Ouvrage Bovenberg
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Bovenberg is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay
, the ouvrage is located between petits ouvrages Berenbach
and Denting
, facing Germany
. It consists of two infantry blocks and two artillery blocks.
s and infantry shelters surround Bovenberg, including
Bovenberg played no significant role in either the Battle of France
in 1940 or the Lorraine Campaign
of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.
Bovenberg remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.
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 Boulay
Fortified Sector of Boulay
The Fortified Sector of Boulay was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line to the north and east of Metz in northeastern France. The left wing of the Boulay sector was among the earliest and strongest portions of the Maginot Line...
, the ouvrage is located between petits ouvrages Berenbach
Ouvrage Berenbach
Ouvrage Berenbach, also known as Ouvrage Behrenbach, is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage is located between gros ouvrage Anzeling and petit ouvrage Bovenberg, facing Germany. The ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks and one observation...
and Denting
Ouvrage Denting
Ouvrage Denting is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Bovenberg and Village Coume, near the village of Denting in Moselle département, facing Germany...
, 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...
. It consists of two infantry blocks and two artillery blocks.
Design and construction
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency; Bovenberg was approved for construction in early 1931. It was completed at a cost of 26 million francs by the contractor Omnium of Paris. The petit ouvrage was planned for construction in two phases, the original second phase designed to expand the position into a gros ouvrage with artillery. A scaled-down second phase was contemplated in 1939. No version of the second phase was ever carried out.Description
Bovenberg comprises six infantry blocks. Block 3 is not connected to the main ouvrage. A connection was planned for Phase 2, which also envisioned an entry several hundred meters to the rear, but was not pursued in time for the war. 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/entry block with two automatic rifle cloches (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...
, three automatic rifle embrasures, 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....
). - Block 2: Infantry block with two GFM cloches and 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...
. - Block 3: Infantry block with two GFM cloches, one twin machine gun cloche (JM)JM clocheThe JM cloche is an element of the Maginot Line. It is a non-retractable non-rotating cupola of steel alloy like GFM cloches, but are armed with twin heavy machine guns, as opposed to the lighter automatic rifles associated with the GFM. There are 179 JM cloches on the Maginot Line.JM is an acronym...
, four automatic rifle embrasures, two twin machine gun embrasures and two JM/AC47 embrasures. Built essentially as a double casemate block, it is not linked by underground galleries to the rest of the ouvrage and has its own power source, two 8 hp CLM generators. - Block 4: Infantry block with one GFM cloche and two JM cloches. Nearby are a false machine gun cloche and a mock machine gun turret.
- Block 5: Infantry block with one GFM cloche and two JM cloches. Nearby are a false machine gun cloche and a mock machine gun turret.
- Block 6: Infantry block with one GFM cloche and one retractablemachine gun turret.
Casemates and shelters
In addition to the 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 Bovenberg, including
- Casemate d'artillerie de Bovenberg: Artillery casemate close to the ouvrage but not connected by underground gallery, mounting two 75mm guns in casemates with a GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Langhep Nord: Single casemate with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Langhep Sud: Single casemate with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and two GFM cloches.
Manning
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Lieutenant Lambret comprised 228 men and 7 officers of the 161st Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2. The Casernement de Boulay provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Berenbach and other positions in the area.History
- See Fortified Sector of BoulayFortified Sector of BoulayThe Fortified Sector of Boulay was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line to the north and east of Metz in northeastern France. The left wing of the Boulay sector was among the earliest and strongest portions of the Maginot Line...
for a broader discussion of the Boulay sector of the Maginot Line.
Bovenberg played no significant role in either 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...
in 1940 or the Lorraine Campaign
Lorraine Campaign
Lorraine Campaign is a term used by U.S. Army historians to describe operations of the U.S. Third Army in Lorraine during World War II from September 1 through December 18, 1944. Official U.S. Army campaign names for this period and location are Northern France and Rhineland. The term was...
of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.
Bovenberg remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.
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...