Fort de Giromagny

patio

Chamber for officers and NCOs in the Kehlkaserne with committee openings in the Kehlgraben

The Fort de Giromagny , (temporary name: Fort Dorsner ) was a detached fort and part of the fortress belt around the city of Belfort . This belonged to the Barrière de fer (Iron Barrier). It is north-east of Belfort at an altitude of 636 meters in the territory of the municipalities of Giromagny and Auxelles-Bas .

designation

For a few months it was named after the Général de division Jean Philippe Raymond Dorsner . By presidential decree of January 21, 1887, the Minister of War, Georges Boulanger , implemented that all forts, fortified artillery installations and barracks of the Système Séré de Rivières must bear the names of former military commanders. On October 13, 1887, this was reversed by Boulanger's successor, Théophile Ferron, and the fort was given its current name.

tasks

Among other things, it had the task of monitoring the northern access routes to Belfort and preventing enemy access to the fortress in this area. Together with the forts of Salbert and Roppe, an occupation of the area north of Belfort as far as the Vosges should be prevented. Together with Fort de Roppe , it also controlled the road to Colmar and Basel ; it secured the flank of Fort de Bessoncourt and supported Fort du Salbert .

description

Fort de Giromagny is located on a peak at an altitude of 636 meters southwest of the municipality of Giromagny and northwest of Belfort. It was the most well-equipped fort on the Upper Moselle, as it was the first plant in France to have two armored turrets (Tower A with a St. Chamond mount and Tower B of the Mougin type - was replaced in 1881 by the St . Chamond replaced) was equipped. There were also six casemates for indirect fire (mortar casemates ) and two external batteries (batteries d'artillerie annexes).

It is a trapezoidal complex, which is surrounded by a dry ditch and the front of which points approximately to the north. The building is made of sandstone masonry and reinforced with an earth cover against bombardment. The central complex with the barracks, magazines and covered gun posts is grouped around an octagonal inner courtyard and, with the exception of the rear, has two floors. The trench weir of the front and flank trenches was made possible in the left shoulder point by a single and in the right shoulder point by a double trench . Both are accessible through a postern from Wallstrasse. Another barracks building forms the end of the throat, it is located in the inner moat wall at the level of the trench bottom and is set up for defense. Front trench weirs are built in at both ends, which line the throat ditch created in the re-entrant angle and which can be accessed through crossfire. A total of four posternes lead from the central block to Wallstrasse (rue de rempart), on which the individual artillery positions are located - each protected by traverses. There was an optical communication (light signal station) with Fort du Salbert.

• Construction time: June 15, 1875 to July 1, 1879
• Crew in 1885: 17 officers - 20 NCOs - 608 men
• Ammunition magazine capacity: 102 tons of black powder

in the cartridge chamber: 394,000 bullets

• Bakery: A Lespinasse type oven with 200 servings per day, a portable Lespinasse type oven with 180 servings per day

Sanitary area with 15 beds

• Water supply:

a well, a cistern with 150.4 m³ and a second cistern with 172.2 m³ capacity

Access via a bascule bridge

Modernizations according to budget

• Modernization program from 1880:

Construction of a concrete casemate with 200 seats, improvement of the internal communication system, reinforcement of the mortar batteries (casemates à tir indirect) and replacement of the two front trench capons with a single and double trench swipe in the contrescarpe .

• Modernization program from 1900:

no work carried out

• Modernization program from 1908:

Construction of two concrete external gun positions (annex batteries) for one 120 mm gun each and one electric power plant. Improvement of the optical communication system and the parapets .

Installation of three armored observation posts ( Observatoire cuirassé ) and four armored one-man post stands ( Guérite blindée ) on the ramparts, construction of a tower for a 75 mm cannon 05 on Saillant No. 3 to sweep the road to Belfort.

Reduction of a floor and lowering of the turrets. Installation of electrical ventilation in the accommodation cavern.

Mitrailleuse

Extraordinary modernizations

1878–1879 Installation of the two tank turrets

1888 Construction of two rock magazines

1913 Connection to the power grid and installation of electrical lighting.

1914 Construction of two protected shelters for 100 men each.

1915 During the war, some actually necessary work was not carried out, such as the reinforcement of parts of the fort with a layer of concrete and the creation of emergency exits from the protected shelters (abri caverne).

