TeeJF
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So it's time for the third of our Verdun fort reports from this year's trip across...
Fort Sartelles was constructed during the second phase of the extensive fort building scheme carried out around Verdun following the Franco-Prussian War. As such it had far better blast and penetration protection against heavy German artillery which was advancing in quantum leaps at that time. The earlier "panic forts" constructed in great haste immediately after the cessation of hostilities less than a decade before had relied for protection upon a strong masonry shell surrounding an air gap, and within this was constructed the masonry interior structure of the fort. This system proved woefully inadequate because the new German artillery shells not only penetrated much further due to their new shape, but they also packed a far mightier punch due to the composition of their new explosive. Thus two enormous escalations of the arms race of the time in rapid succession drastically changed the construction techniques of the forts practically overnight.
The "panic forts" had relied upon portable artillery pieces sited within the fort, together with huge masonry and earth shielded shelters for the crews and ammunition storage. Localised small arms support was afforded by the garrison infantry sheltering behind ramparts on the top of the forts. This next generation of forts, of which Sartelles was one of the first to be built, relied instead upon self contained, armoured fighting turrets constructed of steel and concrete. Unlike some of the other forts though Sartelles did not have any artillery turrets but was armed instead with two twin Hotchkiss machine gun turrets. Each turret was supported by an armoured observation "cloche" which consisted of a narrow concrete tube almost to the surface, capped with a 7 inch thick armoured steel dome through which observation officers could direct the fire of the adjacent MG turret. The one shown BELOW is located at nearby Fort Douamont which was built only four years after Sartelles so it is to all intents and purposes identical.
Fort Sartelles underwent two periods of modification before the outbreak of the Great War, and these included the up-armouring of the fort, and the construction of two Bourges Casemates to provide a "quick fix" artillery addition in the form of FOUR fast firing 75mm artillery pieces. The fort variant of this gun had no wheels or axle for horse drawn transportation unlike the field version of the gun, rather it has a fixing point at the front which was anchored to a pivot point directly behind the firing port of the casemate, and a pair of small wheels set at 90 degrees to the barrel (which can be clearly seen in the photograph) enabled the gun to run on semi-circular tracks within the casemate through a fixed arc, thus facilitating the fastest possible traverse to the point of aim.
The moat protection was also radically improved by the construction of one single and one double counterscarpe gallery accessed by tunnels travelling beneath the moat. The existing gorge caponniere protecting the front of the fort and the drawbridge access was retained. The reason for the move to counterscarpe galleries rather than a continuation of the use of capponieres was the fact that the roof of a caponniere has to be massively reinforced in order to prevent the destruction of the fighting gallery within by plunging howitzer or siege mortar ordnance. As with all the Verdun forts, and indeed most of the French forts, protection of the moat against enemy infanctry and pioneers was achieved with Hotchkiss "Revolver Canons", a kind of Gatling Gun with five 37 mm barrels. Capable of firing 43 rounds per minute with an accurate range of 2000 yards, they were more than adequate for the defence of the short moat sections. Additionally infantry manned firing ports within the fighting galleries armed with rifles and light machine guns, and large horizontal ports at knee level allowed the "posting" of hand grenades into the moat.
In 1917, following the Battle of Verdun, a need was identified for the construction of connecting corridors between the individual fighting compartments within all the Verdun forts - Fort Vaux had fallen for want of drinking water even though isolated areas of the fort had been able to continue the fight after German infantry had penetrated the fort. A system of modifications began early in 1917 but most of the so called Travaux 17 (literally 1917 works) tunnels were never properly concrete lined. Consequently many have collapsed today or are barely hanging on, held up by the rotten remnants of wooden pit props.
The actual construction techniques of the Verdun forts did not vary greatly beyond that which we have already mentioned regarding the phases of construction in answer to the various artillery evolution crisis of the time. There is however one fundamental factor that varies from fort to fort and that is the placement of the fort ABOVE ground vs. placement of the fort IN the ground. Fort Sartelles was dug down into the ground and so an access ramp descends into the moat from the adjacent road. A small secondary moat directly in front of the main access door into the fort is crossed by a drawbridge. Most of the fort therefore sits below ground level with only the Bourges Casemates etc. above.
