Fort de Maulde
Encyclopedia
The Fort de Maulde, also known as Fort de Beurnonville and the Ensemble de Maulde, is located to the south of Maulde
, France. It is part of the Fortified Sector of the Escaut
, an extension of the Maginot Line
. The Séré de Rivières system
fort was built 1881-1884. In 1936-37 the old fort, commanding high ground behind Maulde, was altered for more modern fortifications. It was evacuated by its garrison in 1940 during the Battle of France
as part of the French retreat from the border with Belgium.
The site at the top of the Mont de Ligne dominates the plains of the Scarpe and the Escaut
, occupying the site of an old military encampment used in 1792 by General Dumouriez against the Austrians. It is within 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) of the Belgian border. The fort is named for Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville
, a Marshal of France.
, with a low wall, surrounded by a ditch, which is in turn defended by two caponier
s. The roof of the single-level barracks is concreted and supports an artillery platform, or cavalier. A relatively small fort, it was disarmed in 1912, then rearmed in 1914 with 90mm guns.
In the 1930s the fort was chosen as a site for fortifications associated with the Maginot Line
extension around Valenciennes
, part of the "New Fronts" program. An observation post and two casemates were built in 1936-37 within the walls of the fort. The casemates, facing east and west, were each furnished with two 75mm guns and two automatic rifle ports. To the south, just outside the walls, a north-facing casemate for a 155mm field gun was built, aligned to cover the bridges at Tournai
. None of the casemates or the observatory were connected by underground passages in the manner of a fully developed Maginot fortification. A short distance to the north a chain of casemates covered an anti-tank ditch extending about 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft). The position is described as an "ensemble" rather than an ouvrage, as a true Maginot fortification would be termed, due to the absence of connecting underground galleries and support facilities. Nevertheless, with four 75mm guns and a 155mm guns, the position was heavily armed. Mauldet was not constructed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, but by the Army Engineer Service (Service Technique du Génie (STG)), further removing it from the main Maginot Line. As many as five artillery casemates were planned, but only three were built. In 1939 work was undertaken to link the observation post, 75mm and 155mm casemates by underground passages in a manner similar to Maginot worsk. The excavation was not completed before the outbreak of war in 1940.
. As a result of this defeat, the Séré de Rivières system
of fortifications was planned and constructed to defend the nation. Valenciennes
, located close by the border between France and Belgium
, received additional fortifications. Construction on the Fort de Maulde started in 1881, completing in 1884 for a garrison of 431 men armed with 27 artillery pieces. In 1890 Valenciennes was declared an open city
, and its Vauban
-era fortifications in the city center were razed, while the new forts were disarmed. They were hastily rearmed in 1914, but were captured by the Germans in the opening stages of World War I
. Before retreating in 1918 the Germans blew up the fort's powder magazine.
In the 1930s, France invested in the construction of the Maginot Line
, which covered the eastern frontiers of France. The frontier with Belgium was regarded as a lesser priority because France's war plan called for the French Army to advance into Belgium and conduct an offensive there. Belatedly, France began construction of a limited series of defenses around Valenciennes in the mid-1930s. These fortifications were individually assaulted and captured in the opening phases of World War II
.
Following the fall of Maubeuge
in May 1940, German forces advanced on Maulde, reaching the fort, commanded by Captain Schwengler, by 20 May. Bombardment began that day, but infantry units did not reach the area until the next day, delayed by fire from the 75mm guns of the eastern casemate of Maulde. By the 26th, Maulde's peripheral casemates had been captured, and Schwengler was ordered to sabotage and evacuate the fort in the night. The Germans found the fort abandoned on the 27th.
After 1940, the Fort de Maulde was used by the Germans for explosives effects testing, leaving significant damage. After the war it became the property of a tile factory.
Maulde
Maulde is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
, France. It is part of the Fortified Sector of the Escaut
Fortified Sector of the Escaut
The Fortified Sector of the Escaut , also known as the Fortified Sector of the Schelde, was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line between the French border with Belgium and Valenciennes, a distance of about...
, an extension of the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
. 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...
fort was built 1881-1884. In 1936-37 the old fort, commanding high ground behind Maulde, was altered for more modern fortifications. It was evacuated by its garrison in 1940 during the Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
as part of the French retreat from the border with Belgium.
The site at the top of the Mont de Ligne dominates the plains of the Scarpe and the Escaut
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
, occupying the site of an old military encampment used in 1792 by General Dumouriez against the Austrians. It is within 900 metres (2,952.8 ft) of the Belgian border. The fort is named for Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville
Pierre de Ruel, marquis de Beurnonville was a French general during the French Revolutionary Wars and later a marshal of France.-Biography:Bournonville was born at Champignol-lez-Mondeville, Aube....
, a Marshal of France.
Description
The original fort is typical of the Séré de Rivières systemSéré 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...
, with a low wall, surrounded by a ditch, which is in turn defended by two caponier
Caponier
A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" - which strictly means capon-cote i.e. chickenhouse.The fire coming from the feature A caponier is a type of fortification structure. The word originates from the French word "caponnière" -...
s. The roof of the single-level barracks is concreted and supports an artillery platform, or cavalier. A relatively small fort, it was disarmed in 1912, then rearmed in 1914 with 90mm guns.
