Fort de Tavannes

Location map

Main entrance to Fort de Tavannes 1915

Main entrance of the Fort de Tavannes

The Fort de Tavannes , also known for a short time as Fort de Mouton , was part of the belt fortress Fester Platz Verdun . It was an intermediate work (ouvrage) of the first category and was the first structure of the fortress that was built. Since it was one of the older fortifications, it formed the inner fortress ring , together with Fort de Belrupt and Ouvrage de la Lauffée , to which Fort de Douaumont , Fort de Vaux and Fort de Moulainville were placed. It is located at an altitude of 370 meters east of Verdun. The task was to cover the road to Verdun and the Tavannes railway tunnel.

designation

Originally it was called Fort de Tavannes until, by presidential decree of January 21, 1887, the Minister of War, Général 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, which is why the fort then the name Fort de Mouton after the Maréchal d'Empire Georges Mouton received. On October 13, 1887, this was reversed by Boulanger's successor, Théophile Ferron, with Note No. 14980 of the same date, and the fort was given its original name back.

The construction

It was an “Ouvrage de 1 ^re categorie” in the “6 ^e region militaire”. Since it was on the second line after the works of the advanced ring ( Fort de Douaumont , Fort de Vaux , Ouvrage de Froideterre ) had been built, it had not been modernized. The entire system still consisted of masonry, only part of the troop accommodation had been reinforced by a concrete layer. Since the fort did not have any possibility of artillery defense of the throat ditch (there were no trench defenses in this area), two field guns had to be set up on the rear wall for this purpose. There were also no other modernizations. All main armament was set up in the open air.

Construction dates and costs

• Construction time: December 1873 to December 1874
• Construction costs: 1,575,420 francs
• Budget according to 1882:

17 officers, 28 NCOs, 716 men

1 sick bay with 46 beds

1 stable for six horses

Planned modernizations

no

Improvements

1884 to 1885

• Construction of a powder magazine with a capacity of 46 tons

1889 to 1890

• Reinforcement of an accommodation area by covering it with a layer of concrete (208 beds)

1890 to 1900

• Connection to the network of the field railway
• Creation of wire obstacles in advance
• Installation of a picket fence on the edge of the trench and on the face of the capons

Armament

1878

On the ramparts	In casemates	Trench defenses	External battery
3 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 2 × Canon de 138 modèle 1873–74 7 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm 2 × Mortier lisse de 22 8 × Canon Lahitolle de 95 mm	4 × Canon de 138 modèle 1873–74 in casemates	2 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm 4 × Canon de 4 modèle 1858 4 × Canon de balles	no
Total: 38

1884

On the ramparts	In casemates	Trench defenses	External battery
5 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 4 × Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 2 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm 2 × Obusier de 22 2 × Mortier lisse de 22	no	4 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × Canon 12 de culasse 2 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm	no
Total: 25

1890

On the ramparts	In casemates	Trench defenses	External battery
5 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 4 × Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 4 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm 1 × Mortier lisse de 22	no	4 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × Canon 12 de culasse 2 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm	no
Total: 23

1908

On the ramparts	In casemates	Trench defenses	External battery
5 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 4 × Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 4 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm 1 × Mortier lisse de 22	no	4 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × Canon 12 de culasse 2 × Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877	no
Total: 21

1910

On the ramparts	In casemates	Trench defenses	External battery
8 × Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877 2 × Mortier lisse de 22	no	4 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × Canon 12 de culasse 2 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm	no
Total: 20

garrison

Budgeted occupation in 1914

• Infantry : 4 officers , 277 NCOs and men
• Artillery : 1 officer, 8 NCOs and 70 men
• Pioneers : 1 officer, 11 NCOs and men
• Telegraph operators: 2
• Military workers: 3 officers, 16 men (including 12 bakers)
• Assistants: 33 men
• Medical: 1 doctor, 2 paramedics
• Battery monitor: 1

• Total: 6 officers, 427 NCOs and men

Reinforcement in mobilization in 1914 under Article 40 of the Law of March 21, 1905

• Infantry: 1 officer, 76 men of the 164 ^e régiment d'infanterie
• Artillery: 74 NCOs and men of the 4 ^e régiment d'artillerie à pied (5th foot artillery regiment)
• Pioneers: 4 telegraph operators

