![Billig B5 75](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Billig_B5_75.jpg)
The Fortified Sector of Thionville (''Secteur fortifié de Thionville'') was the French military organisation 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 ...
immediately to the north of
Thionville
Thionville (; ; german: Diedenhofen ) is a city in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.
History
Thionville was settled as early as the time of th ...
. The sector describes an arc of about , about halfway 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
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
and Thionville. The Thionville sector was the strongest of the Maginot Line sectors. It was surrounded but not seriously attacked in 1940 by German forces 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 ...
, whose main objective was the city of
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
. Despite the withdrawal of the mobile forces that supported the fixed fortifications, the sector successfully fended off German assaults before the
Second Armistice at Compiègne
The Armistice of 22 June 1940 was signed at 18:36 near Compiègne, France, by officials of Nazi Germany and the Third French Republic. It did not come into effect until after midnight on 25 June.
Signatories for Germany included Wilhelm Keitel, ...
. The majority of the positions and their garrisons finally surrendered on 27 June 1940, the remainder on 2 July. Following the war, many positions were reactivated for 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 ...
. Four locations are now preserved and open to the public.
The Thionville sector was part of the larger
Fortified Region of Metz The Fortified Region of Metz comprised the central and most heavily fortified portion of the Maginot Line. The region was established in 1926 as a military organization for the French fortifications along the frontier with Luxembourg and Germany to ...
, a strongly defended area between the
Ardennes
The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...
to the west and the
Sarre Valley to the east. The Metz region was more important during the planning and construction phase of the Maginot Line than it was in the operational phase of the Line, when the sectors assumed prominence.
[Mary, Tome 1, p. 15] The Fortified Region of Metz was dissolved as a military organisation on 18 March 1940.
[Mary, Tome 3, p. 79]
Concept and Organisation
The sector was planned to protect Thionville, an important industrial city, and by extension, Metz, just to the south. Construction began in most places in 1930, and was largely complete by 1935. A reinforcing line was planned to back up the Cattenom salient, which protruded to the north between Bois-Karre and Galgenberg, with Kobenbusch forming the point of the northward projection. Two casemate groups and the ''petit ouvrage'' du Beysel were proposed but were never built.
The reinforcing role was partially assumed by three ex-German fortifications, the Forts de
Guentrange
Thionville (; ; german: Diedenhofen ) is a city in the northeastern French department of Moselle. The city is located on the left bank of the river Moselle, opposite its suburb Yutz.
History
Thionville was settled as early as the time of th ...
,
Illange
Illange (; ; Lorraine Franconian: ''Illéng''/''Illéngen'') is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. It adjoins Thionville.
The Fort d'Illange, a pre-World War I German fortification, is located just to th ...
and
Koenigsmacker, which encircled Thionville and possessed long-range artillery.
File:Insigne régimentaire du 168e régiment d'infanterie.jpg, Insignia of the 167th RIF.
File:Insigne régimentaire du 168e régiment d'infanterie de forteresse (1939).jpg, Insignia of the 168th RIF.
File:Insigne régimentaire du 169e régiment d'infanterie de forteresse (1939)..jpg, Insignia of the 69th RIF.
Command
![Ligne maginot - immerhof - b2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bf/Ligne_maginot_-_immerhof_-_b2.jpg)
The Thionville sector was under the overall command of the
French 3rd Army, headquartered at
Fort Jeanne d'Arc
Fort Jeanne d'Arc, also called Fortified Group Jeanne d'Arc, is a fortification located to the west of Metz in the Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany to the west of the town of Rozérieulles in the early 20th century as part ...
at
Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
, under the command of General Charles Condé, which was in turn part of Army Group 2 under General
André-Gaston Prételat A 1939 portrait of Prételat.
André-Gaston Prételat (14 November 1874, Wassy, Champagne, France – 6 December 1969, Paris, France) was a general in the French Army.
Military career 1910–1918
His first post, from 1910 to 1912, was as mili ...
. The SF (''secteur fortifiée'') Thionville was commanded by General Cousse, then General Poisot from 1 January 1940. The command post was in the Fort d'Illange, south of Thionville. The interval troops, the army formations that were to provide the mobile defence for the sector, to support and be supported by the fixed defences, were under the command of the Colonial Corps (''Corps d'Armee Colonial (CAC)''), General Fredenberg, commanding from the Château de Bétange. The Colonial Corps was in turn made up of the 2nd and 56th Infantry Divisions. Artillery support for the sector was provided by the 151st Position Artillery Regiment (''Régiment d'Artillerie de Position (RAP)''), which controlled both fixed and mobile artillery, commanded by Lt Colonel Martin. The 2nd ID was made up of Class A reservists, while the 56th ID was a Class B reserve formation, not considered suitable for significant combat.
