Fort du Bois d'Oye

Entrance "Fort du Bois d'Oye"

The Fort du Bois d'Oye (sometimes called Fort Eblé ) was a fort à cavalier (also known as the Upper Battery) in the south of the Belfort fortress . As part of the fortification ring around Belfort, it belonged to the Système Séré de Rivières . It is located at an altitude of 420 m in the territory of the municipality of Bermont . His task was to support Fort Lachaux by monitoring the Vallée de la Savoureuse, the road to Montbéliard and north of the gap in front of Belfort. It also secured and covered the spaces between the Fort de Vézelois , Fort Lachaux and Fort du Mont-Vaudois . It also had to prevent enemy forces from reaching the Dorans-Botans plateau.

designation

For a short time it was named after Général Jean-Baptiste Eblé . 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 had to 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.

history

In 1890 a shelter was built north of the fort (l'abri-caverne de Dorans) to accommodate reserve troops in the event of an attack on the Belfort fortress. Here they were to remain protected until any bombardment of the fortress was over.

Entrance to the Abri-caverne de Dorans

In 1893, like a number of others, the fort was added to the strategic railway network.

Construction time: July 11, 1883 to December 31, 1887
Crew: 17 officers, 32 NCOs, 624 men
Infirmary: 27 beds
Bakery:

2 × Lamoureux ovens with a capacity of 250 loaves per day in the peace casemate

2 × Lamoureux ovens with a capacity of 250 loaves per day in the war casemate

Cisterns:

1 × cistern of 336.7 m³

1 × cistern of 310.5 m³

1 × cistern of 156.4 m³

2 × powder magazines with 80 tons of black powder each
1 × cartridge magazine

In terms of peace, 598 beds were available.

Access was via a drawbridge. There was no optical connection by light signal to the other works, but the fort was connected to the telegraph network of the Belfort fortress.

Building description

Plan of the fort

The fort has the shape of an irregular hexagon with the front facing southeast. It has two facets at the exit angle that is slightly offset from the center to the left. As a result, the right face and the right of the two flanks are each longer than the other two. The throat is broken inwards at a receding angle. The facility is surrounded by a dry moat. This was secured at the top by a double capon on the left and right in the front area and by a capon on each shoulder point in the flank area. The access to these capons was through postern from the main building. The throat ditch could be swept by ditch painting to the left and right of the entrance gate. The structure of the fort was built from limestone blocks and filled with earth on the front. The gun emplacements were located on top of the complex and were separated from each other by trusses . Later, as part of the modernization measures, concrete reinforcements were added and armored stands were installed. The right wing of the superstructure (called the Peace Barracks) was also replaced by a concrete structure. The capons were removed and four trenches were built into the Contreescarpe . In the left shoulder point to cover the left flank ditch, in the tip to cover the left face, in the right shoulder point to cover the right face and the right flank ditch and in the right throat point to cover the throat ditch. In the withdrawn part of the gate area, there was another peace barracks below the level in the inner moat wall, from whose window the moat could also be painted. To the left and right of the drawbridge, the inner moat walls were indented and created the throat trench blows from which this area could be caught in crossfire and the throat trench covered. It originally had the same blueprint as the Fort de Vézelois.

Casemate Corps of the Peace Barracks

Planned modernizations according to the 1900 budget

Construction of an accommodation with 200 places, replacement of the three capons with a double and three single trench swipes . Reinforcement of the cartridge magazine. (Estimated cost: 1,563,000 gold francs )

In 1908, the modernization plans from 1900 were expanded to include the following armor parts.

1 × armored observation dome ( Observatoire cuirassé ) with replacement of the interstice (Casemate de Bourges) with a 75 R 05 armored turret

Replacement of the armored turret 155L by one of the 155 R 07 type

Construction of a tank battery with two 155 C turrets outside the facility. (This work was scheduled for 1915–1916.)

Modernization measures carried out

1890–1895: Construction of a shelter with 247 places outside the fort. This was called "Abri de Dorans".
1908–1909: Replacement of the three capons with a double and three single trench strokes.
1909–1915: Construction of a concrete shelter with 586 places, (443 beds and 143 seats.) Installation of an internal communication system and construction of a gap to protect the flank of Fort du Mont Vaudois .
1910–1911: Installation of an armored turret 75 R 05, four armored observation domes (Observatoire cuirassé) and an armored turret 155 R 07
1912–1913: Installation of three armored machine gun turrets, ready to fire on February 6, 1913.
1913–1914: Connection to the power grid and installation of electrical lighting, installation of electrically operated ventilation in the concrete parts of the fort and installation of an electricity station for emergency power supply with two motors and two dynamos .
1913–1914: Work on the external gun battery with two 155 C armored turrets was stopped after the outbreak of war.

Armament

1886

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
17 × Canon de 155 mm L modèle 1877 5 × Canon de 120 mm L modèle 1878 2 × Mortier lisse de 32 (320 mm) 2 × mortars Mortier de 270 modèle 1885 2 × Mortier de 220 mm modèle 1880		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × Canon Reffye de 85 mm	not built yet
Total guns: 38

1903

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
6 × Canon de 120 long modèle 1878 10 × Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877 2 × mortars "Mortier de 270 modèle 1885"		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884	not built yet
Total guns: 28

1906

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
6 × "Canon de 120 long modèle 1878" 10 × "Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877" 2 × mortars "Mortier de 270 modèle 1885"		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"	not built yet
Total guns: 28

1907

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
8 × cannons "Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877" 2 × mortars 27 "Mortier de 270 modèle 1885"		6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 4 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"	not built yet
Total guns: 20

1912

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
3 × cannons "Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877" (reserve) 2 × mortars 27 "Mortier de 270 modèle 1885"	3 × armored machine gun turrets modèle 1899 1 × armored turret 155 R 07 1 × armored turret 75 R 05 1 × space pranks ( Casemate de Bourges ) 4 × armored observation domes	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 5 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"	not built yet
Total guns: 24

1914

On the ramparts	Under armor protection	Trench defenses	External battery
7 × cannons "Canon de 90 mm modèle 1877" (reserve) 2 × mortars 27 "Mortier de 270 modèle 1885" 1 × machine gun division	3 × armored machine gun turrets 1 × armored turret 155 R 07 1 × armored turret 75 R 05 1 × space pranks (Casemate de Bourges) 4 × armored observation domes	6 × Canon revolver de 40 mm modèle 1879 5 × cannons "Canon 12 de culasse modèle 1884"	not built yet
Total guns: 29

War events

During the First World War and the Second World War , the fort was not involved in any combat operations. After 1940 the steel parts were removed by the German occupation and scrapped. It is in relatively good condition and is owned by the French army. Entry is not possible.

literature

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

Web links

Commons : Fort du Bois d'Oye - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Fort du Bois d'Oye (French)

Remarks

^ 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.
↑ with the note n ° 14980 from the same date
↑ 23 Le Bermontour BERMONT ( Memento from June 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive )
↑ The original name "canon de révolver" is misleading, as it is a multi-barrel gun based on the Gatling system. This is sometimes referred to in French as a mitrailleuse.

47.573888888889 6.8433333333333Coordinates: 47 ° 34 ′ 26 " N , 6 ° 50 ′ 36" E

[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] 23 Le Bermontour BERMONT ( Memento from June 1, 2010 in the Internet Archive )

[4] The original name "canon de révolver" is misleading, as it is a multi-barrel gun based on the Gatling system. This is sometimes referred to in French as a mitrailleuse.