• Total: 1 officer, 154 NCOs and men

Equipment 1914

Vein phone

• Accommodation with 273 beds in the barracks
• 1 powder magazine with 40 tons (from 1885 86 tons) capacity
• 1 cartridge magazine with a capacity of 514,300 pieces
• Kitchen with 3 cookers from François Vaillant
• Bakery with 2 wooden ovens (155 bread portions each per day)
• a well and a cistern with 680 m³ content
• a drawbridge over the moat
• a light signal device with a spotlight 14 cm or 24 cm in diameter was kept in reserve.
• to the citadel in Verdun, to the Ouvrage de la Lauffée and to the Fort de Souville a telephone connection from the Ader system and a Morse code "Modèle 1907" led
• the lighting was provided by electric and kerosene lamps in the fort and acetylene lamps in the moat defenses.

First World War

Armament

• On the ramparts (1914)

4 "Canon de 90" on a fortress carriage with 600 shells per gun

6 "Canon de 90" on a field tripod with 600 shells per gun

2 mortars "Mortar lisse de 15" in reserve (with 300 grenades each )

2 machine gun trains each with two St. Étienne M1907 machine guns on a field tripod and 43,200 cartridges

1 machine gun platoon with two St. Étienne M1907 machine guns on a tripod mount and 43,200 cartridges

• Trench defense

Double trench caponier with two "Canon revolver de 40" and 1800 grenades each, two "Canon de 12 culasse" with 150 grenades each

two single trench capons, each with a "Canon revolver de 40" with 1,800 grenades each, a "Canon de 12 culasse" with 150 grenades each

• On the Kehlwall two field guns "Canon de 90" with 600 shells each

External systems

• Battery d'artillerie de l'Hôpital 8–5: unoccupied at the start of the war
• Battery d'artillerie de tunnel 8–6: unoccupied at the start of the war
• Battery d'artillerie de Damlopup 6–5: 4 Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877 guns
• Battery d'artillerie 6–7: 4 Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877 guns
• Battery d'artillerie 6–8: unoccupied at the beginning of the war
• Battery d'artillerie 6–9: unoccupied at the beginning of the war

• Abri de combat LLM1

• Depot intermédiaire de Tavannes (Tavannes interim storage facility, built from 1891 to 1893)
• Magasin de secteur de la Renarderie (section magazine "de la Renarderie", built 1892 to 1894)
• Abri projecteur de Mardi-Gras (spotlights - concrete shelter "Mardi-Gras")
• Abri de pomperie de Tavannes (central water pumping station for the right defense belt)

Others

After the garrison had still numbered 213 men in 1914, it consisted of 208 men in 1916 and 160 men in 2017.

By the end of 1915, all guns had been withdrawn from the ramparts and taken to the front. At the end of 1915 there were still four revolver cannons (Canon revolver de 40) and four "Canon de 12 culasse" in the trench capons. At the beginning of 1916 gunpowder stocks were still stored in the warehouse so that the structure could be blown up in the event of a German advance.

At the beginning of March 1916, the garrison consisted of an infantry battalion , a machine gun company, as well as detachments of artillery and engineers . The commandant was the Capitaine Gerard from the 6 ^e régiment de hussards . He was replaced on March 30, 1916 by the Chef de bataillon De Champsavin of the 20 ^e régiment de chasseurs à cheval . Because of the poor sanitary conditions, the garrison was reduced to two infantry companies and two machine gun platoons on the night of April 2 and 3, 1016. The two machine gun platoons were replaced on April 17, 1916 by the "122 ^e compagnie de mitrailleuses" (122nd machine gun company). The number of machine guns was later increased by two and another 4 on June 8th.

Plan of the fort from 1917 with the underground tunnels known as the galleries.

In May 1916, the garrison consisted of an infantry company , a machine gun company with 12 machine guns , as well as artillery and engineer detachments.

In 1917 the caponiers were still armed and two double Pamart casemates were installed (two more were planned). There was also a concrete casemate with four machine guns and an observatoire cuirassé on the concrete barracks. In this year the underground passages (called "Galeries de 17") were created. They were up to 10 meters underground and were mainly under the concrete barracks. Access was via stairs from the casemates of the plant (two entrances), one entrance led to the outside in the south and another led into the Tavannes railway tunnel. The Pamart casemates were installed at two of the blind ends of the corridors (two more were without equipment), and the concrete machine-gun casemate (for four rifles) was located at the last end in the south. The total length of the galleries was about 1500 meters.

