Fixed place in Toul

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Aerial view of the city wall around Toul (2009)

The Feste Platz Toul (fr .: Place forte de Toul ) was an eastern French belt fortress in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department with the city of Toul in the center.

Built from 1874 onwards, this defensive structure with its forts , ouvrages , concreted gun posts and infantry bases ( Ouvrages d'infanterie ) encloses the fortified city walls of the 17th century. The "Feste Platz" was part of the Séré de Rivières defense system , which was supposed to protect France from a German invasion. Most of the fortifications were abandoned or downgraded after the end of the First World War .

Since Toul was not involved in direct fighting, the damage to the fortifications was caused by decay or deliberate destruction.

situation

With the Peace of Rijswijk , Toul acquired a new strategic importance. The cities on the right bank of the Rhine were returned to the German Empire and Lorraine to Duke Leopold . The entire defense system had to be reconsidered, and since Nancy would not belong to France, the king decided to give Toul third-line status.

Toul is a traffic junction on the left bank of the Moselle. This is where Route nationale 4 (Paris – Nancy) crosses the road from Chamont to Metz . The city is located on the easternmost arch of the Moselle between Pont-Saint-Vincent and Frouard . Its location made it possible to control the communication routes in east-west direction across the Moselle, which only crossed the Meuse heights at Foug and then descended into the Maas valley at Pagny-sur-Meuse. From a French point of view, this location made it imperative to build a bastion fortification around the city center in the 17th century.

In the middle of the 19th century, the main routes - such as the Canal de la Marne au Rhin , the Moselle and the railway connections Paris - Épernay - Nancy , Orléans - Troyes - Nancy and Dijon - Langres - Verdun - were monitored, and this was followed by the Franco-German war the proximity to the Franco-German border, which was only 34 kilometers away. As a result, the National Assembly decided in 1874 to build a fortified line, the Système Séré de Rivières . The four fortresses of Toul, Verdun , Épinal and Belfort formed the first line of defense on this border, supported by the fortresses of the second line ( Laon , La Fère , Reims , Langres and Dijon).

To the north, the fortress of Toul was connected to Verdun by a defensive curtain. In the south of Toul there was a gap (the so-called Trouée de Charmes), the southern connection of which was formed by the also fortified Épinal and which was only monitored by a few forts in the north. The modernization of the fortifications of Toul was ensured by the construction of a series of detached forts that surround the city in a ring a few kilometers away. In the west they were based on the Meuse and in the east they formed a bridgehead on the right bank of the Moselle.

The fortifications of Toul were listed as "Monuments historiques" in 1941, the "Porte de Metz" (Metz Gate) as early as 1929.

Toul and Vauban

Plan of Toul and the fortifications, 1786

In 1698, Vauban designed a new city wall with three gates and the relocation of the city to the southwest. Work began in 1699/1700. Written documents indicate that the escarpen wall was completed in 1712. But the fortifications were never completed, the construction of the Contreescarpe and the Demi-lunes was postponed for budgetary reasons. However, a demi-lune was built in 1725 to cover the entrance on the Ingressin brook.

At the end of Napoleon's rule , the siege of 1814 showed the neglect of the fortifications. From 1822 to 1844 reinforcement work was carried out and two defensive barracks were built in bastions 38 and 45 . In 1846 the canal was integrated into the defense system, and a fortified base in the manner of a Montalembert tower , the "Canonnière" , was built for surveillance .

The sieges in the Franco-Prussian War (including that of Toul) showed the ineffectiveness of the outdated city walls against the modern artillery, which required the construction of defenses well in front of the city center.

Système Séré de Rivières

After the Treaty of Frankfurt between the German Reich and the Third Republic and the associated cession of Alsace and parts of Lorraine , Toul suddenly became a place of great strategic importance, especially since Nancy could not be fortified.

The Général Séré de Rivières initiated a new line of fortifications around the city, which consisted of forward forts at a distance of between 5 and 7 kilometers. Extensive construction work was carried out between 1874 and 1914. With a total of 16 works, Toul was one of the great festivals. The wall around Vauban was retained, renewed and reinforced. New casemates were created, the Porte Moselle and the Porte de France were renewed and widened in 1882/1883.

