Fort d'Ivry
Encyclopedia
Fort d'Ivry was built in the Paris
suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine
between 1841 and 1845 as one of the forts in a ring of strong points surrounding Paris
. The fort is about 1 kilometer outside the Thiers Wall
, built by the same program in response to a perception that Paris was vulnerable to invasion and occupation. The fort was upgraded in the 1870s to cope with improvements in artillery
performance as part of the Séré de Rivières system
. In 1946 the fort was vacated by the garrison. It is now the home of the Communication and Audiovisual Production Company for the Department of Defense (Établissement de communication et de production audiovisuelle de la Défense, E.C.P.A.D.).
s, while the others have a parapet shielding a covered walkway. Casemates are also cut into the flanks of the bastions to provide covering fire along the length of the main walls. Three wells provide water. A central parade ground is flanked by a barracks and two officers' residences. The main gate is complemented by three postern gates.
The fort includes more than two kilometers of underground passages added between 1852 and 1860, with ceilings six meters thick. The fort was upgraded after the Franco-Prussian War
as part of the Séré de Rivières program. A police barracks now occupies the former ditch on the west side, while a variety of buildings occupy the former glacis
. The former casemates, barracks and magazine have been redeveloped as offices.
of 1870-71 the fort was manned by a Fusiliers Marins battalion from Brest
, commanded by naval Captain Krantz. It was equipped with 94 artillery pieces. On 29 and 30 November 1870, the fort supported attacks against the 6th Prussian Corps, located north of Choisy-le-Roi
, Thiais
and Chevilly-la-Rue. Following an armistice, the fort was occupied by the 6th Prussian Corps from 29 January to 20 March 1871, bringing batteries of 21 cm and 15 cm mortars
to fire at Paris in the event of resumed hostilities. During the Paris Commune
which ensued after the withdrawal of the Prussians, the fort was occupied by local townspeople under the leadership of Colonel Rogowski. The Communards were threatened with attack by the French government's 3rd Versailles Corps and evacuated the fort during the night of 24/25 May, blowing up munitions and destroying nine casemates. Repairs were made in 1872, adding two more barracks.
Roger Degueldre
, chief of the Commando Delta
organization of the Organisation armée secrète
, was executed by firing squad at the Fort d'Ivry on 6 July 1962.
Jean Bastien-Thiry, found guilty of organizing an assassination attempt against French president Charles de Gaulle
on 22 August 1962, was executed at the Fort d'Ivry on 11 March 1963. Bastien-Thiry's was the last execution by firing squad in France.
, World War II
and the liberation of France, the Indochina war, Algeria, NATO, UN operations and German-produced material from World War II.
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine
Ivry-sur-Seine is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris....
between 1841 and 1845 as one of the forts in a ring of strong points surrounding Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. The fort is about 1 kilometer outside the Thiers Wall
Thiers wall
The Thiers wall was the last of the defensive walls of Paris. It was an enclosure constructed between 1841 and 1844 under a law enacted by the government of the French prime minister, Adolphe Thiers. It covered , along the 'boulevards des Maréchaux' of today...
, built by the same program in response to a perception that Paris was vulnerable to invasion and occupation. The fort was upgraded in the 1870s to cope with improvements in artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
performance as part of the Séré de Rivières system
Séré de Rivières system
The Séré de Rivières system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 and first used at the beginning of the First World War along the frontiers and coasts of France...
. In 1946 the fort was vacated by the garrison. It is now the home of the Communication and Audiovisual Production Company for the Department of Defense (Établissement de communication et de production audiovisuelle de la Défense, E.C.P.A.D.).