The modernization costs amounted to another 1,860,000 francs

Armament

1880

On the ramparts	Armor and casemates	Trench defenses	Annex batteries
2 × guns 120L - Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 (120 mm) 2 × guns 155L - Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 (155 mm) 7 × artillery pieces 138 - Canon de 138 modèle 1873–74 (138 mm) 6 × guns - Canon Reffye de 85 mm (85 mm) 10 × guns - Canon de 5 modèle 1873 (75 mm) 5 × mortars - Mortier lisse (150 mm)	2 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 guns in the Tourelle Mougin type armored turret 4 × guns 155C - Canon de 155 mm C modèle 1881 (155 mm) 2 × mortars - " Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 " (220 mm)	5 × grape guns - canon à balles or mitrailleuse Meudon 5 × guns - Canon Reffye de 85 mm (85 mm)	3 × guns "Canon de 120 long modèle 1878"
Total guns: 50

1884

On the ramparts	Armor and casemates	Trench defenses	Annex batteries
2 × cannons "Canon de 120 long modèle 1878" (120 mm) 2 × guns 155L - Canon de 155 long modèle 1877 (155 mm) 7 × artillery pieces 138 - Canon de 138 modèle 1873–74 (138 mm) 6 × guns - Canon Reffye de 85 mm (85 mm) 10 × guns - Canon de 5 modèle 1873 (75 mm) 5 × mortars - Mortier lisse (150 mm)	2 × 155L guns in the tank turret 4 × 155C cannons - canon de 155 court modèle 1877 (155 mm) 2 × mortars - " Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 " (220 mm)	5 × grappling guns - Canon à balles or Mitrailleuse Meudon 5 × guns - Canon Reffye de 85 mm (85 mm)	3 × guns 120L
Total guns: 50

1912

On the ramparts	Battery haute & battery basse	Trench defenses	Annex batteries
7 × guns 120L 8 × field guns Canon de 80 modèle 1877 (80 mm) 5 × mortars 15 4 × machine gun emplacements	2 × 155L guns in the tank turret	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 5 × guns - Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884	disarmed
Total guns: 35

1914

On the ramparts	Battery haute & battery basse	Trench defenses	Annex batteries
7 × guns 120L 8 × field guns 80 - Canon de 80 modèle 1877 (80 mm) 5 × mortars 15 4 × machine gun stands	2 × 155L guns in the tank turret	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 5 × guns - Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884	disarmed
Total guns: 35

During the First World War the fort was not involved in any combat operations.

Second World War and today's condition

In 1940 the fort was part of the fortified region of Belfort ("RF Belfort") of the 8th French Army , Army Group 3. On June 18, 1940, the crew fired a few shots at the advancing German troops and then left the fort disarmed by the German Reich Labor Service and the metal parts sent for scrapping. In November 1944, after the German Wehrmacht had withdrawn from this area, it was temporarily used as an observation post by a detachment of the “411 ^e RTA” (Régiment territoriale d'artillerie).

After the war it was no longer used for military purposes, it was unused until the municipality of Giromagny took it over in 1988 and began restoration work. It is under the supervision of the Association du Fort Dorsner (AFD) and can be viewed.

literature

• Le Petit Larousse de l'histoire de France. Editions Larousse.
• Alain Hohnadel, Philippe Bestetti: La Bataille des forts. Editions Heimdal, Bayeux 1995, ISBN 2-84048-087-5 .

Web links

Commons : Fort de Giromagny  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Fortifserre Fort de Giromagny

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. ↑ with the note n ° 14980 from the same date
3. ↑ Colloquial term for all products of the armaments company FAMH based in this place
4. ↑ four in the front and one each on the flank
5. ↑ Earth walls between the gun positions to protect the cannons against cross fire and fragmentation
6. ↑ The original name "canon de revolver" is misleading, as it is a multi-barrel gun based on the Gatling system. This is sometimes referred to in French as a mitrailleuse.
7. ↑ These were field artillery pieces that were adapted for use within fortifications

Coordinates: 47 ° 43 ′ 49 ″  N , 6 ° 48 ′ 46 ″  E