Fort de Moulainville

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Throat of Fort de Moulainville with the main walled gate. The throat ditch and the remains of the drawbridge have disappeared.
Location map

The Fort de Moulainville (at times also called Fort Feuquières ) was a fortification ( fort ) that belonged to the belt fortress Fester Platz Verdun in the department of Meuse and thus to the system of the Barrière de fer . Built at the end of the 19th century, it was completely modernized at the beginning of the 20th century. During the Battle of Verdun in 1916, it was one of the primary targets of the German artillery.

construction

The fort was built from 1885 to 1886 at the same time as Fort Douaumont , as a detached fort to strengthen the second belt of fortifications on the right bank of the Meuse. It lies a little west between the villages of Moulainville and Eix at an altitude of 362 meters above sea level and thus dominated the Woëvre . It was the easternmost bulwark of the Festive Platz Verdun and blocked with the Fort de Vaux and the Fort de Rozelier the road from Etain over the ridge to Verdun (today D603) and the railway line Saint-Hilaire-au-Temple-Hagondange . The base of the fort was 2.8 hectares and had the shape of a hexagon with a protruding (front) and a reentering (rear) angle, connected by two flanks and surrounded by a dry moat. The masonry consisted of hewn stone blocks, the ceiling was covered with a layer of earth. At the beginning the artillery was set up on the main wall, the gun positions were separated by five hollow beams . To defend the trench, there were three capons , a double trench cut (coffre double) at the top of the front trench and a single trench cut (coffre simple) each at the shoulder point of the front trench with the flank trenches and a throat trench built into the wall under the entrance gate.

For a short time it was named after the Lieutenant-général and Governor of Verdun, Antoine de Pas de Feuquières . 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 (Note No. 5285 of March 25, 1886 by War Minister Général Boulanger General Commanders of the Military Regions; Presidential Decree of January 21, 1887 on the renaming of forts, fortified artillery installations and barracks, as proposed by Minister of War Général Boulanger). On October 13, 1887, this was canceled by Boulanger's successor, Théophile Ferron, with letter no. 14980 of the same date, and the fort was given its current name. Nonetheless, it still bore the name "Fort Feuquières" above the main entrance, like some others where the "nom de Boulanger" was not removed.

Planned modernizations

  • 1900: Replacement of the three capons with a double trench (coffre double) at the top of the front trench and a single trench (coffre simple) each at the shoulder point of the front trench with the flank trenches, construction of an additional team shelter for 80 people on the main wall, erection of two Interstate strokes (Casemate de Bourges) with one gun "Canon de 95" each, reinforcement of the throat strokes and the powder magazine
  • 1908: Border of the trench with an iron grating, installation of a 155 mm twin turret and a 75 mm twin turret as well as two armored observation domes

Completed modernizations

  • 1889 to 1891: Partial reinforcement of the ceiling of the peace barracks and the main connecting corridor with an insert made of special concrete (costs: 380,274 francs)
  • between 1890 and 1900: connection to the field railway system (60 cm gauge)
  • 1905 to 1909: Replacement of the three capons by trench strokes, construction of a "Casemate de Bourges" with two 75 mm field guns to coat the space between Fort de Rozelier, reinforcement of the parapet on the main wall and the powder magazine, establishment of a second entrance (entrée de guerre ) in the throat and building a cannon with a revolver cannon to cover this entrance. In addition, the installation of an iron grating on the outer wall of the trench (total cost: 1,484,107 Francs).
  • 1906 to 1908: Installation of the (single-tube only) 155 mm armored turret and the associated armored observation dome. The gun was ready to fire in 1908 (cost of the operation: 435,000 francs).
  • 1907 to 1909: Installation of the 75 mm twin tower and three armored observation posts / commanders' cupolas as well as two armored machine gun towers , improvement of the mechanically operated ventilation. The turret was ready to fire on January 12, 1909 (cost: 327,000 francs).

Armament

1886

On the ramparts Under armor protection Trench defenses External battery
no no
Total guns: 21

1905

On the ramparts Under armor protection Trench defenses External battery
no
  • 2 × guns "Canon de 7 modèle 1874" (85 mm)
  • 4 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
  • 4 × cannons "Canons 12 de culasse"
 no
Total guns: 19

1908/10

On the ramparts Under armor protection Trench defenses External battery
no
  • 7 × guns "Canon révolver 40 mm"
  • 6 × cannons "Canons 12 de culasse"
 no
Total guns: 23

1915

On the ramparts Under armor protection Trench defenses External battery
no
  • 2 × armored machine gun turrets
  • 2 × armored observation posts
  • 1 × armored turret 155 R 07
  • 1 × armored turret 75 R 05
  • 1 × interspace pranks (Casemate de Bourges) - without armament
  • 4 × armored observation domes
  • 7 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
  • 6 × cannons "Canons 12 de culasse"
 no
Total guns: 16

