A headstone was erected a few kilometres form the Berry-au-Bac cemetery, in memory of the poet Guillaume Apollinaire, who was injured by shrapnel on 17 March 1916 in the Bois des Buttes.  He was trepanned on 9 May 1916, and died on 9 November 1918 from the Spanish Influenza Epidemic. He is recognised to have “died of his wounds for France”.

The site of Vauclair is located roughly at the centre of the "mystic triangle", at the point where the three prestigious ancient provinces of lle-de-France, Champagne and Picardy converge. Located on the left, alongside the D886, when approaching from Bouconville-Vauclair, the ruins of Vauclair Abbey rise up from the bottom of the northern slope of the Chemin des Dames (Ladies' Way).

Vauclair Abbey belonged to the order of the Cistercians that followed the rule of Saint Benedict in all its primitive purity, rejecting any changes to make life easier over the centuries, in particular concerning young people and manual labour. Vauclair Abbey was founded in the diocese of Laon (today that of Soissons), in the 12th century at the request of Bishop Barthélémy de Jur, a noble figure and remarkable founder of abbeys. On 23rd May 1134, Saint Bernard sent a group of monks from his community at Clairvaux to the new establishment in the Ailette Valley, to which he gave the name Vauclair (Vallis clara) the same as that of the mother-house (Clara vallis). Both abbeys are located in valleys running East-West in order to enjoy daylight all day long. Vauclair Abbey rapidly prospered. Several lords of the region, including Gérard Enfant et Gautier, comte de Roucy, as well as his wife Ermengarde, numbered among the Abbey's early benefactors. Another was Barthélémy de Jur, Bishop of Laon, who confirmed its foundation in 1141. After the French Revolution, the Abbey was sold cheaply at auction to a marshal from Ardon, on 9th October 1791, and turned into a farm. It was listed in 1911 before being reduced to ruins in the offensive of April 1917. Completely abandoned and rapidly deteriorating, the mutilated remains of Vauclair Abbey appeared destined to become a total ruin, but in 1965, a Cistercian monk, Father Anselme Dimier, with the support of the Tourist Office for the département and the Department for Architecture and Archaeological Circumscription, began work to restore the church and bring the ruins back to life. In 1966, he met Father Courtois who decided to lead the archaeological digs at the site, with the help of around 200 volunteer European students working to enhance historical sites.
Mairie 5 Place Rillart de Verneuil 02860 Bouconville Vauclair Tel. +33 (0) 3 23 22 42 69

The principles of the bastioned fortification were perfectly suited to this site. It houses the fortress’ living museum. Fort La Garde, inside the town of Prats-de-Mollo-la-Preste, is situated 60 kilometres from Perpignan and 13 kilometres from the Spanish border.

Fort La Garde

The place became a border town following the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) when Vallespir, Roussillon, Conflent-Capcir and part of Cerdagne were annexed to the Kingdom of France.  At the time the fortress housed some one hundred soldiers. During the Franco-Dutch War (1672-1678), the threat from Spain prompted the King of France to reinforce the strategic site. The keep was thus built in 1677 around an ancient medieval signal tower in order to keep watch over the inhabitants following the uprising of the Angelets de la Terra or ‘angels of the land’ (between 1663 and 1672, some of the population of Vallespir and Conflent revolted against the gabelle, the salt tax).

After the Franco-Dutch War, Louis XIV decided to send military reinforcements to the eastern border with Spain. Seven fortified towns were concerned including Prats-de-Molla. He commissioned Vauban for the job. In 1686, after a trip to Roussillon in 1679, he enlarged the keep and built Le Pâté à Comète (an old château with a star-shaped surrounding wall) and the main courtyard or the ‘place of arms’. The original plans also included the reconstruction of the town’s ramparts destroyed during the Revolt of the Angelets. In 1691, the engineer Rousselot, in charge of the fortified towns in Roussillon, drew up plans for an extension, supported by Vauban. The war was temporarily interrupted by the works which, while resumed during the second half of the 18th century, were never completed.

The monument is characteristic of the bastioned fortification and was adjusted to the terrain. On the southern face, there are two lines of defence in front of the keep: the countergard and the ensemble formed by the bray, the Sainte-Marguerite redan (salient) and the right-hand ledge. The northern and eastern flanks are bordered by ravines. The western flank, which was more vulnerable to attack, was protected by a complex defence system and reinforced by a place of arms and a corridor known as a "Muhammad's tomb", a construction whose shape resembled a Muslim grave.

