TeeJF
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This is the second report I'm posting from our recent trip over to France but it was actually our last exploration of the trip...
The Maginot Line, named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates and machine gun posts which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy after World War I, their grand intention being to render their country impregnable against attack for evermore. Those fortifications which face Germany tend to be referred to as 'The Maginot Line' and the fortifications strung out across the Alps facing Italy tend to be known as 'The Alpine Line'.
As history records, sadly the Line failed miserably because the Germans invaded France through the Ardenne Forest, an area the French high command considered to be impassable to the armoured forces of the day.
An armoured weapons "cloche" at PO Welschof...
It should perhaps be explained at this point that Maginot Line forts tend to be split into three rough categories:
Petite Ouvrage Welschof is located on high ground very close to the village of Gros-Réderching in the Moselle department of France. This area was part of the fortified sector of Rohrbach and is almost directly due west of Karlsruhe in Germany. The ouvrage consists of three fighting blocks, and it is mutually supported by Petit Ouvrage Haut-Poirier and Gros Ouvrage Simserhof.
ABOVE - the tactical arrangement of the Maginot Line forts in the area around PO Welschof...
Welschhof was attacked by German forces during the Battle of France and was eventually forced to surrender after withstanding more than three days of heavy artillery bombardment by both light and heavy calibre artillery. The ouvrage was repaired, re-equipped and modified after the war, as indeed were most of Maginot Line forts, in order to present a serious obstacle to the passage of Soviet forces in the event of an invasion through Germany, but it was eventually abandoned in the 1970s when it was realised that little short of nuclear warfare could stop the Russians if they chose to attack.
In 1939 the ouvrage was manned by 158 men and 3 officers from the 166th. Fortress Infantry Regiment, commanded by Captain Lhuisset. The nearby Casernement de Bining provided peace time barracks above ground together with support services for Welschhof and the other fortifications and positions in the immediate area. As with all Maginot Line ouvrages electrical power was provided by connection to the national grid above ground but in the event of a loss of power during battle two 85 horsepower SNIM diesel engine driven generators within the usine (power house) of the ouvrage delivered sufficient power to run the fort for as long as the fuel held out. Immediately to the south of the fort there remains a concrete building which housed the transformers to reduce the voltage of the grid down to that required by the fort.
Welschhof comprises three combat blocks in very close proximity to each other. The blocks are linked underground by the usual gallery system but unlike the much larger "gros ouvrages" such as Latiremont for example, there was no underground railway. Barracks, a kitchen, workshops and a fully equipped hospital are all located close to the first fighting block of the ouvrage, and there is an ammunition magazine some distance along the gallery which was constructed at an average depth of 18 metres, somewhat shallower than the other forts we have visited in the Line to date.
On the 21st. June, 1940, the Wehrmacht's 262nd. Infantry Division attacked Welschhof from the south but it was stopped dead in its tracks by the Welschof garrison together with formidable 75mm artillery support from Gros Ouvrage Simserhof's double turret to the east. Welschof's artillery observers provided fire control for Ouvrage Haut-Poirier which was engaged in counter-battery fire against a German 150 mm gun.
During the night of 21st./22nd. June, Ouvrage Haut-Poirier and Casemates Wittring, Grand-Bois and Nord-Est d'Achen, all surrendered to the Germans. During the morning of the 22nd. June, the Germans turned their attention to Welschof which was no longer covered by the positions to the west, however Gros Ouvrage Simserhof to the east continued to offer support with its 75mm turret. The Germans released two 150 mm guns from the attack on the entrance to Simserhof, and began to attack Welschof's Block 1 together with the Casemate Ouest de Singling. One hundred and eleven 150 mm rounds were fired at Block 1, eventually breaching it, but continued support fire from Simserhof prevented the German infantry from storming the ouvrage entrance. Two days later on the morning of 24th. June, Simmserhof was no longer able to support Welschof, and having learned of the fall of the Casemate de Bining, which protected Welschhof's flank, Captain Lhuisset decided to surrender.