We have arrived
Here you can see the Bourges Casemate on the glacis of the fort next to the double gorge caponniere.
The fort's main entrance.
A firing port for an infantry soldier with a rifle near the entrance.
Behind the main doors which are bullet riddled
At the junction of the frontal corridor and the gorge caponniere.
In the domed caponniere's fighting gallery.
A collection of openings gives a Hotchkiss Revolver Cannon crew a field of fire down the moat.
Top is an observation opening, middle is for the cannon, and the other one is to post grenades into the moat.
L'kazi avec le pong du merde magnifique
...the Chasseur recruits still use it
Light at the end of the tunnel. This corridor allowed the garrison infantry to crash out onto the ramparts quickly.
We are up on the glacis at the back of the fort over the main entrance now, not far from the Bourges Casemate.
Back inside, the red band on the wall denotes that this area is bombardment proof.
Dropping down ever deeper, this stairwell leads to the first MG turret.
The MG turret counter balance weight allowed the heavily armoured turret to be hand wound from it's bombardment position up to it's fighting position.
The fighting compartment of the turret and the MG mounts can be seen through the trap door in the turret's fighting compartment floor.
And deeper still. We are off underneath the moat out to the counterscarpe gallery now.
The green light is sunlight reflecting off the undergrowth and spilling in through a firing port in the counterscarpe gallery.
A collection of firing ports in the counterscarpe gallery wall.
The field of fire for a large piece of ordnance along the moat bottom.
The crumbling remains of a Travaux 17 tunnel.
Originally all corridors in the forts were barred with big gates like this but very few remain now.
Outside on the moat bottom, this is the double counterscarpe gallery which protected two lengths of the moat.
We have walked back round the moat bottom and ahead is the gorge caponniere by the main entrance.
And we're done! It's time to trot off back to that black Volvo up on the road and reflect upon our morning!
And that's your lot! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for looking.
L'histoire...
Fort Sartelles was constructed during the second phase of the extensive fort building scheme carried out around Verdun following the Franco-Prussian War. As such it had far better blast and penetration protection against heavy German artillery which was advancing in quantum leaps at that time. The earlier "panic forts" constructed in great haste immediately after the cessation of hostilities less than a decade before had relied for protection upon a strong masonry shell surrounding an air gap, and within this was constructed the masonry interior structure of the fort. This system proved woefully inadequate because the new German artillery shells not only penetrated much further due to their new shape, but they also packed a far mightier punch due to the composition of their new explosive. Thus two enormous escalations of the arms race of the time in rapid succession drastically changed the construction techniques of the forts practically overnight.
BELOW - the giant Krupps 420mm siege howitzer which demolished most of the Belgian forts with ease and severely damaged many of the highly reinforced Verdun forts.
BELOW - to give you an idea of what this uber -gun fired here is a photo of one of the rounds with TJ next to it for a size comparison.
BELOW - to give you an idea of what this uber -gun fired here is a photo of one of the rounds with TJ next to it for a size comparison.
The "panic forts" had relied upon portable artillery pieces sited within the fort, together with huge masonry and earth shielded shelters for the crews and ammunition storage. Localised small arms support was afforded by the garrison infantry sheltering behind ramparts on the top of the forts. This next generation of forts, of which Sartelles was one of the first to be built, relied instead upon self contained, armoured fighting turrets constructed of steel and concrete. Unlike some of the other forts though Sartelles did not have any artillery turrets but was armed instead with two twin Hotchkiss machine gun turrets. Each turret was supported by an armoured observation "cloche" which consisted of a narrow concrete tube almost to the surface, capped with a 7 inch thick armoured steel dome through which observation officers could direct the fire of the adjacent MG turret. The one shown BELOW is located at nearby Fort Douamont which was built only four years after Sartelles so it is to all intents and purposes identical.
Fort Sartelles underwent two periods of modification before the outbreak of the Great War, and these included the up-armouring of the fort, and the construction of two Bourges Casemates to provide a "quick fix" artillery addition in the form of FOUR fast firing 75mm artillery pieces. The fort variant of this gun had no wheels or axle for horse drawn transportation unlike the field version of the gun, rather it has a fixing point at the front which was anchored to a pivot point directly behind the firing port of the casemate, and a pair of small wheels set at 90 degrees to the barrel (which can be clearly seen in the photograph) enabled the gun to run on semi-circular tracks within the casemate through a fixed arc, thus facilitating the fastest possible traverse to the point of aim.