The materials used during the construction included granite from the Costabonne Massif, schist and brick. Military escape routes were also incorporated. This consisted of a passage starting in the place with 142 steps leading underground, dating from the 18^th century, ending at a redoubt with arch machicolations, the “square tower”. A covered way, between the town and the redoubt, completed this passage that gave soldiers stationed in the town a way to enter the fort in the event of attack. The last military improvements were made in the 19th century.

Classified as a historic monument in 1925, the site was acquired by the local municipality in 1976.

Musée Vauban: the living museum at the fortress

Today, the fort houses a museum dedicated to fortifications and military history, including the different corps of the army, armements and daily life in the 18^th century. Since 1996, the visit has also included live performances. The guided tour is punctuated by reenactments that portray military training in the 18th century. Visitors are treated to stunts, demonstrations and fighting during the 90 minute tour.

Fort Lagarde in Prats-de-Mollo

Tourist Information Office

Place le Foiral 66230 Prats de Mollo la Preste France

Tel: +33 4 68 39 70 83

Fax: +33 4 68 39 74 51

E-mail: contact@pratsdemollolapreste.com

Office de tourisme de Prats de Mollo la Preste

Fort du Salbert

Route du Fort Salbert

90300 Cravanche

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau

90000 Belfort

Tel.: +33 (0)3 84 55 90 90

Fax : +33 (0)3 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quiz : Forts et citadelles

The intermediate fortification of Meroux was built between 1908 and 1913 to reinforce the line of defence between Fort of Vézelois and the Fort of Fougerais.

Small in size and with a very simple design, it represents the final step in the evolution of French fortification before the First World War.

Built entirely of concrete, it has a trapezoid shape and is surrounded by a ditch defended by two counterscarp coffers.

Access was via the ditch and all of the fort's parts are interconnected by bulletproof underground passages.

There is a parapet for infantry on top.

It could accommodate over 400 men in its barracks.

Fort of Méroux

Rue de l'Ouvrage

90400 Meroux

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau

90000 Belfort

Tel.: +33 (0)03 84 55 90 90

Fax : +33 (0)3 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

Built at the same time and following the same plans as that for Bessoncourt, Fort Vézelois was erected to cover the forts of Bessoncourt and Bois d'Oye and provide defence mainly along the roads leading from Switzerland and the Mulhouse railway.

It had the capacity for under 600 men and some 30 cannons.

As with Bessoncourt, in 1888-1889 it received a concrete shell over one third of its central barracks.

The majority of its artillery was also distributed in the exterior batteries after 1887, but no major modernisation appeared until 1909: Caponiers replaced by counterscarp batteries, shelters and parapets installed for the infantry, construction of a Bourges casemate, a 75-mm turret and two machine gun turrets.

Some underground excavation was carried out during the First World War.

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau

90000 Belfort

Tel.: 03 84 55 90 90

Fax : 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

It is a large fort made from limestone masonry with a pentagonal layout, designed to hold 650 men and some 30 artillery pieces. It is characteristic of the forts with a massif central and batterie basse (main structure and low battery) in which the long-range and short-range artillery are assembled on the rampart bordering the ditch while the infantry stand over the caponiers and on the roof of the central barracks. But shortly after it was completed, it was already outmoded and had to undergo modernisation.

It is one of the rare forts in the area to have been constantly maintained to keep abreast with technical progress: in 1888, a concrete shell was poured over one-third of the central barracks; the majority of its long-range artillery was distributed around the neighbouring batteries, the fort became a point d'appui for the infantry and underwent a complete refit (caponiers replaced by counterscarp batteries, shelters built for cannons on the flanks and concrete shelters over the ramparts, variety of fortifications). In 1908-1909, two 75-mm cannon towers and two machine gun towers were erected.

During the First World War, the fort was used as a hospital, but from 1917, fortification work resumed with the digging of deep underground rooms and galleries to provide communication with the exterior (entrances at the rear and machine gun outposts at the front).

The successive modernisations it received gave this fort a particular personality and makes it an excellent testament to the development of French fortifications between 1885 and 1918.

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort

Tel: 03 84 55 90 90

Fax: 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail: tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

La Caponnière

Fort Mont-Vaudois is located in Héricourt in the Department of Haute-Saône. A linkage between the fortified camp of Belfort and the southern curtain wall, this fort, built between 1874 and 1877, was intended to control the Lizaine valley and Châlonvillars plain in Échenans, and protect the routes to Montbéliard. Several adjoining batteries built around the fort completed its function.