The fort did not see action again during the Second World War, unlike some of its counterparts, even when the Americans reached the area in December 1944. The reason for this was because the Germans never occupied the fort unlike so many of the others in the Line. In 1951 repair and conversion work began on Welschhof, which in conjunction with its immediate neighbours was designated the môle de Bitche, (the Bitche fortified strongpoint), however with the creation of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined and Welschhof was amongst the first of the forts to be deactivated in 1970.
Petite Ouvrage Welschof today is still in extremely good condition when compared to the other Maginot Line ouvrages we have visited so far - in fact it is possibly the best preserved and the driest of any we have seen. Sadly though metal thieves are stripping out wiring and souvenir hunters are removing light switches and fittings. The diesel engines remain within the usine and the range is still in place in the kitchen. Unusually too, many of the original door markings are still perfectly legible. Access is seldom easy to these forts, what with deep, vertical sided moats and entrance doors plated up or concreted over, but we managed to find a way in eventually. Without doubt the usine is the crowning glory of this fort where the ouvrage name is set into the tiles high upon the wall above the generator engines.
...and that's your lot for now.
Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for looking.
L' Histoire...
The Maginot Line, named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates and machine gun posts which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy after World War I, their grand intention being to render their country impregnable against attack for evermore. Those fortifications which face Germany tend to be referred to as 'The Maginot Line' and the fortifications strung out across the Alps facing Italy tend to be known as 'The Alpine Line'.
As history records, sadly the Line failed miserably because the Germans invaded France through the Ardenne Forest, an area the French high command considered to be impassable to the armoured forces of the day.
An armoured weapons "cloche" at PO Welschof...
It should perhaps be explained at this point that Maginot Line forts tend to be split into three rough categories:
- PO or Petite Ouvrage - these were the smaller forts with two or three fighting blocks at most.
- GO or Gros Ouvrage - these were major fortifications with anything upwards of 8 or even more fighting blocks.
- Casemates - these were self contained free standing structures which were in effect a single fighting block and were usually built to "fill in" a small section of countryside between larger fortifications.
Petite Ouvrage Welschof is located on high ground very close to the village of Gros-Réderching in the Moselle department of France. This area was part of the fortified sector of Rohrbach and is almost directly due west of Karlsruhe in Germany. The ouvrage consists of three fighting blocks, and it is mutually supported by Petit Ouvrage Haut-Poirier and Gros Ouvrage Simserhof.
ABOVE - the tactical arrangement of the Maginot Line forts in the area around PO Welschof...
Welschhof was attacked by German forces during the Battle of France and was eventually forced to surrender after withstanding more than three days of heavy artillery bombardment by both light and heavy calibre artillery. The ouvrage was repaired, re-equipped and modified after the war, as indeed were most of Maginot Line forts, in order to present a serious obstacle to the passage of Soviet forces in the event of an invasion through Germany, but it was eventually abandoned in the 1970s when it was realised that little short of nuclear warfare could stop the Russians if they chose to attack.
In 1939 the ouvrage was manned by 158 men and 3 officers from the 166th. Fortress Infantry Regiment, commanded by Captain Lhuisset. The nearby Casernement de Bining provided peace time barracks above ground together with support services for Welschhof and the other fortifications and positions in the immediate area. As with all Maginot Line ouvrages electrical power was provided by connection to the national grid above ground but in the event of a loss of power during battle two 85 horsepower SNIM diesel engine driven generators within the usine (power house) of the ouvrage delivered sufficient power to run the fort for as long as the fuel held out. Immediately to the south of the fort there remains a concrete building which housed the transformers to reduce the voltage of the grid down to that required by the fort.
Welschhof comprises three combat blocks in very close proximity to each other. The blocks are linked underground by the usual gallery system but unlike the much larger "gros ouvrages" such as Latiremont for example, there was no underground railway. Barracks, a kitchen, workshops and a fully equipped hospital are all located close to the first fighting block of the ouvrage, and there is an ammunition magazine some distance along the gallery which was constructed at an average depth of 18 metres, somewhat shallower than the other forts we have visited in the Line to date.
