Ouvrage Teting
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Téting is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
. Located in the Fortified Sector of Faulquemont
, the ouvrage consists of one infantry block and two observation blocks, and is located facing Germany
between petits ouvrages Laudrefang
and the Saar valley, which was to be inundated in times of emergency. With artillery support from its neighbor Laudrefang, Téting held out against German bombardment during the Battle of France
in 1940. It is presently abandoned.
s and infantry shelters surround Téting, including
Following the 15 June 1940 breakthrough by German forces through the Saar gap, the Germans advanced along the rear of the Maginot Line. The German 167th Infantry Division approached Kerfent, Bambesch, Einseling and Téting on 19 June. On 21 June 1940 Téting came under attack from 8.8cm guns. Covering fire from the 81mm mortars of Laudrefang prevented the Germans from directly assaulting Téting. The ouvrage survived until the Second Armistice at Compiègne took effect on 25 June, when it surrendered.
After World War II, Téting was in poor condition and was not chosen for renovation.
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 one infantry block and two observation blocks, and is located 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...
between petits ouvrages Laudrefang
Ouvrage Laudrefang
Ouvrage Laudrefeng 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 Einseling and Teting, facing Germany. Laudrefang was originally planned as a gros ouvrage...
and the Saar valley, which was to be inundated in times of emergency. With artillery support from its neighbor Laudrefang, Téting held out against German bombardment 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...
in 1940. It is presently abandoned.
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 January 1931. Téting was completed at a cost of 11 million francs by the contractor Générale des Travaux Publics. The petit ouvrage was to be expanded in a second phase with an 81mm mortar turret and a separate entrance block.Description
Téting comprises three infantry blocks. Blocks 1 and 2 are linked by deep underground galleries, which also provide modest space for barracks, utilities and ammunition storage. The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 metres (98.4 ft). Block 3 is not connected. A plan to provide galery access to the block in Phase 2 was not undertaken.- 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 two twin machine gun cloches (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...
. - Block 2: Infantry block with one GFM cloche, 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...
and one retractable twin machine gun turret., 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 3: Infantry/entry block with two GFM cloches, 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 block was heavily damaged by German bombardment in 1940.
Casemates and shelters
In addition to the connected combat blocks and Block 3, two small blockhouses mounting light arms are mixed among 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 Téting, including
- Casemate du Bois-de-Laudrefang Nord: SIngle block with one mortar cloche, one GFM-A cloche and one GFM-A/B cloche.
- Casemate du Bois-de-Laudrefang Sud: SIngle block with one mortar cloche, one GFM-A cloche and one GFM-A/B cloche.
- Casemate de Téting: SIngle artillery block with two 75mm gun embrasures and a GFM cloche, located well to the rear.
Manning
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Lieutenant Marchelli comprised 125 men and 2 officers of the 146th Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of both the 3rd and 4th Armies, Army Group 2. The Casernement de Téting provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Téting 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.
Following the 15 June 1940 breakthrough by German forces through the Saar gap, the Germans advanced along the rear of the Maginot Line. The German 167th Infantry Division approached Kerfent, Bambesch, Einseling and Téting on 19 June. On 21 June 1940 Téting came under attack from 8.8cm guns. Covering fire from the 81mm mortars of Laudrefang prevented the Germans from directly assaulting Téting. The ouvrage survived until the Second Armistice at Compiègne took effect on 25 June, when it surrendered.
After World War II, Téting was in poor condition and was not chosen for renovation.
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...