Designed to hold 650 men and some 50 artillery pieces, it is a large trapeze-shaped fort with a complex internal layout. A semi-circular massif central or central structure housing the barracks is preceded by a high crest for the long-range artillery which is itself preceded by a low crest for the infantry and light artillery.

Firing in the same direction, a group of four casemates for indirect fire was placed behind this central structure. Its rear faces a line of open-air outposts firing in the opposite direction. Two doors provide a route to the exterior.

In 1889, in response to the crisis of 1885, underground casemates were dug beneath the fort to serve as bulletproof barracks during war time. However, being far down on the list of priorities, the fort had to wait until 1913 until it received any major modernisation works. Two 155 turrets, three machine gun turrets and rampart shelters were planned.

However, when the war started, only the concreting of one section of the barracks, two observation points and some underground passages were completed. The modernisation was then abandoned and the fort was restored improvising with the resources at their disposal.

Tourist Information Office

2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort

Tel: 03 84 55 90 90

Fax: 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail: tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Source text: Antoine Brolli

Fort Giromagny or Fort Dorsner stands at the southernmost point of the defensive curtain of Haute-Moselle that connected the fortified camps of Belfort and Épinal. Its role was to control the busy crossroads at Giromagny where an invasion route (from Ballon d'Alsace to Belfort) intersected with a road that bypassed the fortified camp of Belfort (the road from Masevaux to Champagney).

Built between 1875 and 1879, it had the honour of receiving the first two armoured turrets built in France (two revolving iron-clad towers each holding two 155-mm cannons) and the only ones in the Belfort fortifications before the 1900s. This trapezium-shaped fort with its compact architecture was equipped with shelter for nearly 650 men and a sizeable armament. A massif central was organised around a courtyard with attractive walls of rose sandstone. It housed the barracks and storehouses, six casemates for indirect fire and the two turrets. It was surrounded by a rampart equipped with open-air artillery outposts.

Fort Giromagny did receive some modernisation, albeit barely sufficient: Excavation of underground powder stores in 1888 then underground shelters in 1914, three observation posts (1913-1914) and some concreting to reinforce the vaults (1914-1916).

On 18 June 1940, the fort’s turrets fired missiles at the German troops before the garrison surrendered.

Le fort Dorsner et géré entièrement  par une association indépendante de tout autre organisme,

de bénévoles "l'Association du Fort Dorsner"(A.F.D.)

"l'Association du Fort Dorsner"(A.F.D.)

Tél. : 06 72 56 42 70        mail : fort.dorsner@laposte.net

Facebook : facebook.com/fort.dorsner

Ouverture au public du sommet, avec vue panoramique sur la trouée de Belfort

et ses alentours - Circuit visite libre à l’extérieur du fort.

ENTREE 3€/pers. (gratuit pour les moins de 12 ans accompagnés). 

Plus d’une heure de visite libre dans les souterrains et au milieu de l’architecture militaire.
 

OUVERTURE CHAQUE DIMANCHE 

et jours fériés du 3 juillet au 18 septembre (inclus) : de 14 à 18h (fermeture des entrées à 17h15)

Possibilité de visite guidée d’avril à octobre (Réservation obligatoire) 

pour les groupes de 30 pers. maxi (40 €/groupe).
 

Maison du Tourisme 2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort

Tél. : 03 84 55 90 90 - Fax : 03 84 55 90 70

E-mail : tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

 - Compléments d’infos sur la Citadelle - Infos pratiques (accès, horaires) de la Citadelle  -

- Tarifs - Contact infos pratiques -

Belfort is located at the centre of a broad depression between the Vosges and Jura, known as the Belfort gap. This gap links Alsace, Germany and Switzerland with the Franche-Comté region and Rhone Valley. This means that it has not only been a major route for trade, but also for invasions, which explains the fortifications here.