The moat protection was also radically improved by the construction of one single and one double counterscarpe gallery accessed by tunnels travelling beneath the moat. The existing gorge caponniere protecting the front of the fort and the drawbridge access was retained. The reason for the move to counterscarpe galleries rather than a continuation of the use of capponieres was the fact that the roof of a caponniere has to be massively reinforced in order to prevent the destruction of the fighting gallery within by plunging howitzer or siege mortar ordnance. As with all the Verdun forts, and indeed most of the French forts, protection of the moat against enemy infanctry and pioneers was achieved with Hotchkiss "Revolver Canons", a kind of Gatling Gun with five 37 mm barrels. Capable of firing 43 rounds per minute with an accurate range of 2000 yards, they were more than adequate for the defence of the short moat sections. Additionally infantry manned firing ports within the fighting galleries armed with rifles and light machine guns, and large horizontal ports at knee level allowed the "posting" of hand grenades into the moat.
In 1917, following the Battle of Verdun, a need was identified for the construction of connecting corridors between the individual fighting compartments within all the Verdun forts - Fort Vaux had fallen for want of drinking water even though isolated areas of the fort had been able to continue the fight after German infantry had penetrated the fort. A system of modifications began early in 1917 but most of the so called Travaux 17 (literally 1917 works) tunnels were never properly concrete lined. Consequently many have collapsed today or are barely hanging on, held up by the rotten remnants of wooden pit props.
The actual construction techniques of the Verdun forts did not vary greatly beyond that which we have already mentioned regarding the phases of construction in answer to the various artillery evolution crisis of the time. There is however one fundamental factor that varies from fort to fort and that is the placement of the fort ABOVE ground vs. placement of the fort IN the ground. Fort Sartelles was dug down into the ground and so an access ramp descends into the moat from the adjacent road. A small secondary moat directly in front of the main access door into the fort is crossed by a drawbridge. Most of the fort therefore sits below ground level with only the Bourges Casemates etc. above.
L'piccies...
We have arrived
Here you can see the Bourges Casemate on the glacis of the fort next to the double gorge caponniere.
The fort's main entrance.
A firing port for an infantry soldier with a rifle near the entrance.
Behind the main doors which are bullet riddled
At the junction of the frontal corridor and the gorge caponniere.
In the domed caponniere's fighting gallery.
A collection of openings gives a Hotchkiss Revolver Cannon crew a field of fire down the moat.
Top is an observation opening, middle is for the cannon, and the other one is to post grenades into the moat.
L'kazi avec le pong du merde magnifique
...the Chasseur recruits still use it
Light at the end of the tunnel. This corridor allowed the garrison infantry to crash out onto the ramparts quickly.
We are up on the glacis at the back of the fort over the main entrance now, not far from the Bourges Casemate.
Back inside, the red band on the wall denotes that this area is bombardment proof.
Dropping down ever deeper, this stairwell leads to the first MG turret.
The MG turret counter balance weight allowed the heavily armoured turret to be hand wound from it's bombardment position up to it's fighting position.
The fighting compartment of the turret and the MG mounts can be seen through the trap door in the turret's fighting compartment floor.
And deeper still. We are off underneath the moat out to the counterscarpe gallery now.
The green light is sunlight reflecting off the undergrowth and spilling in through a firing port in the counterscarpe gallery.
A collection of firing ports in the counterscarpe gallery wall.
The field of fire for a large piece of ordnance along the moat bottom.
The crumbling remains of a Travaux 17 tunnel.
Originally all corridors in the forts were barred with big gates like this but very few remain now.
Outside on the moat bottom, this is the double counterscarpe gallery which protected two lengths of the moat.
We have walked back round the moat bottom and ahead is the gorge caponniere by the main entrance.
And we're done! It's time to trot off back to that black Volvo up on the road and reflect upon our morning!
And that's your lot! Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for looking. 
