Ouvrage Bambesch
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Bambesch is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont
, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Kerfent
and Einseling
, facing Germany
. Completed in 1932, it is located in the Bois de Bambesch. On 20 June 1940 during the Battle of France
, Bambesch was attacked by German forces, whose artillery battered the position, which could not be effectively supported by its neighbors, into surrender. Since 1973, Bambesch has been operated as a museum and is open to the public.
Work for the unbuilt second phase included a separate entry blocks and an 81mm mortar turret block.
s and infantry shelters surround Bambesch, including
On 20 June 1940, Bambesch was attacked by German long 88mm guns of the 167th Infantry Division. Block 2 was attacked first, driving the defenders into the underground galleries. With further attacks on Block 3, the defenders risked entrapment and asphyxiation. Despite support from neighboring Kerfent, the attackers could not be dislodged, and after two hours of bombardment, the garrison surrendered.
The fort was stabilized after the war by military engineers and was acquired by the community of Bambiderstroff
in 1972, mostly to use the work's well as a municipal water supply. The site was opened to the public on 31 August 1973 by the Association des Guides de Bambesch. The fortification's machinery and equipment have been preserved.
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont
Fortified Sector of Faulquemont
The Fortified Sector of Faulquemont was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line in the area of Faulquemont to the east of Metz. With five petit ouvrages the sector was poorly equipped with fortress artillery, limiting the ouvrages ability to provide...
, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Kerfent
Ouvrage Kerfent
Ouvrage Kerfent is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks and an observation block, and is located between petits ouvrages Mottemberg and Bambesch, facing Germany...
and Einseling
Ouvrage Einseling
Ouvrage Einseling is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont, the ouvrage consists of one infantry block, and is located between petits ouvrages Bambesch and Laudrefang, facing Germany. Einseling faced a determined German attack on 21 June, 1940, during...
, facing Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Completed in 1932, it is located in the Bois de Bambesch. On 20 June 1940 during the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
, Bambesch was attacked by German forces, whose artillery battered the position, which could not be effectively supported by its neighbors, into surrender. Since 1973, Bambesch has been operated as a museum and is open to the public.
Design and construction
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, and was approved for construction in October 1931. It was completed at a cost of 11 million francs by the contractor Borie of Paris. The petit ouvrage was planned for construction in two phases. The second phase was to add an 81mm mortar turret block and a separate entrance block.Description
Bambesch comprises three infantry blocks. The blocks are linked by deep underground galleries, which also provide space for barracks, utilities and ammunition storage. The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 metres (98.4 ft).- Block 1: Infantry block with one automatic rifle cloche (GFM)GFM clocheThe GFM cloche was one of the most common defensive armaments on the Maginot Line. A cloche was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant...
and one retractable twin machine gun turret. - Block 2: Infantry block with one GFM cloches, one grenade launcher cloche (LG)LG clocheThe LG cloche was a defensive element common to many Maginot Line ouvrages. The fixed cupola was deeply embedded into the concrete on top of a combat block, with only the top surface visible. The opening permitted the ejection of grenades from the interior of the cloche, providing a means of...
, one twin machine gun embrasure and one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47AC 47 anti-tank gunThe AC 47 was a French anti-tank gun of 47mm caliber. It was principally used in the ouvrages and casemates of the Maginot Line in the late 1930s; another version was created for naval use....
). The GFM cloche has had the concrete blasted from around its base and is pocked by shellfire. - Block 3: Infantry/entry block with two GFM cloches, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 anti-tank gun embrasure.
Work for the unbuilt second phase included a separate entry blocks and an 81mm mortar turret block.
Casemates and shelters
In addition to the connected combat blocks, a series of detached casemateCasemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
s and infantry shelters surround Bambesch, including
- Casemate de Bambiderstroff Nord: SIngle block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM-A/B cloche.
- Casemate de Bambiderstroff Sud: SIngle block with two mortar cloches and one GFM-A/B cloche.
- Casemate de Bambesch: Artillery casemate with two 75mm guns and one GFM cloche, located well to the rear.
Manning
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Captain Pastre comprised 102 men and 2 officers of the 156th Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of both the 3rd and 4th Armies, Army Group 2. The Casernement de Zimming provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Kerfent and other positions in the area.History
- See Fortified Sector of FaulquemontFortified Sector of FaulquemontThe Fortified Sector of Faulquemont was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line in the area of Faulquemont to the east of Metz. With five petit ouvrages the sector was poorly equipped with fortress artillery, limiting the ouvrages ability to provide...
for a broader discussion of the Faulquemont sector of the Maginot Line.
On 20 June 1940, Bambesch was attacked by German long 88mm guns of the 167th Infantry Division. Block 2 was attacked first, driving the defenders into the underground galleries. With further attacks on Block 3, the defenders risked entrapment and asphyxiation. Despite support from neighboring Kerfent, the attackers could not be dislodged, and after two hours of bombardment, the garrison surrendered.
The fort was stabilized after the war by military engineers and was acquired by the community of Bambiderstroff
Bambiderstroff
Bambiderstroff is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
in 1972, mostly to use the work's well as a municipal water supply. The site was opened to the public on 31 August 1973 by the Association des Guides de Bambesch. The fortification's machinery and equipment have been preserved.
See also
- List of all works on Maginot Line
- Siegfried LineSiegfried LineThe original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
- Atlantic WallAtlantic WallThe Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
- Czechoslovak border fortificationsCzechoslovak border fortificationsThe Czechoslovak government built a system of border fortifications from 1935 to 1938 as a defensive countermeasure against the rising threat of Nazi Germany that later materialized in the German offensive plan called Fall Grün...
External links
- Ouvrage de Bambesch at Chemins de mémoire
- Ouvrage de Bambesch at District Urbain de Faulquemont
- Bambesch website