In the 1930s the fort was chosen as a site for fortifications associated with the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
extension around Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, part of the "New Fronts" program. An observation post and two casemates were built in 1936-37 within the walls of the fort. The casemates, facing east and west, were each furnished with two 75mm guns and two automatic rifle ports. To the south, just outside the walls, a north-facing casemate for a 155mm field gun was built, aligned to cover the bridges at Tournai
Tournai
Tournai is a Walloon city and municipality of Belgium located 85 kilometres southwest of Brussels, on the river Scheldt, in the province of Hainaut....
. None of the casemates or the observatory were connected by underground passages in the manner of a fully developed Maginot fortification. A short distance to the north a chain of casemates covered an anti-tank ditch extending about 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft). The position is described as an "ensemble" rather than an ouvrage, as a true Maginot fortification would be termed, due to the absence of connecting underground galleries and support facilities. Nevertheless, with four 75mm guns and a 155mm guns, the position was heavily armed. Mauldet was not constructed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, but by the Army Engineer Service (Service Technique du Génie (STG)), further removing it from the main Maginot Line. As many as five artillery casemates were planned, but only three were built. In 1939 work was undertaken to link the observation post, 75mm and 155mm casemates by underground passages in a manner similar to Maginot worsk. The excavation was not completed before the outbreak of war in 1940.
Casemates and positions
The casemates are named for their relation to the town of Maulde, rather than to the fort.- Casemate de 75 du Fort de Maulde Ouest: two 75mm gun embrasures and two automatic rifle embrasures (inside the fort)
- Casemate de 75 du Fort de Maulde Est: two 75mm gun embrasures and two automatic rifle embrasures (inside the fort)
- Observatiore du Fort de Maulde: two automatic rifle cloches (GFM-B)GFM clocheThe GFM cloche was one of the most common defensive armaments on the Maginot Line. A cloche was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant...
(inbside the fort) - Casemate du 155 du Fort de Maulde: one 155mm gun
- Blockhaus de Sud-Ouest de Maulde 1: one GFM-B cloche covering the anti-tank ditch
- Blockhaus de Sud-Ouest de Maulde 2: one GFM-B cloche covering the anti-tank ditch
- Blockhaus de Sud-Ouest de Maulde 3: double blockhouse with automatic rifle embrasures
- Blockhaus de Sud de Maulde 1: one GFM-B cloche covering the anti-tank ditch
- Blockhaus de la Trinquette: one GFM-B cloche covering the anti-tank ditch
History
In 1870, France was partly occupied by the Prussian armyPrussia
Prussia was a German kingdom and historic state originating out of the Duchy of Prussia and the Margraviate of Brandenburg. For centuries, the House of Hohenzollern ruled Prussia, successfully expanding its size by way of an unusually well-organized and effective army. Prussia shaped the history...
. As a result of this defeat, 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...
of fortifications was planned and constructed to defend the nation. Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, located close by the border between France and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, received additional fortifications. Construction on the Fort de Maulde started in 1881, completing in 1884 for a garrison of 431 men armed with 27 artillery pieces. In 1890 Valenciennes was declared an open city
Open city
In war, in the event of the imminent capture of a city, the government/military structure of the nation that controls the city will sometimes declare it an open city, thus announcing that they have abandoned all defensive efforts....
, and its Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
-era fortifications in the city center were razed, while the new forts were disarmed. They were hastily rearmed in 1914, but were captured by the Germans in the opening stages of World War I
World 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...
. Before retreating in 1918 the Germans blew up the fort's powder magazine.
- See Fortified Sector of the EscautFortified Sector of the EscautThe Fortified Sector of the Escaut , also known as the Fortified Sector of the Schelde, was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line between the French border with Belgium and Valenciennes, a distance of about...
for a broader discussion of the Escaut sector of the Maginot Line.
In the 1930s, France invested in the construction of the Maginot Line
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...
, which covered the eastern frontiers of France. The frontier with Belgium was regarded as a lesser priority because France's war plan called for the French Army to advance into Belgium and conduct an offensive there. Belatedly, France began construction of a limited series of defenses around Valenciennes in the mid-1930s. These fortifications were individually assaulted and captured in the opening phases of 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...
.
Following the fall of Maubeuge
Maubeuge
Maubeuge is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It is situated on both banks of the Sambre , east of Valenciennes and about from the Belgian border.-History:...
in May 1940, German forces advanced on Maulde, reaching the fort, commanded by Captain Schwengler, by 20 May. Bombardment began that day, but infantry units did not reach the area until the next day, delayed by fire from the 75mm guns of the eastern casemate of Maulde. By the 26th, Maulde's peripheral casemates had been captured, and Schwengler was ordered to sabotage and evacuate the fort in the night. The Germans found the fort abandoned on the 27th.
After 1940, the Fort de Maulde was used by the Germans for explosives effects testing, leaving significant damage. After the war it became the property of a tile factory.
Present condition
The Fort de Maulde was closed to public access in 2009, due to the dangers of falling into pits in the darkness of its interior and from falling masonry. Toxic waste from the tileworks was dumped in the fort until the 1980s. Its subsidiary bunkers remain visible in the surrounding fields.External links
- Fort de Maulde
- Fort de Maulde at Ligne Maginot