Fort de Bessoncourt

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gate to Fort Bessoncourt

The Fort de Bessoncourt (short name: Fort Senarmont ) was part of the outer fortress ring of Belfort .

designation

For a few months it was named after the Général de division Alexandre-Antoine Hureau, Baron de Sénarmont . By presidential decree of January 21, 1887, the War Minister Georges Boulanger implemented that all forts, fortified artillery installations and barracks of the Système Séré de Rivières had to bear the names of former military commanders. On October 13, 1887, Boulanger's successor, Théophile Ferron, canceled it with the note n ° 14980 of the same date and the fort was given its current name. Nevertheless, it still bears the name “Fort Senarmont” above the main entrance, like some others where the “nom de Boulanger” has not been removed.

description

It was built as a result of the lost war against Germany and the associated border shifts to the west. Construction began in 1883 and was completed in 1886.

Fort de Bessoncourt was part of the eastern fortifications (Fortifications de l'Est) of France and, as the main work (Fort à massif central), belonged to the works of the Système Séré de Rivières . It is located at an altitude of 379 meters northeast of Belfort in the area of ​​the municipality of Bessoncourt , whose houses today come right up to the fort.

The task was to repel an attack from the east and to monitor the entrances from the areas of Mulhouse and Basel . It formed a defensive section with the Fort de Roppe , the Fort de Vézelois and the Ouvrage de Chèvremont . The blueprint is very similar to that of Fort de Vézelois and Fort du Bois d'Oye . Fort de Bessoncourt was one of the first to be modernized. For this purpose, the masonry capons, which were part of the main wall, had been removed and these were rebuilt in the outer ditch embankment using special concrete. The previous hollow passages to the (now disappeared) capons ended on the bottom of the trench in the open air, so the access to the new trench weirs was not underground here, but via the bottom of the trench through a slip gate.

Building

It is an object made of masonry, which at the time of completion no longer met the artillery requirements (in terms of both firepower and protection). It was completely surrounded by a dry moat, and access was via a drop-off bridge (no drawbridge ) on the "Place d 'arms".

Gun well of an armored turret 75 R 05

It was one of the first fortifications to be included in the modernization measures. First, the masonry of the moat defenses was replaced by reinforced concrete.

The front was broken inwards and equipped with moat weirs in the Contreescarpe at the respective angles to the flank and with a double moat weir at the top of the ditch. This secured the front trench and the trenches on the flanks.

Together with the Fort de Vézelois and the Ouvrage de Chèvremont , it formed the upstream defense section in front of the outdated Fort de Roppe , which thereby moved into the second line.

In 1914, work began on the construction of two 155 C armored turrets, but stopped when the war was declared, after the pits for the gun wells had already been dug . During the war, the fort was used as a hospital and underground galleries were created for this purpose. In 1918 it was still planned to create two Casemate Pamart combat stalls in order to improve the defensive power, but this was no longer possible when the war ended. During the Second World War , the fort was already unusable. In 1992 the municipality of Bessoncourt bought the fort from the French state for 405,000 francs . Today it is rented out for events (e.g. artistic).

  • Intended occupation in 1886 :
16 officers, 31 NCOs, 617 men
  • 1 sick bay with 27 beds
  • 2 powder magazines with 80 tons of powder and 80 tons of black powder
  • 1 cartridge magazine with 40 tons of black powder or 27 tons of type B powder
  • Powder laboratory: two magazines with 80 and 35 tons of black powder
  • Bakery: two Lamoreux ovens with a capacity of 250 portions of bread each day
  • Drinking water supply: two wells, a cistern with a capacity of 145.8 m³ and a cistern with a capacity of 156.3 m³
  • Access was via a drawbridge that could be folded down
  • Communication with the other forts: no line of sight, only by electrical telegraph
  • 1 sick bay with 27 places
  • Berths in the Friedenskaserne: 397 (1914)
  • Berths in the concrete barracks: 495 beds and 28 seats.

Modernizations not carried out

Installation of two 155 C towers to cover the blind spots . The project was abandoned in 1909.

Modernizations

  • 1888–1889: Replacement of the three capons with a double front trench case in the protruding angle of the counter-scarp (outer trench slope) and a trench case each at the shoulder points of the facen . Construction of a concrete barracks for 240 men.
  • 1906–1909: Installation of two armored observation posts ( Observatoire cuirassé ) and two armored turrets 75 R 05, which were ready to fire on April 15, 1808 and May 25, 1909.
  • 1908–1909: Installation of two armored machine gun turrets, ready to fire on February 22, 1909.
  • 1913–1914: Connection to the power grid and installation of electrical lighting.

Armament

"Mortier de 220 modèle 1881"

1886

  • On the ramparts
11 guns Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877
10 guns Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878
2 mortars "Mortier de 22 modèle 1823" (220 mm)
1 mortar " Mortier de 220 modèle 1881 " (220 mm)
  • Moat weir
6 Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
2 casemate guns Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884
6 Canon Reffye de 85 mm

1903

  • On the ramparts
4 guns "Canon de 120 long modèle 1878" (120 mm)
12 field guns Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877
2 mortars "Mortier de 22 modèle 1823" (220 mm)
  • Moat weir
6 Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
6 casemate guns "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"

1906

  • On the ramparts
6 guns "Canon de 120 long modèle 1878"
10 "Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877"
2 mortars "Mortier de 22 modèle 1823" (220 mm)
  • Moat weir
4 Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
2 casemate guns "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"
"Canon de 120 long modèle 1878"

1907

  • On the ramparts
8 field guns Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877
2 mortars " Mortier de 270 modèle 1889 " (270 mm)
  • Moat weir
6 revolver cannons "Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 système Hotchkiss"
2 casemate guns "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"

1912

  • On the ramparts:
4 guns Canon de 120 long modèle 1878
12 field guns Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877
4 mortars "Mortier de 220 Modèle 1889"
  • Under armor protection:
2 retractable and rotating armored turrets, each with two 75 R 05 cannons
2 armored machine gun turrets modèle 1899
2 fixed observation armored domes
  • Moat weir:
6 Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
2 casemate guns "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"

1914

  • On the ramparts:
4 guns "Canon de 120 long modèle 1878"
12 field guns "Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877"
4 mortars "Mortier de 220 modèle 1889" (220 mm)
2 unarmored machine gun stands behind parapet with Hotchkiss M1909
  • Under armor protection:
2 retractable and rotating armored turrets ( Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905 ) with two 75 mm cannons each
2 retractable and rotating armored turrets, each with a machine gun
2 fixed observation armored domes (Observatoire cuirassé)
  • Moat weir:
6 Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
2 casemate guns "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"

In 1914, work on the construction of two armored turrets of the Tourelle Galopin de 155 mm R modèle type had already started in 1907 , but was not continued because of the outbreak of war. Only during the war underground rooms were created in concrete construction.

Specialty

In 2012, 3,000 artillery shells with mustard gas from the First World War were discovered in a cellar of the fort , which had to be disposed of at great expense.

Remarks

  1. ^ Note n ° 5285 of March 25, 1886 from War Minister Boulanger to the General Commanders of the Military Regions; Presidential decree of January 21 on the renaming of forts, fortified artillery installations and barracks, as proposed by M. le général Boulanger, Minister of War.
  2. ↑ "nom de Boulanger" refers to the name given to Boulanger

literature

  • Alain Hohnadel et Philippe Bestetti: La Bataille des forts. Editions Heimdal, Bayeux 1995, ISBN 2-8404-8087-5

Web links

Commons : Fort de Bessoncourt  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 47 ° 38 ′ 54.7 "  N , 6 ° 55 ′ 37.1"  E