 (two cubed), and is the first number of t ...

and 28th Infantry Divisions crossed the Belgian-French border, heading east along the frontier, directly for Maubeuge. Just to the south the German 5th and 7th Panzer Divisions moved on a parallel line, along with the German 12th Infantry Division. The retreating French 1st and

9th 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

Armies fell back to Maubeuge. The 28th ID and the 5th Panzer Division quickly moved against Maubeuge from the south, capturing the city's Vauban citadel on 17–18 May.

Fort de Leveau The Fort de Leveau, also known as Fort Schouller, is located in the commune of Feignies, France. It is part of the fortifications of Maubeuge, located to the northwest of the city, overlooking the railroad to Mons. The Séré de Rivières system ...

to the northwest of Maubeuge fell on 18 May, a victim of German forces that had moved behind Maubeuge. By the 19th the German formations had rolled up the fortification lines along their path, and had encircled the remaining Maubeuge fortifications. Boussois, the easternmost , came under attack on the 18th from the 28th ID and the 5th Panzer Division. As the day wore on,

and

all came under fire from the rear. Each position resisted fiercely, holding off the attack for several days, despite direct fire by German 8.8cm anti-tank guns that progressively reduced their ability to respond. Boussois and Les Sarts came under attack by

Stuka The Junkers Ju 87 or Stuka (from ''Sturzkampfflugzeug'', "dive bomber") was a German dive bomber and ground-attack aircraft. Designed by Hermann Pohlmann, it first flew in 1935. The Ju 87 made its combat debut in 1937 with the Luftwaffe's Cond ...

s on 20 May. The Héronfontaine casemate came under sustained attack on 21 May, and a German 210mm mortar began firing on Boussois the same day. The bombardments continued, but were not able to bring about a surrender. Infantry assaults eventually reduced the positions one by one: Boussois at 1100 and La Salmagne at 2030 hours on 22 May, Bersillies at 1015 on 23 May with the nearby casemate Crèvecoeur, and finally Les Sarts at 1100 on 23 May. The garrison of casemate Héronfontaine held out until nightfall, when they were able to slip away.Mary, vol. 3, pp. 180–187Romanych, pp. 45–52 As the came under attack, the surrounding blockhouses were being reduced one by one. The 5th Panzer Division moved into the Mormal Forest and cleared the defensive line there, where a major four-day battle had taken place between French and German mechanized forces. Despite the fierceness of the fighting around Maubeuge, casualties on both sides were light. The delay allowed a significant portion of the 84th RIF to escape to the Dunkirk pocket to be evacuated to England, while the 87th RIF escaped to Normandy to be captured weeks later. The Germans stripped the Maubeuge fortifications during the Occupation, removing weapons for re-use and salvaging the massive steel cloches for scrap. While Maginot fortifications in other sectors were restored for further use during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the SF Maubeuge was not reactivated.Mary, p. 137

Units

The 84th Fortress Infantry Regiment occupied the sub-sector of Thiérache, spending the winter of 1939–1940 building the Avesnes belt of light fortifications. The regiment's second and third battalions faced

Rommel Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel () (15 November 1891 – 14 October 1944) was a German field marshal during World War II. Popularly known as the Desert Fox (, ), he served in the ''Wehrmacht'' (armed forces) of Nazi Germany, as well as servi ...

's 7th Panzer Division. As German forces reduced the defenses the individual battalions were compelled to retreat. The first battalion was captured at Blarégnies on 22 and 23 May. The remaining units made their way to

Dunkerque Dunkirk (french: Dunkerque ; vls, label=French Flemish, Duunkerke; nl, Duinkerke(n) ; , ;) is a commune in the department of Nord in northern France.Dunkirk evacuation The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the ...

. Four years later the unit returned as part of the French 54th Infantry Regiment, which was captured by German forces in the

Falaise Falaise may refer to: Places * Falaise, Ardennes, France * Falaise, Calvados, France ** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in the Second World War * La Falaise, in the Yvelines ''département'', France * The Falaise escarpment in Quebec ...

area on 17 and 18 June 1944. The 87th Fortress Infantry Regiment manned the Hainaut sub-sector. Attacked from 17 May, the regiment began to fall back to Erguennes on 20 May, while the fortified positions held out until 23 May. The first battalion was able to escape to Dunkerque and was evacuated. The unit formed part of the ill-fated 54th IR in Normandy, and was captured at Falaise.Mary, vol. 1, p. 104

Present status

La Salmagne is managed by a preservation society and is occasionally open to the public.

is preserved by the town of Feignies and its World War II era additions are preserved as well.

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Allcorn, William. ''The Maginot Line 1928–45.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. *Degon, André; Zylberyng, Didier, ''La Ligne Maginot: Guide des Forts à Visiter,'' Editions Ouest-France, 2014. *Kaufmann, J. E. and Kaufmann, H. W. ''Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II'', Stackpole Books, 2006. *Kaufmann, J. E., Kaufmann, H. W., Jancovič-Potočnik, A. and Lang, P. ''The Maginot Line: History and Guide'', Pen and Sword, 2011. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot'', vol. 1. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2001. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot'', vol. 3. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot'', vol. 5. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009. *Romanych, Marc; Rupp, Martin. ''Maginot Line 1940: Battles on the French Frontier.'' Oxford: Osprey, 2010.