Fort of Adelphes

Fort of Adelphes 1914

The Fort des Adelphes , briefly also called Fort Richepanse , was part of the belt fortress Fester Platz Épinal . The task was to monitor the road from Saint-Dié-des-Vosges and the eastern area of ​​the fixed place Épinal, as well as the defense of the area between the Fort de Razimont and the Ouvrage de Deyvillers .

designation

Originally it was called Fort des Adelphes , until the Minister of War Général Georges Boulanger implemented a presidential decree of January 21, 1887 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 Richepanse after the Général Antoine Richepanse 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 is located in the Bois de Molière at an altitude of 319 meters above sea level. The front points to the northeast. The individual gun positions were separated by five hollow cross beams , around the crown of the rampart ran a parapet for infantry defense. The fort does not have a gate building, the drawbridge led between two gate pillars with a lattice gate into a small kennel , which in turn could be closed with a steel gate, directly into the courtyard. The ditch caponiers were each self still surrounded by a small ditch. The dimensions of the fort are 180 × 100 meters.

The “Ouvrage d'infanterie des Adelphes” was created in the vicinity from 1888 to support.

Construction dates and costs

• Construction time: 1883 to 1885
• Construction costs: 1,200,000 gold francs

Planned modernizations

Planning 1890

• Construction of a concrete bunker barracks with 160 seats and a war entrance
• Replacement of the three capons with two single and one double throat suitcase (was discarded again)
• Reinforcement of the ceiling of the powder magazine and part of the peace barracks

Planning 1900

• Reinforcement of the cistern, the connecting corridors and the main entrance
• Expansion of the bunker barracks by 80 places
• Replacement of the three capons with two single and one double throat suitcase
• Installation of barbed wire around the fort and erection of an iron palisade fence on the Contreescarpen wall
• Construction of two Casemates de Bourges and a tank observation and fire control dome ( Observatoire cuirassé ). Installation of a Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905 .
• Estimated cost: 999,000 gold francs

Planning 1908

• Installation of an armored double machine gun turret GF 4

Planning 1913

• Construction of an external tank battery with two turrets Tourelle Galopin de 155 mm R modèle 1907 . (The work was scheduled for 1914/1915.)

Completed modernizations

1892 to 1895

• Construction of a bunker barracks with 150 places and a war entrance

1890 to 1900

• Connection of the fort to the network of the narrow-gauge railway ( gauge 600 mm). Construction of narrow-gauge tracks in the fort to transport ammunition to the gun platforms.

1900 to 1905

• Construction of wire entanglements on the glacis and an iron palisade fence on the top of the caponiers wall and in the entrance area

• 

  Pig tail posts (Queues de cochon) of the Drahtverhaus

• 

  Picket fence on the caponier (here Fort d'Uxegney )

1907 to 1908

• Replacement of the fortress guns on the ramparts with field guns

1907 to 1908

• Installation of two tank observation and fire control domes (Observatoire cuirassé) and a Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905 armored turret (ready for use on May 7, 1909)

1907 to 1910

• Construction of a second concrete barracks and a Casemate de Bourges for the space after the Ouvrage de Deyvillers

1907 to 1914

• Replacement of two single and one double trench cape by trench cutting in the Contreescarpen wall
• Reinforcement of the wall of the throat caponier with concrete

1909 to 1910

• Installation of a third tank observation and fire control dome and an armored machine gun tower Tourelle de mitrailleuse type GF 4 for two Hotchkiss M1914 rifles . (This was ready for use on April 20, 1910.)

1910

• Installation of six acetylene spotlights to illuminate the trench

1911 to 1912

• Construction of a terraced infantry position

1913 to 1915

• Construction of a power station , consisting of three generators driven by petroleum motors. Each of the Aster generators had an output of 12 kilowatts . The voltage was 110 volts . 184 lamps of 16 cd each were fed  in the barracks and corridors as well as 100 lamps of 10 cd each in the fighting positions and in the moving parts of the towers. There were also four fresh air blowers and an electrical suction device for the latrine, the barracks and the power station. Two centrifugal pumps for the well and the cistern and three centrifugal pumps for the water supply to the ditch weirs were also powered electrically.

1914 to 1915

• Connection of the fort to the civil power grid

Armament

1885

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
5 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 3 × Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 1 × Canon Lahitolle de 95 mm 1 × Mortier lisse de 22	no	6 × Canon à balle (grappling guns) 6 × Canon de 5 modèle 1858	no
Total: 22

1906

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
4 × Canon Lahitolle de 95 mm 4 × Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 6 × Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877 2 × Canon à balle (grappling guns) 4 × Mortier de 22	no	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 6 × Canon 12 de culasse	no
Total: 26

1908

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
6 × Canon de 80 modèle 1877 4 × Mortier de 22	no	6 × Canon revolvers 6 × Canon 12 de culasse	no
Total: 22

1912

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
6 × Canon de 80 modèle 1877 4 × Mortier de 22	1 × Tourelle de 75 1 × Tourelle mitrailleuse GF 4 1 × Tourelle de 155	6 × Canon revolvers 6 × Canon 12 de culasse	no
Total: 28

Equipment 1914

Original equipment

• a concrete bunker barracks with 304 seats and 325 beds
• a brick peace barracks with 306 beds
• a powder magazine with a capacity of 50 tons
• several cartridge magazines in the bunkered part
• a kitchen with 2 to 3 pots made by François Vaillant and an oven
• a bakery with an oven for 200 portions of bread a day
• 2 wells and 4 cisterns with a total capacity of 247 m³
• 1 drawbridge