In 1886, the construction of the first barracks outside the ramparts allowed the development of the city, which was enclosed by a wall for two centuries. The Saint-Èvre cemetery extends to the south-east and is directly connected to the center by the "Porte Jeanne d'Arc" gate, which was opened in 1901.

The fortifications were abandoned in 1922, but large parts of the numerous military installations have been preserved. The trenches of the city wall to the east were filled with the ruins of the bombing raids on Toul in 1940. After the war, the outside of the "Porte de Metz" gate was leveled and a breakthrough was made for crossing national road 4 between the "Porte Moselle" and "Porte de France" gates.

Construction and modernizations

1874 to 1883

Aerial view of the village of Villey-le-Sec with the Fort de Villey-le-Sec

The first works were built in 1874 with the Fort du Saint-Michel , the Redoute de Dommartin , the Fort du Tillot , the Fort de Domgermain and the Fort d'Écrouves . Built to face an imminent danger, the Redoute de la Justice was added, a sort of sentry post that was advanced towards the Foug Gap . A few years later the line of defense in the south was extended and Fort de Blénod was built. In the north the Fort de Lucey was added, which was connected with the position of Écrouves by a defensive post, which was then expanded to Fort de Bruley . The Redoute de Chaudeney was built between the Fort de Villey-le-Sec and Dommartin . The section was completed in 1787 by the Fort de Gondreville , which strengthened the bridgehead on the Moselle.

1885 to 1899

Retractable armored turret of the Ouvrage Est du Vieux-Canton

After the artillery had improved, it became necessary to advance the defenses. The small triangular Vorwerke Ouvrage de Bouvron , Ouvrage de Francheville , Ouvrage du Ropage , Ouvrage Est du Vieux-Canton and the Ouvrage de Villey-Saint-Étienne were created .

At the same time, the eastern and southern fronts had to be reinforced. The Ouvrage de Fontenoy , the Ouvrage du Haut-des-Champs and the Ouvrage du Fays emerged as a forward line at the same time as the Ouvrage du Chanot (later Fort du Chanot ), the Ouvrage de Bicqueley , the Ouvrage de Gye and the Ouvrage de Charmes .

1900 to 1914

In 1899, the position of the main line of defense was finally determined by the specifications of the High Commission for Fortifications. The existing main bases were supplemented by new plants. In the northeast, the Ouvrage de la Cloche , the Ouvrage du Mordant and the Fort du Vieux-Canton were added. The Fort de Lucey and its annex battery (became the Fort de Trondes ) were positioned in an advanced position. The Fort du Chanot and the Fort du Tillot were built. At the same time, all forts (except the “Redoute de Dommartin”) were reinforced.

The program from 1900 was supplemented by a program from 1908, which, in addition to the reinforcements mentioned, also included the construction of various shelters, armored and open batteries, roads, barbed wire barriers, etc., as well as deforestation. The defensive line became a main defensive zone formed by the forts noted above, which were considered to be centers of resistance. Furthermore, a number of advanced bases were set up in natural positions, which offered favorable defensive conditions. The central core consisted of the Fort du Saint-Michel , the village of Dommartin, the barracks of the Plateau de la Justice and the Côte Barine.

description

Core plant

The wall around the city of Toul was built towards the end of the 17th century. It consisted of nine bastions, with five demi-lunes. Between 1874 and 1882 two gates were overhauled and reinforced ( Porte de Moselle and Porte de France ) and each was provided with a removable bridge. Casemates were built into the wall between 1878 and 1880.

  • General staff plan from 1866

  • Demi-lune covering the Porte de Metz (in the north-east), situated between two bastions

  • Porte Moselle (Moselle Gate in the southeast), access via the Moselle bridge in the foreground

  • Bastion on the Canal de la Marne au Rhin (in the north-west)