[Mary, Tome 3, pp. 87-98]
Description
The sector includes, in order from west to east, the following major fortified positions, together with the most significant casemates and infantry shelters (''abris'') in each sub-sector:
Subsector of Angevillers/Ouentrange
169th Fortress Infantry Regiment (''169e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (RIF)''), Chef de Bataillon Toussaint, command post at Bois de la Côte
*
Ouvrage Rochonvillers
Ouvrage Rochonvillers is one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications. Located above the town of Rochonvillers in the French region of Lorraine, the ''gros ouvrage'' or large work was fully equipped and occupied in 1935 as part of the ...
, ''gros ouvrage'' A8 of nine combat blocks and two entry blocks
*
Ouvrage Molvange
Ouvrage Molvange is a large work, or ''gros ouvrage'' of the Maginot Line. The fortification complex faces the France-Luxembourg border from a height near Entrange in the Moselle department. The complex, armed and occupied in 1935, is located o ...
, ''gros ouvrage'' A9 of ten combat blocks and two entry blocks
* Casemate d'Entrange, C41
* Abri du Bois-de-Kanfen, X5
* Casemate du Bois-de-Kanfen Ouest, C42
* Casemate du Bois-de-Kanfen Est, C43
*
Abri du Zeiterholz, X6
Peacetime barracks and support:
* Casernement d'Angevillers
Subsector of Hettange-Grande
168th Fortress Infantry Regiment (''168e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (RIF)''), Lt-Colonel Ferroni, command post at Sainte-Marie
*
Ouvrage Immerhof
Ouvrage Immerhof, also known as Ouvrage Ferme-Immerhof, is one of the largest ''petit ouvrages'' of the Maginot Line of north-east, France. Located near the community of Hettange-Grande, it is 7 km north of Thionville between the ''gros ouvr ...
, ''petit ouvrage'' A10 of three combat blocks and one entry block
*
Ouvrage Soetrich, ''gros ouvrage'' A11 of six combat blocks and two entry blocks
*
Ouvrage Bois-Karre, ''petit ouvrage'' A12, single block with no underground facilities
*
Ouvrage Kobenbusch
Ouvrage du Kobenbusch is a ''gros ouvrage'' of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Cattenom Forest. It possesses seven combat blocks and two entrance blocks, one for ammunition and the other for men. It is loca ...
, ''gros ouvrage'' A13 of seven combat blocks and two entry blocks
*
Ouvrage Oberheid, ''petit ouvrage'' A14, single block with no underground facilities
* Abri de Stressling, X7
* Abri d'Hettange, X8
* Observatoire d'Hettange, O9
* Abri du Route-du-Luxembourg, X9
* Observatoire du Route-du-Luxembourg, O10
* Abri de Helmreich, X10
* Observatoire de Boust, O13
* Casemate de Boust, C44
* Abri de Barrungshof, X11
* Abri du Bois-Karre, X12
* Casemate de Bass-Parthe Ouest, C45
* Casemate de Bass-Parthe Est, C46
* Abri de Rippert, X13
* Abri du Bois-de-Cattenom, X14
Pre-Maginot supporting fortification:
*
Fort de Guentrange
The Fort de Guentrange dominates Thionville in the Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany next to the town of the same name in the late 19th century after the annexation of the Moselle following the Franco-Prussian War. The Fort ...
(''Groupe Fortifiée de Guentrange'')
*
Fort de Koenigsmacker
The Fort de Koenigsmacker (Koenigsmaker, Königsmachern or Kœnigsmacker) is a fortification located to the northeast of Thionville in the Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany next to the town of the same name in the early 20th ...
(''Groupe Fortifiée de Koenigsmacker'')
*
Fort d'Illange
The Fort d'Illange is a fortification located to the south of Thionville in the Moselle (department), Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany next to the town of Illange in the early 20th century after the annexation of the Moselle ...
