Fort de Nogent
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The Fort de Nogent or Fort de Nogent-sur-Marne is a French fortification forming part of the
fortifications of Paris 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'' ...
. Despite its name, the fort is located in
Fontenay-sous-Bois Fontenay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Name The name Fontenay was recorded in the Middle Ages as ''Fontanetum'', meaning "the springs", from Medieval Latin ''fonta ...
; the name is derived from
Nogent-sur-Marne Nogent-sur-Marne () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Nogent-sur-Marne is a '' sous-préfecture'' of the Val-de-Marne ''département'', being the seat of the Arrondissement of Nogent-s ...
the town the fort was planned to protect. The fort is now occupied by the recruitment organization for the Foreign Legion of the
French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...
.


Construction

The Fort de Nogent is one of seventeen forts built to protect
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
at the instigation in 1840 Adolphe Thiers, prime minister of the government of
Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...
. Work began in 1841, with completion in 1848, under the direction of Guillaume Dode de la Brunerie. The fort is surrounded by a pentagonal bastioned rampart on a side, in the manner of Vauban.


Siege of 1870

During the
Siege of Paris (1870–1871) The siege of Paris took place from 19 September 1870 to 28 January 1871 and ended in the capture of the city by forces of the various states of the North German Confederation, led by the Kingdom of Prussia. The siege was the culmination of the ...
, the fort was commanded by Commandant Pistoulet, with artillery under the command of Chef d'Escadron David, engineers commanded by Chef de Bataillon Revin and medical services commanded by Doctor-Major Aude of the Navy. The infantry was composed of the 31st, 61st and 77th companies of line infantry (590 men and 8 officers, and the 11th battalion and two companies of the 13th battalion of mobile forces of the Seine, with 114 men and 30 officers. All of the mobile forces were sent north to Saint-Denis on 22 September. Artillery was composed of the 2nd battery ''bis'' of the 4th Regiment with 205 men and two officers, engineers with 40 men and two officers, 18 supply personnel, and three doctors and three attendants. In December 1870, the Prussian guns bombarded the fort. The fort held out until it was given up to the Prussians at the French surrender on 26 January 1871.


1944

On 23, 24 and 25 August 1944 there was violent combat between German troops and units of the
French Resistance The French Resistance (french: La Résistance) was a collection of organisations that fought the German occupation of France during World War II, Nazi occupation of France and the Collaborationism, collaborationist Vichy France, Vichy régim ...
. Thirty Fontenaysiens were killed, and the Germans withdrew from the fort after shelling the train depot.


Internment center

During the Algerian War the fort became an internment center. In 1961 nearly 200 officers, including those of the 1st REP (
1st Foreign Parachute Regiment The 1st Foreign Parachute Regiment (french: 1er Régiment Etranger de Parachutistes, 1er REP) was an airborne regiment of the Foreign Legion in the French Army which dated its origins to 1948. The regiment fought in the First Indochina War as th ...
), who participated in the Algiers putsch were placed under "fortress arrest." Their detainment lasted for almost two months. The leadership of the Regiment was arrested and tried but the non-commissioned officers, corporals and Legionnaires were assigned to other Foreign Legion formations. They left the barracks singing the song "
Non, je ne regrette rien "Non, je ne regrette rien" (, Piaf's pronunciation , meaning "No, I do not regret anything") is a French song composed in 1956 by Charles Dumont, with lyrics by Michel Vaucaire. Édith Piaf's 1960 recording spent seven weeks atop the French Sin ...
", which has now become part of the Foreign Legion heritage and is sung when they are on parade.


Present use

In 1962 the French Foreign Legion placed a detachment at the fort. Today the fort houses a Foreign Legion recruitment center. Since the winter of 2006–2007 the fort has accommodated a winter Salvation Army shelter.Nogent Citoyen, 21 décembre 2009
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See also

*
Fortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries The fortifications of Paris in the 19th and 20th centuries comprise: *The Thiers Wall, surrounding the city of Paris, and farther from the city, *The detached forts and their complementary fieldworks. They were built in two stages: *1840–1845 ...


References


External links


Foreign Legion site (GRLE)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nogent, Fort De Fortifications of Paris Buildings and structures in Val-de-Marne