  • The Fort du Saint-Michel (also Fort du Mont-Saint-Michel) is located on the knoll of the same name at a height of 387 meters, 1.3 kilometers northeast of Toul. Built between 1874 and 1878, it consists of a wall with 24 hollow trusses and a reduit with three capons . In 1787 a cavern was created, in 1890 a tank turret (Tourelle Saint-Chamond) with two 155 mm cannons on the eastern edge of the fort. 1901 to 1904 a second wall was constructed as a concrete wall and from 1910 to 1913 a cooling system was installed below the western part. In 1914, the fort served as a protected telegraphy center. In 1915 it was disarmed and the guns were brought to the front. In 1917 it was temporarily re-equipped with machine guns. ( Coordinate ).
  • The Redoute de la Justice is located on a small hill (245 m) southwest of the city wall and 1.3 km away. She was checking the Joinville - Vaucouleurs road . Built in the years 1874–1875, it formed a trapezoid with a throat ditch . It is made of masonry, which is covered by a layer of earth. Due to the construction of the other forts, the redoubt remained unfinished. In 1883 it served as a barracks . ( Coordinate ).

Écrouves-Bruley sector

The sectors Écrouves-Bruley and Lucey-Trondes covered the north-west flank of the fortress.

Mordant-La Cloche sector

The Mordant-La Cloche sector covered the northeast flank of the fortress.

Gondreville-Tillot sector

The Toul-South sector

The Gondreville-Tillot sector covered the southeast section of the fortress.

Blénod-Domgermain sector

The Blénod-Domgermain sector covered the southwest section of the fortress.

Garrison troops

Between 1873 and 1898 the fortress place Toul belonged to the "6 e région militaire" (6th military region) with the headquarters in Châlons-sur-Marne . From 1898 the fortress of the "20 e région militaire" (consisting of the 20th Army Corps) was subordinated. The headquarters were now in Nancy. At the beginning of 1914, the entire 39th Infantry Division was stationed in Toul. It consisted of the “146 e régiment d'infanterie” (depot in Melun ), the “153 e régiment d'infanterie” (depot in Fontainebleau ), “156e régiment d'infanterie” (depot in Troyes ), the “160 e régiment d'infanterie ”(depot in Neufchâteau ) and the 12 e régiment de dragons (depot in Troyes). These were all field units that were not intended to garrison the fortress.

The fortress garrison itself consisted of regiments that were directly subordinate to the 20th Army Corps: the “167 e régiment d'infanterie” (Depot in Toul), the “168 e régiment d'infanterie” (Depot in Sens ), the “169 e régiment d'infanterie ”(depot in Montargis ), the“ 41 e régiment d'infanterie territorial ”and the“ 42 e régiment d'infanterie territorial ”, plus the“ 39 e régiment d'artillerie ”and the newly established“ 10 e régiment du génie ”(10th engineer regiment) - formerly the“ 20 e bataillon du génie ”of the“ 5 e régiment du génie ”in Versailles . The guns in the forts were under the "6 e régiment d'artillerie à pied" (6th foot artillery regiment). Furthermore, an air base was available, which was operated by a half company and on which the 23 e section d'aviation was stationed. The total strength of the garrison was 17,140 men.

First World War

Two different plans: Plan XVII and the Schlieffen Plan

In the course of the general mobilization in August 1914, the five army corps (two divisions each) of Général Castelnau's 2nd Army concentrated in accordance with Plan XVII in an arc from Pont-à-Mousson to Blâmont , protecting Nancy . Hundreds of transport trains on line "C" (from Marseille and Montpellier , then via Mâcon , Dijon , Langres and Mirecourt ) and line "D" (from Bordeaux and Tours , then via Orléans , Troyes , Chaumont and Nancy) passed the fortress of Toul . After the troops of the active army corps (August 5 to 12), the reserve divisions, artillery parks, territorial regiments (equivalent to the German Landwehr), logistics and supplies for the fortress arrived between August 12 and 18.

The first units that were available were those of the 20th Army Corps, including the associated cavalry, commanded by Général Foch in August 1914 . The 68th Reserve Infantry Division was assigned to the permanent place, which was concentrated outside of Toul, near the commune of Grand Couronne (Meurthe-et-Moselle department). The commander of the fixed place in Toul was the governor Général Rémy, who at that time had a military strength of 74,672 men: the peace garrison was joined by the 75th Reserve Infantry Division with the reserve regiments 346 e régiment d'infanterie , the 353 e régiment d'infanterie , the 356 e régiment d'infanterie , the 367 e régiment d'infanterie , the 368 e régiment d'infanterie and the 369 e régiment d'infanterie . Then there were the 41 e régiment d'infanterie territorial , the 42 e régiment d'infanterie territorial , the 47 e régiment d'infanterie territorial , the 52 e régiment d'infanterie territorial and the 95 e régiment d'infanterie territorial . For field artillery the 12 e régiment d'artillerie and the 39 e régiment d'artillerie , for foot artillery the 6 e régiment d'artillerie , which was able to triple its population through the army and other auxiliary workers. In addition the 20 e bataillon de génie and the 26 e bataillon de génie (pioneers).