Walled town and Castle In the Middle Ages, a stone wall with several towers protected a small town huddled at the foot of this rock, upon which sits a feudal castle whose existence can be traced back to 1226. Rendered obsolete by the invention of the metal bullet in the 15th century, these fortifications, which had been laid siege to seven times, were in a poor state when they underwent their first modernisation. Between 1637 and 1648, the Comte de la Suze added a fortified facade to the castle. Then, at the request of King Louis XIV, the famous engineer Vauban took his turn in modernising the fortress, adding hornworks and a barracks. However, the transformation was most spectacular in the town itself: between 1687 and 1703, the old city walls were flattened and replaced by a fortified pentagonal wall that doubled the area of the town, where magazines and barracks were built. Large sections of this new wall, which was part of Vauban's "second system", remain today, including three fortified towers and the Brisach gate with its complete fortified facade. Testament to the value of these fortifications came especially with the siege of 1815, which left the fortress untaken.
The first ring of forts In the late 18th and early 19th century, as the accuracy and mobility of artillery increased, towns could find themselves threatened by canons placed by the enemy on nearby hills. To prevent the occupation of this high ground, fortifications had to be built: this signalled the appearance of the first rings of forts around towns. With the exception of a few campaign fortifications carried out at the time of the Revolution and in 1815, the first modernisations of the stronghold since Vauban began in 1817, under the orders of General Haxo. The castle was completely revised and transformed into a modern fortress and the city walls altered, whilst to the northeast of the town, the Le Vallon entrenched camp was built, including the La Miotte and La Justice forts. Then, in 1857, a wall around the outskirts was foreseen, with the building of front 3 4 to the West of the town. The increase in the range of canons resulting from the appearance of rifled artillery the following year made new works to the South and East of the town essential. The Barres fort was built between 1865 and 1870. Lastly, in 1870, the first extension to the town's defences was completed, with the terraced redoubts of Les Perches and Bellevue (on the site of the current cemetery of the same name). Belfort underwent the memorable siege of 1870-1871, from which it emerged undefeated, with a ring of advanced forts located at a distance of around 1,200 - 1,500 metres from the original fortified city walls. After the war, as part of the "Séré de Rivières" programme, the Les Perches forts were rebuilt and a wall was built around the outskirts.
The castle The Belfort citadel has three concentric walls. Starting from outside the fortress, the first is the exterior wall, which contains Vauban's old hornworks, then there is the intermediate enclosure that contains a group of artillery casemates.
These two enclosures (built between 1820 and 1840) are the work of General Haxo. After the intermediate enclosure, the impressive structure of the Comte de la Suze's crownworks (1637-1648) comes into view. Overlooking this, a cavalaryman (a terreplein built on top of another work, doubling its firepower) houses the artillery casemates (1819-1826), behind which are the main courtyard and pink sandstone barracks dating from 1826. All that remains today of the mediaeval fortress is the well, the ditch (covered over and converted into a barracks in 1749) and the 13th-century Bourgeois tower. The castle was equipped with around a hundred open air or casemate-located canons and could provide safe shelter for over 1,000 men. It played a key role in the 1870-1871 siege and housed the stronghold command post until 1940.
Started in 1831, in roughly triangular shape, this is a bastioned fort with a cavalryman, designed to house around ten open-air canons.
On the western bastion is a tower that serves as a lookout. Hit by shell-fire in 1870-1871 and 1940, it was rebuilt each time, though more for sentimental than military reasons. Indeed, before the fort was built, this place was the site of a very old stone tower of uncertain origin and purpose, which became highly symbolic to the people of Belfort.
Strongly fortified in a roughly triangular shape, with two cavalrymen and a barracks for around 300 men, construction of La Justice fort began in 1826 to house around twenty open air artillery pieces.
On 18th June 1940, the fort's small garrison held out against the enemy for 9 hours, at the cost of heavy casualties. Vallon Facade Started in 1831 and finished in 1842, the Vallon Facade is a rampart, with a gate through it, connecting the La Miotte and La Justice forts and blocking the road to Alsace. With the natural rampart created by the hills of La Miotte and La Justice, this forms a protected quadrilateral: the entrenched encampment of Le Vallon, designed to act as an assembly area for a field army in times of war (and a refuge where necessary).
Les Barres was one of the last bastioned works to be built in France. Although some features are evidence of a reaction to advances in artillery, especially rifled artillery, Les Barres fort is largely traditional.
This large crownwork (one bastion and two half-bastions) was constructed between 1865 and 1870 to occupy the high ground of Les Barres in order to avoid enemy activity against the town's outskirts and Vauban's enclosure. The rampart is equipped for 25 open-air artillery pieces plus one in a casemate. The gorge is blocked by a single crenulated wall. Two impressive cross-members overhang the huge internal esplanade, each housing a powder magazine. A third powder magazine and a casemated barracks are contained under the ramparts. Over the frontage, a crenellated gallery runs the length of the scarp; this enabled the ditch to be fired upon. The powder magazine of the major central cross member was reinforced with a concrete shield in 1889. In 1893, large barracks were built on the internal esplanade to accommodate the stronghold's foot artillery regiment. After the demolition of these barracks when returned to civilian use, the fort regained its original appearance, apart from on one flank, where a road has been built through it.
Tourist Office 2 rue Clemenceau 90000 Belfort Tel.: +33 (0) 384 55 90 90 Fax: +33 (0) 384 55 90 70 E-mail: tourisme90@ot-belfort.fr Fortifications and Belfort Castle Free Parking Unaccompanied visits Guided tours No handicapped access Guided tours for groups by appointment

