Ouvrage Bousse

Ouvrage Bousse, also known as Ouvrage Bois de Bousse, is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line in the Fortified Sector of Boulay. The ''ouvrage'' is located between ''petit ouvrage'' Hobling and ''gros ouvrage'' Anzeling, near Hestroff in the Bois du Bousse, facing Germany. A small position, it was manned primarily by reservists. It is noted for the events of 15 June 1940, when it received orders to prepare for an evacuation as German forces advanced along the Line in the Battle of France. As the garrison prepared to abandon the position, sabotaging equipment, they destroyed their telephone connection, leaving them unable to receive the order countermanding the evacuation. The garrison was captured three days after leaving Bousse. Bousse is now managed as a museum and is open to public visitation.

Design and construction

Bousse was approved for construction by the Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées (CORF), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in 1930 and became operational by 1935,Kaufmann 2006, p. 25 at a cost of 23 million francs. The contractor was Gianotti of Nice.Mary, Tome 1, p. 52 Bousse was sited to control the Thionville-Hargarten and Metz-Bouzonville railroad lines. A planned block to cover the railroad cutting just beyond Block 1 was never built. It would have functioned much like a casemate in a counterscarp had it been built, with the cutting standing in for a traditional outer ditch.

Description

Bousse is a ''petit ouvrage'' with three combat blocks and an entry block. The blocks are linked by an underground gallery with barracks and a utility area (''usine'').Mary, Tome 3, p. 105 The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to .Mary, Tome 2, p. 117

*Block 1: observation block with one observation cloche (VDP), one automatic rifle cloche (GFM).
*Block 2: Infantry casemate, flanking to the south — one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/ AC47), two GFM cloches and one twin machine gun embrasure (JM).
*Block 3: Infantry casemate, flanking to the south one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47), one machine gun embrasure (JM), two GFM cloches, one machine gun turret.
*Entry: one JM/AC47 embrasure, one grenade launcher cloche, one GFM cloche.

A planned Block 4, equipped with an 81mm mortar turret, was not built.

Casemates and shelters

In addition to the connected combat blocks, a series of detached casemates and infantry shelters surround Bousse, including
* Casemate d'Edling Nord: SIngle block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
* Casemate d'Edling Sud: SIngle block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
* Observatoire de Hestroff: SIngle block with VP cloche and one GFM cloche, reporting to Anzeling.
* Abri de Hestroff: Surface ''abri'' with two GFM cloches.
* Abri de Rotherberg: Subgrade ''abri-caverne'' with two GFM cloches.

Manning

In June 1940 the garrison comprised 144 men and 5 officers of the 162nd Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF). The commanding officer was Captain Ramaud. The Casernement de Bockange provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bousse and other positions in the area. The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.

History

:''See Fortified Sector of Boulay for a broader discussion of the Boulay sector of the Maginot Line.''
In June 1940, as German units bypassed Maginot fortifications to the east, French commanders ordered garrisons in the Boulay and Falquemont sectors to prepare for withdrawal to avoid their isolation by German units operating behind the lines. As it became clear that retreat was impractical, the orders were countermanded. A poorly understood telephone call from Ouvrage Anzeling on the 15th caused the reservists manning Bousse to evacuate the position between 1600 and 2100 hours. Before departing they sabotaged their equipment, including their telephone switchboard, preventing them from receiving the counter-order to remain in place. After three days' march, the garrison was captured at Pange near Metz on the 18th. Block 2 was damaged by covering fire from its neighbor, ''ouvrage'' Aumetz, a unique occurrence.Mary, Tome 5, p. 155

Bousse played no significant role in the Lorraine Campaign of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of the ''Mòle de Boulay'', a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.
Bousse remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.Mary, Tome 5, p. 171

Current condition

Ouvrage Bousse is under the care of a preservation society, the ''Association Fort aux Fresques'', which organizes tours for the public. The association is named for the well-preserved frescos or wall paintings found within the ''ouvrage''.

See also

* List of all works on Maginot Line
* Siegfried Line
* Atlantic Wall
* Czechoslovak border fortifications

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 2.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003.
*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.

External links

Association website

"Fort aux Fresques" website

L'ouvrage du Bois-de-Bousse
at alsacemaginot.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bousse, Ouvrage
BOUS
Maginot Line
Môle de Boulay
World War II museums in France