1917

On the ramparts Under armor protection Trench defenses External battery
no
  • 2 × armored machine gun turrets
  • 2 × armored observation posts
  • 1 × armored turret 155 R 07
  • 1 × armored turret 75 R 05
  • 1 × space pranks (Casemate de Bourges) with 2 field cannons "Canon de 75 mm modèle 1897"
  • 4 × armored observation domes
  • 3 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879
  • 7 × cannons "Canon Mitrailleuse 37 mm"

(the left shoulder ditch weir was destroyed)

no
Total guns: 15

Equipment in detail 1914

  • On the ramparts:
    2 machine gun trains with St. Étienne M1907 on Wall mount and 43,200 cartridges each
    1 machine gun platoon with St. Étienne M1907 on tripod and 43,200 cartridges
  • Under armor protection:
    1 armored turret with a 155 mm cannon and 2000 shells and an armored observation dome
    1 artillery turret with two 75 mm cannons and 2000 shells each and an armored observation dome
    1 Casemate de Bourges with two 75 mm field guns and 500 shells each
    2 armored machine gun turrets model GF4 with two Hotchkiss M1909 machine guns each and 57,600 cartridges per turret
    2 armored commanders' domes ( Observatoire cuirassé )
    2 armored observation posts on the main wall ( Guérite blindée )
  • Dig:
    2 shoulder ditch guards each with a Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 with 1800 grenades and each 1 Canon de 12 culasse with 150 grenades
    1 double front trench weir with two Canon revolvers de 40 mm modèle 1879 with 1,800 grenades each and 2 canons de 12 culasse with 150 grenades each
    1 double ditch weir with two canon revolvers de 40 mm modèle 1879 with 1800 grenades each and 2 canons de 12 culasse with 150 grenades each
    1 gun stand to protect the second entrance with a revolver cannon and 1,800 grenades

Other Information

  • Construction costs in 1887: 3,750,000 francs
  • Occupancy of the Friedenskaserne: 276 beds, 215 seats
  • Opportunity to occupy the fighting stalls: 0
  • Powder magazine capacity: 42 tons of black powder
  • Cartridge magazines: several
  • Kitchen: 2 cookers system "François Vaillant"
  • Bakery: none
  • Water supply: concrete cistern with external supply from a spring
  • Access to the main gate: drawbridge
  • Communication: optical connection by light signaling device, telegraphic connection with the citadel of Verdun, the fighting post (Abri) LLM 2, the Belleville post and the forts Belleville and Belrupt
  • Lighting: in the peace barracks by kerosene lamps, in the towers by lanterns and in the trenches by acetylene lamps
  • Garrison as planned in 1914:
    4 officers, 272 infantry
    1 officer, 8 NCOs, 50 artillery men
    1 officer, 9 pioneers
    80 other staff
    1 clerk
    1 battery monitor
    no paramedic
  • Actual garrison in 1914:
    20 officers, 123 men of the "166 e régiment d'infanterie"
    1 officer, 164 artillery men
    19 pioneers
    4 telegraph operators
    2 paramedics

First World War

After the French mobilization in 1914 , a company of 125 men of the "166 e régiment d'infanterie", a battery of 165 artillerymen of the 5 e régiment d'artillerie à pied (5th foot artillery regiment) and a division of pioneers were assigned to garrison the fort 19 men and two paramedics were assigned. On August 31, 1914, the 155 mm tank turret fired 13 shrapnel at the southern edge of the forest near Moranville , where a group of German soldiers had appeared. On September 25, two 155 mm HE shells were fired in the direction of Fromezey , but the front then receded and the fort served only as an observation post from then on. In October 1914, most of the grenades were transported away, at the end of 1915 the Casemate de Bourges was disarmed and the cannons were brought to the front.

The garrison infantry was withdrawn in September 1914. At the beginning of 1915 there was still a detachment of 80 artillerymen in the fort to operate the guns in the towers and the trench digs.

Battle for Verdun

On February 24, 1916, the fourth day of the Battle of Verdun , the French troops withdrew from the Woëvre plain to the Meuse heights. On the morning of February 25, the 155 mm turret fired at a distance of 3.5 kilometers at German columns on the road near Étain , and the next day the two guns of the 75 mm turret put a locking bolt on the path from Abaucourt to Moranville. Towards the evening of February 26, the German artillery fired the fort after the front line had strengthened at a distance of about 1000 meters. Since there was a risk that the Germans could occupy the fort, 14 mine passages under the trench in the throat to the right of the entrance were loaded with 250 kilograms of black powder each , in order to make the fortification unusable by detonating it. On February 27, artillery fire detonated five of the mines, which detonated with a huge explosion. The Germans then stopped artillery fire because they believed the fort had blown up - the infantry were preparing to attack.

