Fort de Vézelois

Throat ditch with a removable bridge

Plan of Fort Vézelois (identical to Fort du Bois d'Oye )

The Fort de Vézelois , (temporarily Fort Ordener ) was part of the belt fortress Fester Platz Belfort and was built between 1883 and 1886. It is located to the east of the fortress at an altitude of 390 meters above sea level and lies in the territory of the communes of Meroux and Vézelois .

designation

For a short time it was named after Général Michel Ordener . 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. Nonetheless, it still bears the name “Fort Ordener” above the main entrance, like some others where the “nom de Boulanger” has not been removed.

description

It was a so-called intermediate work (ouvrage), which was constructed according to the guidelines of the Système Séré de Rivières . In 1893, like a number of other forts in the Belfort area, it was connected to a strategic railway line (a so-called ring railway - "Chemin de fer militaire stratetique") with a gauge of 60 cm.

The fort had the task of controlling the connection to Delémont and Basel and sealing it off if necessary. It continued to block the line Bois d'Oye-Bessoncourt and secured the defense of the spaces together with the Fort du Bois d'Oye , Fort de Bessoncourt and the Ouvrage de Chèvremont . Its construction plan and the architecture reveal the close relationship to the "Fort de Bessoncourt". It was not involved in any fighting.

The “Système Péchot” locomotive for the Belfort fortress ring railway

Canon de 90

General data

• Crew: 10 officers , 566 NCOs and men
• Powder magazine capacity: 94 tons of black powder
• Cartridge magazine: 1
• Powder laboratory: no
• Bakery: 2 “Lemoureux” ovens, each serving 250 portions a day
• Water supply: 2 wells and two cisterns of 183 m³ each
• Main entrance: Secured by a removable bridge
• Light signal station: no
• Electric telegraph: connection to the other works
• Accommodation in the Friedenskaserne: 268 beds (1914)
• Accommodation in the protected rooms: 549 beds, 78 seats (1914)

Planned modernization according to the 1900 project

• Replacement of the three front trench capons with three throat cases in the Contrescarpe . Installation of a turret with a 75 mm cannon and an armored observation post.
• Reconstruction of the parapets and construction of a space in between (Casemate de Bourges) equipped with two Canon Lahitolle canons de 95 mm

Also planned for 1907:

• Installation of three machine gun towers and an armored observation post ( Observatoire cuirassé )

Reinforcements of the fort that were planned after 1908 were not included in the planning.

The total cost of the planned work was estimated at 814,000 gold francs.

Modernizations actually carried out

• 1888–1889: Construction of concrete shelters (Casernement bétonné) for 204 men
• 1909–1912: Reinforcements of the galleries, the powder magazine and a cistern. Construction of the space pranks with field of fire to the “Fort du Bois d'Oye” and replacement of the three front trench capons with three throat suitcases in the Contrescarpe
• 1910–1911: installation of two armored observation posts and a turret with a 75 mm cannon. This was ready for use on October 13, 1911.
• 1911–1912: Installation of two machine gun towers, which were ready for use on April 18, 1912.
• 1913–1914: Connection to the municipal power grid, equipment with electrical lighting, construction of a power plant with two drive motors and two electric generators .

Armament

1886

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses
2 × guns " Canon de 155 mm L " 5 × guns " Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 " 4 × guns " Canon Lahitolle de 95 mm " 2 × mortars " Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880 " 1 × mortar "Mortier lisse de 32" (320 mm)		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 (40 mm) 6 × cannons " Canon Reffye de 85 mm "
Total guns: 28

1903

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses
13 × cannons " Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877 " 1 × mortar "Mortier lisse de 32" (320 mm)		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 (40 mm) 6 × cannons " Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884 "
Total guns: 26

1906

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses
13 × cannons "Canon de 90" (90 mm) 1 × mortar "Mortier lisse de 32" (320 mm)		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 (40 mm) 6 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"
Total guns: 26

1907

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses
11 × cannons "Canon de 90" (90 mm) 1 × mortar "Mortier lisse de 32" (320 mm)		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 (40 mm) 6 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"
Total guns: 24

1912

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses
11 × guns "Canon de 90" (90 mm) (reserve) 2 × mortars "Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880" 2 × mortars "Mortier lisse de 32" (320 mm)	2 × armored machine gun turrets modèle 1899 1 × tank turret (Galopin system) with two cannons 75 R05 (75 mm) 2 × armored observation towers 1 × space prank with two guns "Canon de 90"	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 (40 mm) 6 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"
Total guns: 30

1914

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses
13 × cannons "Canon de 90" (90 mm) (reserve) 2 × mortars "Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880" 2 × mortars "Mortier lisse de 32" (320 mm) 1 × machine gun division	2 × machine gun turrets 1 × "Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905" 2 × armored observation towers 1 × space prank with two guns "Canon de 90"	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 (40 mm) 6 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"
Total guns: 32

During the Second World War , the tank parts were removed by the German Todt organization and used for steel production. The concrete shelters were used as ammunition stores. When the French army repossessed the fort after the end of the war, they also used it as an ammunition depot until it was abandoned in the 1990s. The fort is in good condition today and is looked after by an association that enables tours during the summer months.

See also

• Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières

literature

• Le Petit Larousse de l'histoire de France. Editions Larousse.
• Alain Hohnadel, Philippe Bestetti: La Bataille des forts. Editions Heimdal, Bayeux 1995 ISBN 2-8404-8087-5 .

Web links

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

• Les forts Séré de Rivières www.fortiffsere.fr le fort du Vézélois
• Fort de Vézelois on Chemins de Mémoire (French)

Footnotes

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. ↑ "nom de Boulanger" refers to the name given to Boulanger
4. ↑ All of these guns were not in covered shelters, but freely on the ramparts - only protected against splintering by means of embankments (so-called traverses)
5. ↑ The original name "canon de revolver" 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.

Coordinates: 47 ° 36 ′ 2 "  N , 6 ° 54 ′ 28"  E