The fortress, located on the hill at Montrond, at the confluence of the Cher and Marmande valleys, provides a unique panoramic view of the development of military architecture from the 13th to the 17th century. The restoration of the fortress, mainly based on voluntary, also contributes to the originality of its history. The first building was constructed on this site in 1225 on a mound approximately forty metres high, overlooking the Cher and Marmande valleys. The base of a robust, cylindrical"Philippian"keep, 16 metres in diameter and with walls over 4 metres thick at the base, was uncovered between 1977 and 1980.

A major reconstruction campaign was led by Charles d'Albret in the early 15th century, after the destruction wrought by the English. Restoration of the site, badly damaged by the conflicts in the 16th century, was led in the 17th century by Maximilien de Béthune, Duc de Sully who bought the Chateau in 1606, later followed by the Condés. Sully converted it into a residence, restoring, enlarging and embellishing the old fortified castle to turn it into a luxurious residence, in the tastes of the day and in line with his wealth. He also modernised the defences, which had not kept pace with the development of artillery. He sold the chateau to Henri II de Bourbon, prince of Condé, in 1621. Henri completed Montrond's conversion into a redoubtable fortress that would cause great concern to the Royal forces during the Fronde rebellion. For the fortifications, he employed a specialist, Jean Sarrazin, known as the "Prince's Mathematician" or "the intendant of fortifications". Sarrazin worked for over ten years on the design and construction of the powerful network of fortifications reinforced by tiers of bastions up the side of the hill, which inspired other French, Italian and Dutch military engineers of his time.
Finished around 1650, Montrond Fortress was considered to be one of the strongest in France. It is an example of reinforced façade fortification, using a line of constructions on several tiers, depending on the topography of the hillside. These were separated by numerous ditches dug into the rock which were often connected by underground passages. This is also the only example of this type of fortification in the center of France. During the Fronde rebellion, Montrond was the last du Berry and du Bourbonnais stronghold to hold out against the Royal armies. The siege began in October 1651 and only ended on 1st September 1652, with the capitulation with a garrison that was exhausted, starving and decimated by disease. Mazarin ordered the fort to be demolished, with most of the reinforced façade works and entrances to the underground paths mined. The Chateau was abandoned around 1735. It was used as a source of stone by the inhabitants of Saint-Amand in the revolutionary period and converted into a public promenade from 1834. The site will experience ultimately a renaissance in 1970, thanks to the initiative of young volunteers and the creation of an association, Chase Even today, the rehabilitation of the fortress continues, with ever-new discoveries.
Association C.H.A.S.A 10, Allée du Prince de Condé 18200 Saint Amand Montrond Tel: +33 (0) 248 96 79 64 Fax: +33 (0) 248 96 47 36 e-mail: chasa.montrond@wanadoo.fr Guided tours 1th April- 30th September Every day except Monday Timesof tours: 10.00am, 2.00pm, 4.30pm Outside of this period and these hours, tours are available on request.

In May 1940, the village of Stonne was the scene of fighting between the Wehrmacht and French tanks. Taken and retaken seven times in four days, the place was completely destroyed.

A memorial, which today also marks the start of a tourist trail in the centre of the village, commemorates the French army’s efforts of resistance against the German invasion. 

In 1940, France believed it was protected by the Maginot Line. The Ardennes mountain range was considered impassable. The defence in Meuse was assured by the 2nd Army under Huntziger from the Bar valley to Longuyon, whereas the Sedan region was defended by the 10th army corps under Grandsard.

In the month of May, the Germans attacked the Ardennes in order to breach the mountains at Sedan.

On 11th May, the French cavalry, which had gone ahead of the Germans in Belgium, retreated. Huntziger changed his system, in vain: the Wehrmacht was at the entrance to Sedan on 12th May and began operations to cross the Meuse the very next day.

On 14th May, the Germans forced their way through at Nouzonville cemetery and were in a position to take the defenders of Monthermé from the rear. Huntziger reinforced the defensive system in place on the Stonne-Forêt du Mont Dieu line. However, he had to abandon the area of land between Chiers and Meuse, which ended up widening the distance between the 1st and the 10th armies.

