Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières

Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières

Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières (born May 20, 1815 in Albi , † February 16, 1895 in Paris ) was a French engineer and general. In France he is referred to as the Vauban of the 19th century.

Life

Séré de Rivières attended the Saint-Cyr Military Academy and the Engineering College in Paris , became a lieutenant in 1841 and took part in the campaigns in Algeria and Italy. He then switched to engineering or engineering troops (pioneers) . From 1862 he was responsible for reorganizing the defense of Nice and between 1864 and 1870 for planning and building the forts of Metz . In the war of 1870/71 he took part as Général de brigade and commanded the engineer troops of the Bourbaki army . France lost this war not least because of the failure of its fortresses, which led to various investigations and the establishment of a defense commission. Séré de Rivières took on a leading position in 1873 and drafted several studies on the fortification of the eastern border, later also the northern border and the Jura. The key point was that the fortress cities were no longer left to their own devices, but became part of the overall strategic concept for the defense of France . This planned to stop the attacker advancing inland by blocking the most important road and rail connections. In February 1874 he was appointed director of the technical force ( chef du service du génie ) in the Ministry of Defense. The overall concept he designed, also known as the Barrière de fer or "Système Séré de Rivières" , envisaged the construction of fortifications in Lille , Maubeuge , Verdun , Toul , Belfort and Besançon as well as a large number of fortifications in between. Based on his plans, a total of 158 forts, 40 intermediate works and 254 batteries were built in France by 1885. The overthrow of the Waddington government also led to his ousting on January 10, 1880.

After 15 years in retirement, General Séré de Rivières died on February 16, 1895 in Paris.

literature

• Martin Egger: The French fortress construction in the years 1874-1885 - The basics of the fortress system of Séré de Rivières . In: IBA information . No. 13 , 1989, pp. 19-52 .