Description
Fort d'Ivry dominates a crossroads just to the north of the fort, one of the major approaches to Paris leading to the Porte d'Ivry in the Thiers wall. The pentagonal fort has bastions at each of its five points. The original construction is in stone, with rough stone for the majority of exterior surfaces and dressed stone for accents, gates and window surrounds. A ditch, which still exists on three sides, lies outside the walls. One side of the fort's wall is pierced with 18 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, while the others have a parapet shielding a covered walkway. Casemates are also cut into the flanks of the bastions to provide covering fire along the length of the main walls. Three wells provide water. A central parade ground is flanked by a barracks and two officers' residences. The main gate is complemented by three postern gates.
The fort includes more than two kilometers of underground passages added between 1852 and 1860, with ceilings six meters thick. The fort was upgraded after the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
as part of the Séré de Rivières program. A police barracks now occupies the former ditch on the west side, while a variety of buildings occupy the former glacis
Glacis
A glacis in military engineering is an artificial slope of earth used in late European fortresses so constructed as to keep any potential assailant under the fire of the defenders until the last possible moment...
. The former casemates, barracks and magazine have been redeveloped as offices.
History
During the Franco-Prussian WarFranco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-71 the fort was manned by a Fusiliers Marins battalion from Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, commanded by naval Captain Krantz. It was equipped with 94 artillery pieces. On 29 and 30 November 1870, the fort supported attacks against the 6th Prussian Corps, located north of Choisy-le-Roi
Choisy-le-Roi
Choisy-le-Roi is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Geography:Crossed by the Seine river, it is located from the center of Paris....
, Thiais
Thiais
Thiais is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.The name Thiais comes from Medieval Latin Theodasium or Theodaxium, meaning "estate of Theodasius", a Gallo-Roman landowner....
and Chevilly-la-Rue. Following an armistice, the fort was occupied by the 6th Prussian Corps from 29 January to 20 March 1871, bringing batteries of 21 cm and 15 cm mortars
Mortar (weapon)
A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....
to fire at Paris in the event of resumed hostilities. During the Paris Commune
Paris Commune
The Paris Commune was a government that briefly ruled Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871. It existed before the split between anarchists and Marxists had taken place, and it is hailed by both groups as the first assumption of power by the working class during the Industrial Revolution...
which ensued after the withdrawal of the Prussians, the fort was occupied by local townspeople under the leadership of Colonel Rogowski. The Communards were threatened with attack by the French government's 3rd Versailles Corps and evacuated the fort during the night of 24/25 May, blowing up munitions and destroying nine casemates. Repairs were made in 1872, adding two more barracks.
Roger Degueldre
Roger Degueldre
Lieutenant Roger Hercule Gustave Degueldre was a leader of the OAS Delta Commandos in the last months of French rule in Algeria. There is some dispute about his origins...
, chief of the Commando Delta
Commando Delta
The Commando Delta organizations were assassination teams under the control of the Organisation armés secrète in Algeria during the early 1960s. The teams "interdicted" European neighborhoods by assassinating Muslims who entered. The Commandos Delta were organized by Roger Degueldre in 1961...
organization of the Organisation armée secrète
Organisation armée secrète
The Organisation de l'armée secrète was a short-lived, French far-right nationalist militant and underground organization during the Algerian War . The OAS used armed struggle in an attempt to prevent Algeria's independence...
, was executed by firing squad at the Fort d'Ivry on 6 July 1962.
Jean Bastien-Thiry, found guilty of organizing an assassination attempt against French president Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
on 22 August 1962, was executed at the Fort d'Ivry on 11 March 1963. Bastien-Thiry's was the last execution by firing squad in France.
ECPAD
The Communication and Audiovisual Production Company for the Department of Defense (Établissement de communication et de production audiovisuelle de la Défense, E.C.P.A.D.) stores the audio-visual archives of the French defense forces from 1900 to present and produces new materials. Approximately 3.5 million photographs and 16,800 films are preserved. The archives include collections relating to World War IWorld War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the liberation of France, the Indochina war, Algeria, NATO, UN operations and German-produced material from World War II.
External links
- Fort at Ivry-sur-Seine at Chemins de mémoire
- ECPAD