On 15th May, the Germans took the offensive on Stonne with aircraft and panzers. Between the 15th and 18th May, the village changed hands 19 times and the losses – 33 French tanks and 24 German panzers – are a testament to the fierceness of the battle to hold this strategic position. In order to turn the position around, the Wehrmacht started an offensive in the direction of Tannay, on 23rd May, took down the 1st Hussards Regiment there and seized the village on 24th May. Nearby, the 3rd Colonial Infantry Division (3rd DIC), that held the Forêt du Mont Dieu, was forced to withdraw along a narrow corridor the night of the 24th May and permanently abandon the area. This battle took the lives of 3,000 Germans and 1,000 members of the French Army.

A remembrance memorial was created comprising:

• 1 monument in pink granite engraved with the names of all the units that fought in the region,

• 1 B1 bis battle tank, the same as those that won fame here during the first tank battle in the last world war,

• 1 viewpoint indicator showing the different lines of resistance,

• 1 wall representing the ruins embedded with two black marble plaques, one showing the progress of the battle, the other a map of the history trail.

At the bottom of the hill in Stonne (known locally as "Sugar Loaf Hill"), a modern AMX 13 tank is a tribute to all armoured armies, from the first to the last: the Leclerc tank.

The remembrance tourist trail passing through the villages bearing witness to the battles of May and June 1940 is signposted and dotted with information panels. Fourteen stages retrace the events that unfolded in these villages, an homage to the 5,000 French soldiers who fell on the field of honour in this area during the Battle of the Ardennes.

Tourist Information Office for the cantons of Carignan, Mouzon and Raucourt Le Paquis de Frappant

08110 Mogues

Tel.: 03.24.29.79.91

Fax: 03.24.29.79.45

E-mail : officedetourismedes3cantons@wanadoo.fr

The grounds of the psychiatric hospital in Cadillac-sur-Garonne, a bastide founded in the 13^th century with the support of the King of England, received 98 World War One veterans with facial and brain injuries.

Its old cemetery keeps their memory alive... Among the belligerent countries involved in WWI, France and Germany mobilised the largest number of men of fighting age: 80% of all men between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine.

Once the armistice had been signed, alongside the families of the 1,375,800 dead and missing, the country had to take care of 4,266,000 injured veterans, of which there were ten to fifteen thousand with facial injuries, called “Gueules Cassées”, a term that originated with Colonel Yves Picot, founder of the Union des Blessés de la Face (Union of Facial Injury Victims). Victims of the brutality of the first industrial conflict, during which 70% of injuries were caused by incessant artillery fire, these men were desocialised by the war. They had to re-learn civilian life, deal with their handicaps, and live under the eyes of a nation embarrassed by these heroes who did not “Die for France”, a reflection of the country’s condition at the end of the war.

To the north-east of the bastide of Cadillac, in the Gironde department, the “brain injuries” section at the psychiatric hospital contains the graves of 98 injured veterans who came back from the front mentally ruined and were put here to live out the rest their lives, as at the establishment in Moussy-le-Vieux (Seine-et-Marne) and Coudon (Var).

These men were doubly forgotten after their deaths because, as they were patients at the psychiatric hospital, their deaths were not recorded by a municipal officer. Their tombs and their identification markers, many of which have fallen off, are now anonymous.

Two plaques were presented, however, in 1937 and 1956 by veterans from the Gironde department at the initiative of the Saint-Blaise Association in Cadillac, honouring “the memory of their comrades, victims of brain injuries in the War of 1914-1918”.

Website: Mémoire des hommes

The Ouvrage Rohrbach comprises 2 combat blocks, both of which can be visited, an entrance and a veritable small town dug in under 25 metres of limestone. The crew’s 173 men under the command of Captain de Saint Ferjeux enjoyed the comforts provided by modern kitchens, an electric generator, an effective ventilation system and the barracks. Its weaponry comprised an infantry casemate a 2 AM turret, and an infantry casemate with an AM turret.

Ouvrage Rohrbach is located between Sarreguemines and Bitche (N62) at Rohrbach-les-Bitche, heading toward Guising

The structure can be visited on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays at 3 pm.

Fortweb website on European fortifications

Website dedicated to the Maginot Line

Quizz : Forts and citadels

Located close to the Metz-Saint Avold-Sarrebruck road, the Ouvrage Bambesch is made of three blocks connected by underground galleries.

The fort was built in 1932 to the east of the Bois de Bambesch and was part of the fortified sector of Faulquemont. Following the French army’s retreat in June 1940, the isolated structure was surrounded and attacked on 20 June 1940 by German troops in the 167th infantry division. Demolished by an 88mm anti-aircraft and anti-tank cannon, block 2 (south) was evacuated and the men took refuge in the gallery 30 metres underground. The enemy finally attacked block 3 which risked trapping the crew at any moment under the building. After the war, the building was maintained by military engineer specialists until the fort was bought by the town of Bambiderstroff.