On the 21st. June, 1940, the Wehrmacht's 262nd. Infantry Division attacked Welschhof from the south but it was stopped dead in its tracks by the Welschof garrison together with formidable 75mm artillery support from Gros Ouvrage Simserhof's double turret to the east. Welschof's artillery observers provided fire control for Ouvrage Haut-Poirier which was engaged in counter-battery fire against a German 150 mm gun.
During the night of 21st./22nd. June, Ouvrage Haut-Poirier and Casemates Wittring, Grand-Bois and Nord-Est d'Achen, all surrendered to the Germans. During the morning of the 22nd. June, the Germans turned their attention to Welschof which was no longer covered by the positions to the west, however Gros Ouvrage Simserhof to the east continued to offer support with its 75mm turret. The Germans released two 150 mm guns from the attack on the entrance to Simserhof, and began to attack Welschof's Block 1 together with the Casemate Ouest de Singling. One hundred and eleven 150 mm rounds were fired at Block 1, eventually breaching it, but continued support fire from Simserhof prevented the German infantry from storming the ouvrage entrance. Two days later on the morning of 24th. June, Simmserhof was no longer able to support Welschof, and having learned of the fall of the Casemate de Bining, which protected Welschhof's flank, Captain Lhuisset decided to surrender.
The fort did not see action again during the Second World War, unlike some of its counterparts, even when the Americans reached the area in December 1944. The reason for this was because the Germans never occupied the fort unlike so many of the others in the Line. In 1951 repair and conversion work began on Welschhof, which in conjunction with its immediate neighbours was designated the môle de Bitche, (the Bitche fortified strongpoint), however with the creation of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined and Welschhof was amongst the first of the forts to be deactivated in 1970.
Petite Ouvrage Welschof today is still in extremely good condition when compared to the other Maginot Line ouvrages we have visited so far - in fact it is possibly the best preserved and the driest of any we have seen. Sadly though metal thieves are stripping out wiring and souvenir hunters are removing light switches and fittings. The diesel engines remain within the usine and the range is still in place in the kitchen. Unusually too, many of the original door markings are still perfectly legible. Access is seldom easy to these forts, what with deep, vertical sided moats and entrance doors plated up or concreted over, but we managed to find a way in eventually. Without doubt the usine is the crowning glory of this fort where the ouvrage name is set into the tiles high upon the wall above the generator engines.
L' photographie...
The first block at Welschof is a combined fighting/entrance block. This is common on small ouvrages such as this. The larger ouvrage usually have a dedicated personnel entrance block and a dedicated ammunition entrance completely separate to the fighting blocks.
This huge rusty "thing" on the wall is all that remains of an armoured searchlight.
And we are in! If you look closely through the remains of this anti-tank weapon embrasure you can just about see our Volvo over on the road!
The doors in these forts remind one very much of being on a submarine.
Looking out through the remains of a weapons embrasure.
The access to a weapons turret situated on top of Block One.
Beyond the door you can see part of the poisonous gas filtration system for this block.
The lift down to the fort floor level. This was used for both personnel and ammunition movement.
Eighty odd steps at roughly 8 inches per step - that makes the floor level some 18 metres below the surface. Most forts we have visited have been closer to 30 metres deep.
The same lift seen at fort floor level.
The lift motor room.
The "money shot"! This is the photo everyone takes when they visit Welschof. We are entering the "usine" or generator room.
A complete generator with its associated diesel engine. This is one of two.
Looking along the usine you can see the engine on number two generator here.
Notice how parts of the engine are exposed so that they can be serviced without stripping down all of the engine. This was common practice on submarine engines and it's no surprise to find that these engines were of the same type as those used on subs.
The kitchens. This huge range has ovens, hot plates and deep fat fryers.
Presumably the dials alter the range flue draft in order to control temperature.
Huge stone sinks on the washing up side of the kitchen.
There is always a corridor running along the back of the accommodation block paralleling the main corridor which runs along the front right through the entire fort.
This is probably the fuel storage tank for the generators or possibly drinking water.
The infirmary.
The legend translates roughly to "consultation" or "examining room".
And this one translates roughly to "changing room".
