Ouvrage Simserhof
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| Ouvrage Simserhof | |
|---|---|
| Part of Maginot Line | |
| Northeast France | |
| Built | |
| Construction materials |
Concrete, steel |
| In use | Preserved |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Controlled by | France |
| Battles/wars | Battle of France |
| Type of work: | Large artillery work (Grand ouvrage) |
|---|---|
| sector └─sub-sector |
Fortified Sector of Rohrbach └─Sub-sector of Bitche |
| Constructed: | 1929-1936 |
| Regiment: | 153rd Fortress Infantry Regiment - 155th Position Artillery Regiment |
| Number of blocks: | 10 |
Ouvrage Simserhof was a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near the community of Sierstal in the French département of Moselle. Simserhof was adjoined by petit ouvrage Rohrbach and gros ouvrage Schiesseck, and faced the German frontier. Located 4 km to the west of Bitche, the ouvrage derived its name from a nearby farm.
Contents |
[edit] Construction
The project, led by Colonel Frossard, envisioned the construction of five blocks, averaging 50 meters apart. The ouvrage was to be provided with an anti-tank ditch and pillboxes. The entry was to be built in a ravine to the rear, with a 60 cm rail line. The plan was rejected in July 1929 by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the central planning agency for the Maginot Line. A number of objections were raised, including the amount of clear-cutting required, and an insufficient field of fire with dead ground exploitable by an attacker.
The next plan envisioned the construction of two ouvrages 300m apart, arranged for mutual support. Project costs were increased, but the plan was adopted in September 1929 at the direction of Maréchal Pétain. Further modifications raised the projected cost to 62 million francs, with an available budget of only 38 million francs. Ultimately, eight combat blocks were constructed, with a single mixed entry, from 1929 to 1938. The chief work took place from 1930 to 1933, with around-the-clock work by two thousand men. By 1934 the central utility plant (usine) was in place, along with ammunition lifts and the internal railway. In 1938 the anti-tank obstacles were complete. Final costs were 118 million francs (equivalent to €30 million).
[edit] Garrison life
Simserhof was garrisoned by 876 men of the 153rd Fortress Infantry Regiment and the 155th Position Artillery Regiment, as well as elements of the 1st, 15th and 18th Régiments du Génie. The garrison was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bonlarron from 25 April, 1940.
In times of peace, the active troops were stationed in newly-built regular barracks in Légeret. When the ouvrage was on combat alert, daily life was similar to that of a warship.
[edit] Description
Simmerhof was, like most Maginot fortifications, composed of a combat section and a support section. Two separate entries were provided for personnel and ammunition, with underground utilities, mess halls and barracks nearby. The combat blocks were as much as 1800 meters from the entry.
[edit] Combat
First occupied in March 1936 under relatively poor conditions, Simserhof was reinforced with fortress troops in September 1938 (after the Munich declaration) and again in March 1939. On 21 August 1940, troops were ordered to man the ouvrages and make them operational. From the 24th, reservists were under orders to join their units on 18 hours notice, where they were equipped for duty. General mobilization was ordered on 2 September, and a state of war was declared. Simserhof intervened for the first time on 12 October, when a 75mm gun turret supported troops twelve kilometers in front of the fortified line. On 10 May 1940, Hitler launched the Blitzkrieg against the West, but in front of the Maginot Line, the front remained calm. On 12 May, Simserhof responded to the bombardment of advanced French posts.
On 13 June the troops in the intervals between fortifications began to withdraw towards the south. Simserhof was ordered to cover the withdrawal, the garrison troops withdrawing in turn, sabotaging the equipment. From the 15th, Simserhof provided covering fire, but by the 16th Lt. Colonel Bonlarron understood that the retreat was nearly impossible. He decided to stop the sabotage and prepare for a siege. From 21 June the ouvrage's artillery was in action to prevent German troops from advancing on Welschof. On the 22nd, Simserhof was unable to intervene to prevent the surrender of five casemates at Haut-Poirier. The same day, an armistice was signed between Pétain and a German delegation.
One the 24th, the tide changed. The situation at Welschoff had declined, and the ouvrage surrendered. The same day, Simserhof protected Rohrbach against German attack. Simserhof fired approximately 13,500 shells in defense of its neighbor. In the evening of the 24th, the garrison at Simserhof heard of the armistice with Italy via Swiss Radio. Article 7 of the armistice provided that the fortifications must remain intact and under German authority. The fate of the garrisons remained ambiguous. The Germans tried to negotiate with the ouvrages but were rebuffed each time, as the commanders of the ouvrages awaited orders from their superiors. On 30 June, at a meeting at Grand-Hohekirkel, Lt. Colonel Simon brought the ouvrage commanders the order to relinquish their fortifications to the victors.
Eight days after the armistice and five days after the cease-fire, Simserhof put down its arms and the Germans rendered honors to the garrison. The Germans were masters of the ouvrage. Maintenance was continued by officers and technicians, and the ouvrage was used by the Germans as a storage facility for torpedoes.
At the end of November 1944 the US Seventh Army under General Patch pursued the Germans, and from 15 November the US 100th Infantry Division assaulted Simserhof. Block 5 was heavily hit. The Germans abandoned Simserhof by an emergency exit after booby-trapping the installations during the night of 19-20 November. Allied troops occupied the ouvrage during the first days of 1945, but the German counter-offensive Operation Nordwind caused the occupiers to leave the fort. It was re-occupied on 15 March without resistance from the Germans. Bitche was finally liberated on 16 March.
[edit] References
- Allcorn, William. The Maginot Line 1928-45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-84176-646-1
- Kauffmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II, 2006. ISBN 0-275-98345-5
[edit] Notes
[edit] See also
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