Ouvrage Denting is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') 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 ...

. Part of the

Fortified Sector of Boulay The Fortified Sector of Boulay (''Secteur Fortifiée de Boulay'') was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line to the north and east of Metz in northeastern France. The left (western) wing of the Boul ...

, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between ''petits ouvrages'' Bovenberg and Village Coume, near the village of Denting in Moselle ''département'', facing

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. The position saw little action in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Design and construction

The site was surveyed by CORF (''Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées''), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency; Denting was approved for construction in May 1931. It was completed at a cost of 11 million francs by the contractor Duval-Weyrich of Nancy.Mary, Tome 1, p. 52 The ''petit ouvrage'' was planned for construction in two phases. The second phase was to provide a separate entrance block a short distance to the rear. Heavy water infiltration required the provision of more extensive drainage work than originally planned.Mary, Tome 3, p. 108

Description

Denting comprises three infantry blocks. The blocks are linked by deep underground galleries, which also provide space for

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

utilities A public utility company (usually just utility) is an organization that maintains the infrastructure for a public service (often also providing a service using that infrastructure). Public utilities are subject to forms of public control and r ...

and ammunition storage. The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to . Mary, Tome 2, p. 117 *Block 1: infantry block with one automatic rifle cloche (GFM), one twin machine gun cloche (JM), three

automatic rifle An automatic rifle is a type of autoloading rifle that is capable of fully automatic fire. Automatic rifles are generally select-fire weapons capable of firing in semi-automatic and automatic firing modes (some automatic rifles are capable of ...

embrasures, one twin machine gun embrasure and one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/ AC47). *Block 2: Infantry block with one GFM cloche, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 embrasure. *Block 3: infantry/observation block with one GFM cloche and one twin machine gun turret.

Casemates and shelters

In addition to the combat blocks, a detached

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...

is near Denting: * Casemate d'artillerie d'Ottonville: Artillery casemate mounting two 75mm guns in casemates with a GFM cloche.

Manning

The 1940 manning of the ''ouvrage'' under the command of Captain Coste comprised 127 men and 2 officers of the 161st Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2. The Casernement de Boulay provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Denting and other positions in the area.

History

:''See

for a broader discussion of the Boulay sector of the Maginot Line.'' Denting played no significant role in either 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 ...

in 1940 or 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.Mary, Tome 5, p. 171 Denting remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.Mary, Tome 5, p. 175

Current condition

Denting is privately owned, and is in relatively good condition.

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Allcorn, William. ''The Maginot Line 1928-45.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. *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.