Such luxurious sanitary arrangements
This appears to be a mess hall where the soldiers would take their meals and socialise when off duty.
It's fairly common to find that the soldiers have decorated the walls of their living areas. Sometimes it is the form of hand painted frescos, often of a rather risque nature (see our other Maginot Line fort reports) or "pin ups" cut out of magazines and pasted to the wall as we see here.
This photograph is NOT out of focus despite how it first appears - these magazine cuttings have lost much of their detail as the printing ink has bled through the images due to the damp. Is the first left lady Greta Garbo?
The fort commander's office.
The main tunnel running the entire length of the fort. Unlike a gros ouvrage (see our other Maginot Line reports) this petite ouvrage has no internal railway system running along this corridor.
This double air tight door is rather small and the tunnel beyond is barely big enough for a man to crawl along so it's purpose is very unclear.
The door legend translates as "workshop magazine" so again we have a slight translational enigma!
Here she comes! TJ on her way up to Block 2's fighting compartment level.
Quite why this small MG embrasure has been welded over is unclear though I suspect it had something to do with the post war conversion of the fort to improve it's strength in the face of Soviet military technology of the fifties.
Some rather cosy bunk beds for the soldiers on duty within the fighting block
Every fort has an emergency exit somewhere. This one leads out into the bottom of the 5 metre deep moat surrounding this fighting block.
We are about a metre higher than the moat bottom here and looking up at the grenade chutes down which the garrison could "post" hand grenades on to any enemy infantry attempting entry through the moat bottom.
The engineer's tool board.
Access to this block's retractable weapons turret.
TJ is about to follow me up on to the turret platform.
I am not sure what weapons this turret carried but I suspect it was machine guns.
The gun's eye view
Another weapons embrasure in a separate part of the block. Again the grenade chute is readily apparent.
This large gap in the concrete wall was probably the site of another weapons embrasure.
We are in the third fighting block now at the base of a heavily armoured retractable weapons turret.
The counter balance see saw for the turret. In order to move such a heavy weight a beam with several tons of ballast weight operates into a pit to the side of the turret. This method is common to ALL of the Verdun fort turrets (see any of our Verdun fort reports) and indeed these turrets were "left over" after WW1.
A fume ventilator. The only difference here to its WW1 counterpart is that this is electrically driven rather than hand cranked but the ventilator itself is identical to those of 25 years earlier.
The ladder up to the turret intermediate platform where the ammunition handlers worked.
The intermediate platform. The hollow central tube of the turret was used to drop spent cartridge cases away from the gun platform above and the two rising tubes either side of the central tube are ammunition risers to lift live rounds up to the guns.
Entering the turret gun compartment through the floor.
It is not clear what these racks are for behind the gunners but I suspect they were used to hold the fuses for the artillery rounds.
Another gun's eye view seen through the embrasure. You can just make out the observation cupola situated to the right of this turret.
The fighting block's unusually well preserved poisonous gas filtration system.
Close up of a filter cartridge clearly showing its markings.
Gratuitous stair porn as we leave the block It is mandatory to get some in on every report
Above ground again now, this is a fixed weapons cupola.
This is the same block where we earlier saw light out of the emergency exit.
The first block at Welschof is a combined fighting/entrance block. This is common on small ouvrages such as this. The larger ouvrage usually have a dedicated personnel entrance block and a dedicated ammunition entrance completely separate to the fighting blocks.
This huge rusty "thing" on the wall is all that remains of an armoured searchlight.
And we are in!
If you look closely through the remains of this anti-tank weapon embrasure you can just about see our Volvo over on the road!
The doors in these forts remind one very much of being on a submarine.
Looking out through the remains of a weapons embrasure.
The access to a weapons turret situated on top of Block One.
Beyond the door you can see part of the poisonous gas filtration system for this block.
The lift down to the fort floor level. This was used for both personnel and ammunition movement.
Eighty odd steps at roughly 8 inches per step - that makes the floor level some 18 metres below the surface. Most forts we have visited have been closer to 30 metres deep.
The same lift seen at fort floor level.
The lift motor room.