Vein phone

communication

• There was no optical signal station
• There was a telegraphic connection with Fort de Razimont
• There was a telephone connection with the command center in Épinal (telephones system Clément Ader )

lighting

• Electric and kerosene lamps inside, electric and candle lamps in the towers, acetylene lamps in the moat defenses

First World War

crew

• The intended war crew consisted of:

Infantry: 2 officers and 125 men of the 170 ^e régiment d'infanterie (170 ^e RI), 4 officers and 250 men of the "43 ^e régiment d'infanterie territoriale" (43 ^e RIT)

Artillery: 1 officer and 350 men of the "8 ^e régiment d'artillerie à pied" (8 ^e RAP)

Pioneers: 11 men of the “11 ^e régiment du Genie” (11 ^e RG) and 2 telegraphists

Total: 7 officers and 519 men

• The actual war crew in 1914 consisted of:

Infantry: 1 officer and 114 men of the "170 ^e RI", 1 officer and 124 men of the "43 ^e RIT"

Artillery: 1 officer and 119 men of the "8 ^e RAP", plus one man artillery watch

Pioneers: 3 telegraph operators

Total: 2 officers and 362 men

Armament

The artillery equipment at the beginning of the war

• on the ramparts:

6 field guns "Canon de 80" with 600 shells each

4 mortars "Mortier de 22" with 300 shells

2 machine gun groups, each with a St. Étienne M1907 machine gun and 47,200 cartridges each (plus a spare rifle)

• 1 Casemate de Bourges with two Canons de 75 mm modèle 1897 and 500 grenades each (plus a replacement tube)
• 1 retractable tank turret "Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905" with two guns and 2000 shells each (plus a replacement barrel)

Fire control via a tank observation and fire control dome

• 1 retractable, armored machine gun tower "Tourelle de mitrailleuse type GF 4" with two rifles "Hotchkiss M1914", each with 75,600 cartridges (plus a spare rifle )

Fire control via two tank observation and fire control domes

an armored observation dome on the wall

• dig

2 single trench guards each with a revolver cannon with 1,800 grenades and a "Canon 12 de culasse" each with 150 grenades

1 double trench weir with two revolver cannons with 1,800 grenades each and two "Canons de 12 culasse" with 180 grenades each

1 double caponier in the throat with two revolver cannons with 1,800 grenades each and two "Canons de 12 culasse" with 180 grenades each

Equipped at the end of 1915

4 × mortars "Mortier de 22"

1 × retractable tank turret "Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905" with two guns (without ammunition)

The armored machine gun tower "Tourelle de mitrailleuse type GF 4" was without rifles, the Casemate de Bourges without guns.

The trench guards were still equipped, but without ammunition.

Equipped at the end of 1917

The findings from the Battle of Verdun led to the fort being reoccupied and placed in a state of defense.

1 × retractable tank turret "Tourelle de 75 mm R modèle 1905" with two guns and 4,000 grenades each

4 × machine gun "Hotchkiss M1914" with a total of 736,800 cartridges

2 × Canon de 75 mm modèle 1897 in the Casemate de Bourges with 2000 grenades each

External systems

• “Battery d'artillerie M8 des Adelphes”, concreted gun emplacement type 1907. Equipped with four canons de 155 L. Built between 1907 and 1908.
• "Battery d'artillerie M9 des Adelphes", not yet completed in 1914
• “Battery d'artillerie M10 bis” des Adelphes, concreted gun emplacement type 1907. Equipped with four Canons Lahitolle de 95 mm. Built from 1911 to 1912.
• “Ouvrage d'infanterie des Adelphes”, terraced infantry base with a sheltered bunker. 220 seats and 48 beds. Built in 1888, modernized from 1899 to 1900. Reinforcement of the shelter from 1911 to 1912.

Second World War

The fort only fired one day and surrendered to the Germans on June 20, 1940. They then set up guns here, which fired at Fort de Longchamp and Fort de Dogneville without much emphasis . In 1943 all steel parts were removed and scrapped by the Todt Organization .

Current condition

The Fort des Adelphes was permanently in military possession, therefore protected from decay and vandalism. It is in relatively good condition. The drawbridge has disappeared and has been replaced by a dam. The two pieces of the kennel walls were also removed. A modern accommodation building was erected in the free space between the officers' quarters of the peace barracks and the cartridge magazine. From 1990 to 2014 the fort was subordinate to the air force base "Base aérienne 133 Nancy-Ochey 'Henry Jeandet'", where the "Escadron de guerre électronique de l'armée de l'Air" was located until its dissolution housed. The fort has been used by the 1 ^er régiment de tireilleurs in Épinal for educational purposes since 2018 . Access is not possible. Coordinates: 48 ° 11 ′ 17 ″  N , 6 ° 29 ′ 48 ″  E

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. ↑ A narrow entrance was designated as the war entrance, which was set up for defense purposes and could also be used as an exit gate
3. ↑ 43rd Landwehr Infantry Regiment
4. ↑ 8th Foot Artillery Regiment
5. ↑ 11th Engineer Regiment
6. ↑ the telegraphists were among the pioneers at that time
7. ↑ "to" stands for additional

Web links

• Fort des Adelphes in Fortiff'Séré