The site opened to the public on 31 August 1973. All the installations are in good condition, Including machines, soldiers’ barracks, infirmary, electrical installation and firing chambers. The remains of the former barracks built just next to the outpost have been cleared to improve the view.

Guide association

M. Deguglielmo Tel: +33 (0)3 87 90 31 95

Bambiderstroff Town Hall

Tel: +33 (0)3 87 90 30 11

Fax: +33 (0)3 87 90 41 74

The building is open every second and fourth Sunday from April to September and Easter Monday, Whit Monday and 15 August. Group tours even on weekdays available on request.

Site Fortweb sur les fortifications européennes

Site consacré à la ligne Maginot

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

The Fort of Michelsberg is a major artillery structure on the Maginot Line. Its construction began in 1930 and was completed four years later. The structure is made up of an entrance block and five combat blocks; it could thus align 6 cannons (from 47 mm to 135 mm), two 81-mm mortars and several dozen rifles and machine guns. It had a fire capacity of one metric tonne of shells a minute with a range of up to 13 km. This small subterranean town, located 30 m under ground, was operational thanks to its 515-man crew. In 1939-40, the Fort of Michelsberg was put to the test and had to push back an attack by the German 95th Infantry Division.
Weaponry Block 1: machine gun turret, Block 2: infantry casemate, Block 3: 81-mm turret, Block 5: 75-mm turret, Block 6: 135-mm turret.

Designed to house 495 men, operating with four 120-horse SGCM engines.

 

The structure is located between Thionville and Bouzonville just outside the village of Dalstein, heading toward Ebersviller.

Association Ouvrage du Michelsberg "22 Juin 1940"

6, rue du Docteur Schweitzer 57100 Thionville

Tél. 03 82 34 66 67

Email: o.michelsberg@wanadoo.fr

Open every Sunday from April to September, from 2 pm to 6 pm, and year round by appointment.

Fortweb website on European fortifications

Website dedicated to the Maginot Line

Quizz : Forts and citadels

The Abri de Bichel Sud (South Bichel Infantry Shelter) was designed for interval troops, the 80 men of the 167th Fortress Infantry Regiment. For this it was equipped with two diesel engines providing lighting and, more importantly, perfect ventilation. For food, a wood-burning stove was used to make hot meals. A coal-fired boiler provided heating for the entire unit thanks to a radiator system installed on the ventilation. The unit had chemical toilets and a bathroom with running water. The shelter was only equipped with weapons to ensure its own security, i.e.: 5 slits in the concrete for 24/29-model machine guns, 2 slits for 24/29-model machine guns grafted onto the armoured doors, 2 GFM cloches (lookout– machine gun) that could be equipped with machine guns, 50-mm mortars, periscopes and various observation devices. The shelter is currently undergoing restoration work.

The Abri de Bichel Sud shelter is located near the village of Elzange

Visits by appointment only :  email  contact@bichel-sud.net

Website dedicated to the Maginot Line

LM SFBC website

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Quizz : Forts and citadels

The Plateau des Glières and the Gilioli Monument A magnificent plateau situated at the heart of the Haute Savoie at an altitude of 1440m, the site of les Glières is not to be missed. An important place for the Résistance movement during the Second World War, its mountainous and therefore strategic territory made the Plateau des Glières an ideal place for parachuting in weapons for the local resistance movement. On the 31st January 1944, because of the "insurrectionary" situation, on the orders of the German authorities the collaborating Vichy government decided to bring the Resistance movement to an end and imposed a state of siege on the département. The same day, 120 maquisards under the orders of Lieutenant Tom Morel, head of the resistance fighters of the Secret Army in the Haute Savoie, climbed up to the Plateau des Glières to receive some parachute drops. The maquisards were former officers of the 27th Battalion of Alpine Chasseurs of Annecy, Spanish Republicans and Francs-Tireurs et Partisans(Partisan irregular riflemen) united by the same desire to liberate France. On the 26th March 1944, a large scale attack involving around 10,000 men was carried out by German troops and the French militia. The numbers involved were disproportionate to the 465 maquisards on the Plateau. After carrying out reconnaissance missions, the maquisards received the order from Captain Maurice Anjot, now in charge of the underground movement (maquis) following the death of Tom Morel, to retreat in the evening. 129 maquisards and 20 resistance fighters from the valleys, who had been unable to escape being surrounded by the forces carrying out the order, were killed during the fighting or were shot by firing squad or died during their deportation. From the start, the Battle of les Glières was the symbol of the French Resistance movement, thanks to radio broadcasts from London. In the months that followed, the maquis restructured in order to arrange a new parachute drop, which would take place on the 1st August. This allowed the liberation of the Haute-Savoie on the 19th August 1944, before the allied troops even arrived. On the 2nd September 1973 Emile Gilioli's National Monument to the Resistance, built on the initiative of the Survivors of les Glières, was inaugurated by André Malraux. It is not a monument to the dead, but rather a symbol of hope. Today there is a sign-posted circuit accessible for all levels of walkers along the parachute drop areas, guiding visitors along the Plateau des Glières which is now very much a part of the collective memory. The information boards along the walk tell of the daily life of the maquisards and the events of February and March 1944.

