Casemate de Wittring

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The Wittring casemate in France belongs to the Maginot Line and was built in 1938 .

It is located in the Saar defense sector, Kalhausen section, and therefore belongs to the so-called “new front”. One of the special features of the casemate is that it is equipped with four armored bells: two GFM bells (observer equipped with rapid fire rifle) and two AM bells (arme-mixte = combination weapon). Another rarity: one of the AM bells has only one notch.

Armament

  • 2 tank bells each with a combination weapon (poor mixte) - 25 mm PAK + 2 rapid-fire rifles Mod.Mac 31
  • 2 armored bells for observer equipped with machine gun - cal. 7.5 mm Mod. 24/29
  • 1 slot for a double fortress machine gun cal. 7.5 mm (Mac 31) alternating with a 47 mm anti-tank gun (PAK)
  • 1 loopholes for double fortress machine gun cal. 7.5 mm (Mac 31)
  • 2 embrasures with machine gun Mod. 24/29 (outer entrance defense and outer combat area defense)
  • 1 slot with machine gun Mod. 24/29 (internal entrance defense)

In addition, the 30-man crew with French Carabiner Mod. MAS-36 equipped.

The electrical supply came from the public network. If the external supply failed, two emergency power generators Mod. CLM 2PJ65 provided the necessary energy.

Twelve French soldiers were in the casemate when it was stormed by the German Wehrmacht on June 21, 1940, during the fighting on the Saar. Up to this point in time, the casemate had received its orders from the command post in the factory (Panzerwerk 434) du Haut-Poirier. This plant is located approx. 1.5 km further on, on the site of the municipality of Achen and the Wittring casemate was run as "Bloc 4".

According to the veteran J. Freyermuth, the casemate also included a small house that served as a kitchen. Meals were prepared there for the crew of the casemate of Wittringen and the neighboring casemate of Grand-Bois (this is about 800 m away in the direction of the Haut-Poirier factory). Until the approach of the US armed forces in late 1944 / early 1945, the Wehrmacht used the casemate as a camp commandant.

Web links

Coordinates: 49 ° 2 '55.3 "  N , 7 ° 8' 58.1"  E