At the fort, the commander ordered the 75mm turret to open fire, the trenches were reoccupied, and the drawbridge was up. So they wanted to repel the infantry attack. However, after the Germans noticed that the fort was not incapacitated, they called off the infantry attack and the artillery bombardment resumed at 4:00 p.m.

Plan of Fort de Moulainville. The red circles show the penetrations of the heavy artillery in chronological order.

The garrison was reinforced in March 1916 by one company (24th company of the 234th Infantry Regiment) and a machine gun division. The Casemate de Bourges was again equipped with two Canon de 75 mm modèle 1897 field guns in April .

On April 3, 1916, a 42-cm shell penetrated the 1.5-meter-thick concrete ceiling slab of the northern trench blows (breakthrough No. 16) and another (breakthrough No. 19) exploded in a casemate near the 75-mm tower . They killed six artillerymen on the spot, and another six who came to the rescue either suffocated or were buried under rubble. A third shell (breakthrough no. 20) exploded in the southern connecting passage, the pressure wave killing another five soldiers. That day, the fort's doctor and some men became nervous from the vibrations and toxic gases and had to be locked up for a few hours. On April 26, 1916, Général Prax, as the commander of the 68th Infantry Division and responsible for the fort, ordered the temporary evacuation, at least for the duration of the heavy bombardment.

On April 27, 1916, the engineers suggested digging additional tunnels five meters below the fort, fifteen meters below the surface, and work began in early May.

Plan of the fort. In red the underground galleries and passages laid out in 1916/17.

In total, the following impacts were counted on the fort between February 26 and September 20, 1916:

  • 330 of caliber 42 cm
  • 770 of 30.5 cm, 28 cm or 21 cm long barrel
  • 4700 of 21 cm, 15 cm or 13 cm caliber
  • 2600 of 10.5 cm caliber
  • 1100 of the caliber 7.7 cm

which makes a quota of three shells per square meter and whereby the entire surface and the trench were plowed several times. Although the concrete coverings had proven to be too weak, the armored turrets held out and remained operational until the end of the Battle of Verdun. The 155 mm turret fired 5833 and the 75 mm turret 11,800 grenades during this period.

post war period

From 1930 to 1933 the network of underground galleries that had been dug between 1916 and 1917 (called "Network 17") was concreted to prevent collapse. The wood of the support was rotten due to the lack of ventilation. The concrete surrounds of the gun wells , which had been badly damaged or even downright pulverized by the bombardment, were renewed. In 1936 one of the fort's casemates was used to test the Mortier de 50 mm modèle 1935 (50 mm mortar) that had been set up in the southern trench.

During the Second World War , the metal parts were removed by the German occupation for scrap extraction, only the armored turrets remained in place. After the war, the French army used the fort as an ammunition depot for some time and then gave it up.

It is currently used as a shelter for bats, especially the species Chiroptera , Rhinolophus ferrumequinum and Myotis emarginatus . For this reason, access is blocked by bars.

literature

  • Lieutenant R. Ménager (with a foreword by Colonel Raynal): Les forts de Moulainville et de Douaumont sous les 420. Payot, Paris 1936, OCLC 602737257 .

Web links

Footnotes and individual references

  1. ↑ a b c Cédric and Julie Vaubourg: Le fort de Moulainville ou fort Feuquières. In: Fortiff'Séré.
  2. ↑ now gone
  3. ↑ "nom de Boulanger" refers to the name given to Boulanger
  4. ↑ The original name "canon de révolver" is misleading, as it is a multi-barrel gun based on the Gatling system. This is also sometimes referred to in French as a mitrailleuse.
  5. ↑ de culasse - guns with breeches, so no more muzzle-loaders
  6. ↑ a b The number of machine guns is not specified.
  7. ↑ Alain Hohnadel, Philippe Bestetti: La Bataille des forts (Metz et de Verdun 1865 à 1918). Éditions Heimdal, Bayeux 1995, ISBN 2-84048-087-5 , section 35.
  8. ↑ a b c Hohnadel / Bestetti 1995, pp. 35-36.
  9. ^ Benoît (Général): Étude comparative des fortifications de Verdun et de Metz. In: Revue du Génie militaire. Berger-Levrault, Paris 1921, ISSN  0035-2586 , pp. 8-41 and 113-137 ( digitized on Gallica ).
  10. ↑ Des travaux en cours à l'épreuve du feu, 1914–1918. In: Ligne Maginot. Fort de Schoenenbourg .
  11. ↑ so also in Fort Douaumont or in the Ouvrage de Froideterre
  12. ^ Corridor de la Meuse. Gîtes à chiroptères et plateau de Douaumont. In: Natura 2000 (PDF; 898 kB).

Coordinates: 49 ° 10 ′ 4 "  N , 5 ° 29 ′ 4"  E