Footpaths of Remembrance On the plateau, there are footpaths to help you learn about the site of the parachute drops and the how the defence of the plateau was organised: The "Tom Morel" footpath, the only way of accessing the plateau in winter, was the route taken by supplies for the maquis. The footpath of "The Attack", which is relatively difficult due to its unevenness, was used by liaison agents of the Maquis of Les Glières. The Germans also took it during the attack of the 26th March 1944 at Monthièvret. The "Skirmish or "Black Water" footpath, which owes its name to the stream that comes from the Ablon valley and runs across blackish detrital rocks, was taken mainly by resistance fighters from Thorens. This is where the Militia lost heir first man. The footpath of the "Final Assault" allows access to the alpine pasture land of Champ-Laitier, which was attacked on the 16th March 1944. The "Spanish" footpath was the crossing point of a group of Spaniards from Nâves-Parmelan, as well as three Italians. Before them, the forest ranger of the sector had taken this path to accompany young draft dodgers to the Compulsory Work Service on the Plateau des Glières. A lookout post established on the Pas du Roc by the resistant fighters effectively sealed this crossing point. No attacker dared try his luck there. The footpath of "the Ultimatum" was a royal access route to the Plateau des Glières. It was secured down in the valley by the Vichy forces and up on the plateau by the maquisards. Two days before the German assault, it was taken by a group delivering the ultimatum for surrender. The Site of Morette
Located at the gateway to the Thônes valleys, the historic departmental site of Morette is composed of three major places: the National Necropolis of Les Glières the Departmental Museum of the Resistance the Departmental Memorial of the Deportation The National Necropolis of Les Glières The bodies of 105 resistance fighters, mainly soldiers from Les Glières, killed by the Germans and French forces of law and order rest in the Necropolis. The Departmental Museum of the Resistance is located in a high mountain chalet dating back to 1794 and representative of those that housed the maquisards. Created in 1964 by the Association of Survivors of les Glières, the original idea was to house all the souvenirs and documentation held by the Survivors in the museum. It became a departmental museum in 1978. It has displays on 3 levels offering an opportunity to follow the successive periods of the worldwide conflict, from 1939 up to the liberation of the Haute-Savoie in August 1944. The Departmental Memorial of the Deportation provides a deeply moving insight into the Nazi camps (photographs, maps of the Nazi camps, poetry by the deportees and uniforms etc.) Created in 1965 by the Association of Deportees, Internees and Families of the Haute-Savoie and associated with the National Union of Associations of Deportees, Internees and Families (l'Union Nationale des Associations de Déportés, Internés et Familles or UNADIF), it has now become a departmental Memorial. The current building houses an intentionally low key exhibition that claims to bear a message of remembrance and vigilance.
Site de Morette 74230 La Balme de Thuy Tel: +33 (0) 4 50 32 18 38 Memory of the Maquis Tel: 04 50 33 21 31 Opening hours of departmental websites Every day except Saturday from 9:30 to 12:30 and 13:30 to 17H In July and August, 7 / 7 days from 10am to 12.30pm and from 14H to 18H Morette site: closed in December and January Plateau Glières: closed from 1 October to 1st Saturday of the Christmas holidays included Information and reservations Guided tours can be arranged throughout the year, during the opening hours, by reservation. Educational activities on reservation.
Conseil Général de la Haute-Savoie Direction des Affaires Culturelles Service Mémoire et Citoyenneté 18, avenue du Trésum 74000 Annecy Tel: +33 (0) 4 50 51 87 00 Fax: +33 (0) 4 50 51 86 98 E-mail: resistancedepartementale74@cg74.fr