A so-called war entrance was also built, it was a narrow gate in the valley wall on the bottom of the trench to the left below the drawbridge. From here a passage led through the rear wall into the courtyard. The previous main entrance had become unusable.

Fighting

At the beginning of the German offensive, the plant was still 3.5 kilometers behind the front, but after the Germans had taken Fort de Douaumont, the front had approached 2.5 kilometers. In the last days of February 1916, the fort was bombarded with shells with a caliber of 380 mm; this bombardment was intensified on May 7. 15 of these shells fell on the fort or in the immediate vicinity that day. The edge of the valley wall of the trench was hit and a 5 to 6 meter long and 2 meter deep notch was made, the hollow traverse "Abri XI" and the covered passage in the south were badly damaged. A grenade pierced the ceiling of the powder magazine and detonated the 12,000 grenades it contained. The magazine was completely destroyed, there was great damage to the structure and there was a great loss of life. (The magazine was built in the usual construction method of 1774 - a 1 meter thick vaulted ceiling with 4 to 5 meters of earth cover)

The fort was used as headquarters by an order from the section commander-in-chief. In April / May 1916 there were:

• 1 division staff with artillery and engineer command
• 1 brigade staff
• 2 regimental staffs
• 1 group staff
• 1 artillery group staff
• Carrier groups of the division
• 3 pioneer trains
• 1 infantry battalion of the 2nd line (in May)

Total: 47 officers and 1,125 NCOs and men.

On June 3, 1916 between 11:30 am and 3:00 pm, 14 bullets of caliber 380 mm and 420 mm fell on the fort. Rooms no. 30 to 33, 43 and 44 were destroyed, no. 34, 45 and 46 rendered unusable. The central passage was badly damaged, but was still usable. A shell fell on the double caponier, another damaged the trench wall on the right caponier. That day cost one dead and 11 wounded.

Because of the heavy fire, the fort had to be evacuated. On June 8th, an order was issued by the High Command. Only one first aid station remained for some time.

The bombardment with medium and heavy calibers continued and was increased on June 22nd and 23rd. The masonry sections were destroyed, only rooms 36 to 40 could still be used to a limited extent. The left part of the accommodation area, which had been reinforced with concrete, was able to withstand the fire better. Two heavy grenades fell on the area of ​​rooms 17/18 and 21, causing only funnels 2 to 5 meters in diameter and 80 centimeters deep. The walls of the trench were shot in in many places. From mid-June, Fort Tavannes was only approx. 1300 m away from the German line.

In mid-July, the German artillery fire increased in all calibers to previously unknown strength. On July 10, up to 80 impacts of the calibers 210 mm, 305 mm, 380 mm and 420 mm were counted per minute. On July 11th, the fort was hit particularly hard with gas grenades. A German attack was carried out that day against the Vaux -Chapitre-La Laufée line . On July 12, there was another violent advance against the Fleury- Vaux-Chapitre line, in which the German troops were able to reach up to 1000 meters and at the beginning of August briefly even up to 250 meters from the fort.

On September 3, another heavy artillery bombardment was carried out, here again 30.5 cm M.11 mortars were used.

After the French offensive on October 24, 1916, the bombardment decreased noticeably and ceased almost entirely on December 15.

In total, more than 30,000 shell impacts of medium and heavy caliber were counted on the system.

State after December 1916

The parts that were not concreted were almost completely destroyed, while the sections with a concrete ceiling could still be used. Large breaches had been made in the trench walls, but the capons could still be used despite massive damage. Some of the damaged components had been repaired. The use (especially the underground galleries) continued until the end of the war. Then the ruin was abandoned and has been left to its own devices to this day. It is owned by the French armed forces , and entry is prohibited.

Footnotes and individual references

1. ↑ Note No. 5285 of March 25, 1886 from Minister of War Général Boulanger to the General Commanders of the Military Regions; Presidential decree of January 21, 1887 renaming the forts, fortified artillery systems and barracks, as proposed by the Minister of War, Général Boulanger
2. ^ Intermediate work of the 1st category

Web links

• Fort de Tavannes on fortiffsere

Coordinates: 49 ° 10 ′ 53 "  N , 5 ° 27 ′ 48"  E