(''Groupe Fortifiée d'Illange'')
Peacetime barracks and support:
* Casernement de Hettange-Grande
*Casernement de Cattenom
Subsector of Elzange
167th Fortress Infantry Regiment (''167e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (RIF)''), Lt. Colonel Planet, command post at the Fort de Koenigsmacker
*
Ouvrage Galgenberg
Ouvrage Galgenberg forms a portion of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line. It is situated in the Cattenom Forest, near the ''gros ouvrage'' Kobenbusch and ''petit ouvrage'' Oberheid. The ''ouvrage'' was tasked with control ...
, ''gros ouvrage'' A15 of six combat blocks and two entry blocks
*
Ouvrage Sentzich
Ouvrage Sentzich is part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line.
The ''petit ouvrage'' for infantry is located to the south of ''gros ouvrage'' Galgenberg, on the edge of the main road to Luxembourg near the village of Sentzi ...
, ''petit ouvrage'' A16 with a single combat block and no underground passages
*
Ouvrage Métrich
Ouvrage Métrich located in the village of Kœnigsmacker in Moselle, comprises part of the Elzange portion of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line. A ''gros ouvrage'', it is the third largest of the Line, after Hackenberg ...
, ''gros ouvrage'' A17 of ten combat blocks and two entries
*
Ouvrage Billig, ''gros ouvrage'' A18 of seven combat blocks and one entry
* Observatoire de Cattenom, O20
* Casemate du Sonnenberg, C47
* Blockhaus de Sentzich, Cb8
* Casemate de Koenigsmacker Nord, C48
* Casemate de Koenigsmacker Sud, C49
* Casemate de Métrich Nord, C50
* Casemate de Métrich Sud, C51
* Abri de Krekelbusch, X15
* Abri du Sud de Métrich, X16
* Abri du Nonnenberg, X17
* Abri du Nord de Bichel, X18
* Casemate du Bois-de-Koenigsmacker, C52
* Abri du Sud-de-Bichel, X19
Peacetime barracks and support:
*Casernement de Cattenom
* Casernement d'Elzange
History
Battle of France
During the early part of the Battle of France, the SF Thionville was relatively quiet. Both sides kept up shelling and harassing attacks, but there were no major engagements in the sector in May and early June 1940. Elsewhere, the situation was deteriorating fast. To the west, the German
16th Army was advancing up the valley of 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 ...
to
Verdun
Verdun (, , , ; official name before 1970 ''Verdun-sur-Meuse'') is a large city in the Meuse department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
Verdun is the biggest city in Meuse, although the capital ...
, aiming for Metz and
Nancy. In the centre, the German
1st Army had broken through at the
Sarre on 15 June. To the east, the Rhine was crossed on the same day. German armies were moving freely behind French lines with the goal of encircling France's field armies, capturing the cities of
Alsace
Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...
and
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 ...
, and cutting off the fixed fortifications.
By mid-June, faced with the progressive collapse of the
French First 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 ...
to the west, the interval troops began to pull back to avoid being encircled behind the Maginot Line. Measure A, issued by 3rd Army headquarters, called for the withdrawal of the interval troops on 15 June, protected by the casemates and ''ouvrages''. Measure B was the withdrawal of artillery forces from the intervals late that day and into the 16th, protected by the ''ouvrages''. Measure C was the withdrawal of all but skeleton forces from the fortifications. The forces left behind were to withdraw themselves by the 18th after sabotaging all equipment and weapons. Although the interval troops were able to temporarily escape, by the 17th the Thionville sector had been enveloped by the Germans from the east and west. Retreat was impossible for the fortress troops.
[Mary, Tome 3, p. 189]
On 21 June General
Wilhelm Ritter von Leeb
Wilhelm Josef Franz Ritter von Leeb (5 September 1876 – 29 April 1956) was a German field marshal and war criminal in World War II. Leeb was a highly decorated officer in World War I and was awarded the Military Order of Max Joseph which gra ...
ordered all attacks against Maginot fortifications to stop, as a waste of resources. Action between the 21st and the date of the June 25 armistice was limited to sporadic shelling and, on the French side, to firing off ammunition at the Germans before it could be captured. Apart from determined German shelling of Block 5 at Rochonvillers, there were no significant attacks on Thionville sector ''ouvrages''.
[Romanych, pp. 53-56]
Following the armistice, brief negotiations undertaken by the commandant of Kobenbusch settled on a formal surrender for the garrisons west of the Moselle on 30 June. No such negotiations took place to the east until French officers received confirmation directly from General Huntziger that they were to surrender their fortifications. The eastern positions of the SF Thionville were surrendered on 2 July 1940
Lorraine Campaign
While the main Maginot fortifications played no significant role in the
Lorraine Campaign of 1944, the pre-Maginot fortifications of Thionville posed a significant obstacle to the advance of American forces, most notably the
Fort de Koenigsmacker
The Fort de Koenigsmacker (Koenigsmaker, Königsmachern or Kœnigsmacker) is a fortification located to the northeast of Thionville in the Moselle department of France. It was built by Germany next to the town of the same name in the early 20th ...