Arrival of the 24 cm naval cannons in Toul in December 1914

In the course of the border battles , the fortress place Toul rapidly lost its garrison - the active and reserve units were withdrawn in October 1914, only the territorial units remained. During the winter of 1914/15, reinforcements of artillery were installed due to the proximity of the front (projection at St. Mihiel ), above all a dozen 16.4 cm naval cannons and anti-aircraft guns. At the end of 1915, the High Command ordered the fortress to be disarmed (with the exception of the armored turrets) in order to bring all artillery and ammunition to the front. At the end of 1916, with the experience from the Battle of Verdun , the forts and outbuildings were equipped with machine guns, the armored turrets were again supplied with sufficient ammunition and traverses were installed in the corridors of the forts.

literature

  • Topographic map of the area around Toul. Cartographic division of the Royal Preuss. Land photo, Berlin 1876, map 1: 25,000, 4 sheets 44 × 47.5 cm.
  • Atlas militaire des frontieres de la France. Imprimerie Lemercier, Paris 1878.
  • Eugène Ourdin: Place de Toul. Construction du Fort d'Ecrouves. Requête introductive d'instance. Imprimerie de Berger-Levrault, Nancy 1880 ( digitized on Gallica ).
  • Pascal Thiébaut: La place forte de Toul de 1873 à 1914 (= Études touloises. No. 42). 1987.
  • Régis Berger: Le Fort de Villey-le-Sec. A chef-d'œuvre de la fortification au XIX siècle. Association la Citadelle, Villey-le-Sec 1997, ISBN 2-9511805-0-0 , OCLC 468046482 .
  • Stéphane Gaber: Organization defense de la forêt de Villey-Saint-Etienne (1887-1914). In: Fortification & Patrimoine. No. 11, July 1999.
  • Stéphane Gaber: Les forts de Toul, histoire d'un camp retranché. Éditions Serpenoise, Metz 2003, ISBN 2-87692-598-2 .
  • Étienne Prevot: Carte du camp retranché de Toul in 1914. Association la Citadelle, Villey-le-Sec 2004.
  • Régis Berger: You village fortifié de Villey-le-Sec à l'organization défensive de Villey-Saint-Etienne. In: Études touloises (three- monthly publication of the Association des Boucles de la Moselle). No. 111, July – September 2004.
  • Inge and Dieter Wernet: Toul. The story of a French camp fortress. Helios, Aix-la-Chapelle 2009 ( Presentation ( Memento from December 16, 2018 in the Internet Archive ); PDF; 4 kB).

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Mérimée PA00106376
  2. ↑ inner moat wall
  3. ↑ Carte de l'état-major au 1: 40,000, sheet "Nancy", 1866. Available on Geoportal .
  4. ^ A b c Julie and Cédric Vaubourg: La citadelle ou remparts de Toul et l'effectif de guerre de la place forte de Toul in 1914. In: Fortiff'Séré.
  5. ↑ Le fort Saint-Michel ou fort du mont St-Michel. In: Fortiff'Séré.
  6. ↑ La redoute de la Justice ou redoute Dujard. In: Les fortifications Séré de Rivières .
  7. ^ Landwehr Infantry
  8. ↑ Répartition et emplacement of the troupes de l'armée française. Imprimerie nationale, Paris May 1, 1914.
  9. ^ Jean Étienne Valluy, Pierre Dufourcq: La première guerre mondiale. Larousse, Paris 1968, volume 1.
  10. ^ Instruction general sur l'exécution de la concentration. February 15, 1909, quoted in Le plan XVII .

Coordinates: 48 ° 40 ′ 30 "  N , 5 ° 53 ′ 28"  E