The "money shot"! This is the photo everyone takes when they visit Welschof. We are entering the "usine" or generator room.
A complete generator with its associated diesel engine. This is one of two.
Looking along the usine you can see the engine on number two generator here.
Notice how parts of the engine are exposed so that they can be serviced without stripping down all of the engine. This was common practice on submarine engines and it's no surprise to find that these engines were of the same type as those used on subs.
The kitchens. This huge range has ovens, hot plates and deep fat fryers.
Presumably the dials alter the range flue draft in order to control temperature.
Huge stone sinks on the washing up side of the kitchen.
There is always a corridor running along the back of the accommodation block paralleling the main corridor which runs along the front right through the entire fort.
This is probably the fuel storage tank for the generators or possibly drinking water.
The infirmary.
The legend translates roughly to "consultation" or "examining room".
And this one translates roughly to "changing room".
Such luxurious sanitary arrangements
This appears to be a mess hall where the soldiers would take their meals and socialise when off duty.
It's fairly common to find that the soldiers have decorated the walls of their living areas. Sometimes it is the form of hand painted frescos, often of a rather risque nature (see our other Maginot Line fort reports) or "pin ups" cut out of magazines and pasted to the wall as we see here.
This photograph is NOT out of focus despite how it first appears - these magazine cuttings have lost much of their detail as the printing ink has bled through the images due to the damp. Is the first left lady Greta Garbo?
The fort commander's office.
The main tunnel running the entire length of the fort. Unlike a gros ouvrage (see our other Maginot Line reports) this petite ouvrage has no internal railway system running along this corridor.
This double air tight door is rather small and the tunnel beyond is barely big enough for a man to crawl along so it's purpose is very unclear.
The door legend translates as "workshop magazine" so again we have a slight translational enigma!
Here she comes! TJ on her way up to Block 2's fighting compartment level.
Quite why this small MG embrasure has been welded over is unclear though I suspect it had something to do with the post war conversion of the fort to improve it's strength in the face of Soviet military technology of the fifties.
Some rather cosy bunk beds for the soldiers on duty within the fighting block
Every fort has an emergency exit somewhere. This one leads out into the bottom of the 5 metre deep moat surrounding this fighting block.
We are about a metre higher than the moat bottom here and looking up at the grenade chutes down which the garrison could "post" hand grenades on to any enemy infantry attempting entry through the moat bottom.
The engineer's tool board.
Access to this block's retractable weapons turret.
TJ is about to follow me up on to the turret platform.
I am not sure what weapons this turret carried but I suspect it was machine guns.
The gun's eye view
Another weapons embrasure in a separate part of the block. Again the grenade chute is readily apparent.
This large gap in the concrete wall was probably the site of another weapons embrasure.
We are in the third fighting block now at the base of a heavily armoured retractable weapons turret.
The counter balance see saw for the turret. In order to move such a heavy weight a beam with several tons of ballast weight operates into a pit to the side of the turret. This method is common to ALL of the Verdun fort turrets (see any of our Verdun fort reports) and indeed these turrets were "left over" after WW1.
A fume ventilator. The only difference here to its WW1 counterpart is that this is electrically driven rather than hand cranked but the ventilator itself is identical to those of 25 years earlier.
The ladder up to the turret intermediate platform where the ammunition handlers worked.
The intermediate platform. The hollow central tube of the turret was used to drop spent cartridge cases away from the gun platform above and the two rising tubes either side of the central tube are ammunition risers to lift live rounds up to the guns.
Entering the turret gun compartment through the floor.
It is not clear what these racks are for behind the gunners but I suspect they were used to hold the fuses for the artillery rounds.
Another gun's eye view seen through the embrasure. You can just make out the observation cupola situated to the right of this turret.
The fighting block's unusually well preserved poisonous gas filtration system.
Close up of a filter cartridge clearly showing its markings.
Gratuitous stair porn as we leave the block
It is mandatory to get some in on every report
Above ground again now, this is a fixed weapons cupola.
This is the same block where we earlier saw light out of the emergency exit.
...and that's your lot for now. Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for looking.
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