. The
U.S. 90th Infantry Division captured Koenigsmacker after three days of hard fighting on 12 November 1944.
''Môle de Rochonvillers''
Following World War II, the French military reclaimed the Maginot Line with the aim of renovating and improving it against a possible attack by
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP) or Treaty of Warsaw, formally the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance, was a collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Poland, between the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern Bloc socialist republic ...
forces. The strongest positions, Rochonvillers, Molvange and
Bréhain
Bréhain (; german: Bruchheim) is a commune in the Moselle department in Grand Est in northeastern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Moselle department
The following is a list of the 725 communes of the Moselle department o ...
of the neighbouring former
SF Crusnes were designated the ''môle de Rochonvillers'' ("breakwater") in 1951 and were placed back into service after a period of rehabilitation. ''Petit ouvrage'' Immerhof was included in this assemblage Lesser positions, such as Soetrich, Bois-Karre and Sentzich, were repaired and kept as government property, as were the remaining ''gros ouvrages'' in the sector, but were not formally designated as places of defence. After the establishment of the
French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined, and maintenance ceased in the 1970s, with most of the casemates and ''petit ouvrages'' sold to the public.
Command centres
In the early 1960s, three ''ouvrages'' were renovated as military command centres. Rochonvillers was converted for use as a wartime command centre for the
Central Army Group
Headquarters Allied Force Command Heidelberg (HQ FC Heidelberg) was a formation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) responsible for providing deployable joint staff elements (DJSE) in support of NATO operations worldwide. It was hea ...
(CENTAG) of
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
and was used for this purpose from 1961 to 1967, when France withdrew from the NATO integrated command structure.
In a similar manner, Molvange became the wartime command centre for the
4th Allied Tactical Air Forces, again from 1961 to 1967. The French military continued to make use of Molvange until 1999.
Soetrich saw a similar role in the 1960s.
[Mary, Tome 5, p. 160] Rochonvillers was reactivated in 1980 as the wartime command centre for the
French First 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 ...
, operating in that role until 1998.
[Mary, Tome 5, p. 76] In each of the comparatively spacious underground barracks, magazine space and utility areas were used and expanded. The combat blocks were not used and were sealed from the occupied areas.
Present status
Immerhof,
Bois-Karre
and Galgenberg
are operated as museums and are open to the public. The surface of Kobenbusch is a nature preserve with trails and interpretive signs. The lower levels of Kobenbusch have been flooded by the cooling water lake of the
Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant
The Cattenom Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power plant located in Grand Est in the Cattenom commune, France, on the Moselle River between Thionville (7 km upstream) and Trier (48 km downstream). It is close to the city of Luxembour ...
,
which was built on the site of the Camp de Cattenom.
[Kaufmann 2011, p. 221] The Casemate du Grand Lot near Rochonvillers is occasionally open for tours.
The Abri du Zeiterholz has been restored and is open for tours in the summer months. The Abri du Bois de Cattenom is occasionally open to visits.
The remainder are either privately owned or are military property, abandoned and sealed.
The pre-Maginot Fort de Guentrange is operated as a museum. The surface installations of the Fort d'Illange are accessible to the public, and a similar public use is proposed for the Fort de Koenigsmacker.
[Donnell, pp. 60–61]
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, Tome 1.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2001.
*Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 3.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003.
*Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009.
*Romanych, Marc; Rupp, Martin. ''Maginot Line 1940: Battles on the French Frontier.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010.
External links
Abri du Zeiterholz
Fortified Sector of the Bois de Cattenom maintaining Galgenberg, Sentzich, Abrri du Bois de Cattenom, Bois Karre, the surface of Kobenbusch and walking trails among them
Fortified Sector of Thionvilleat fortiff.be
Le secteur fortifié de Thionville at wikimaginot.eu
at mablehome.com
Les ouvrages du SF de Thionvilleat alsacemaginot.com
Association de l'Abri du Bichel-Sud à Kœnigsmacker
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thionville, Fortified Sector Of
Maginot Line
French border defenses before World War II
Fortified Region of Metz