Ouvrage Bousse
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Bousse, also known as Ouvrage Bois de Bousse, is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
in the Fortified Sector of Boulay
. The ouvrage is located between petit ouvrage Hobling
and gros ouvrage Anzeling
, near Hestroff
in the Bois du Bousse, facing Germany
. A small position, it was manned primarily by reservists. It is noted for the events of 15 June 1940, when it received orders to prepare for an evacuation as German forces advanced along the Line in the Battle of France
. As the garrison prepared to abandon the position, sabotaging equipment, they destroyed their telephone connection, leaving them unable to receive the order countermanding the evacuation. The garrison was captured three days after leaving Bousse. Bousse is presently managed as a museum and is open to public visitation.
in a counterscarp
had it been built, with the cutting standing in for a traditional outer ditch.
A planned Block 4, equipped with an 81mm mortar turret, was not built.
s and infantry shelters surround Bousse, including
In June 1940, as German units bypassed Maginot fortifications to the east, French commanders ordered garrisons in the Boulay and Falquemont sectors to prepare for withdrawal to avoid their isolation by German units operating behind the lines. As it became clear that retreat was impractical, the orders were countermanded. A poorly-understood telephone call from Ouvrage Anzeling
on the 15th caused the reservists manning Bousse to evacuate the position between 1600 and 2100 hours. Before departing they sabotaged their equipment, including their telephone switchboard, preventing them from receiving the counter-order to remain in place. After three days' march, the garrison was captured at Pange
near Metz
on the 18th. Block 2 was damaged by covering fire from its neighbor, ouvrage Aumetz, a unique occurrence.
Bousse played no significant role in the Lorraine Campaign
of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.
Bousse remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.
s or wall paintings found within the ouvrage.
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,...
in the Fortified Sector of Boulay
Fortified Sector of Boulay
The Fortified Sector of Boulay was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line to the north and east of Metz in northeastern France. The left wing of the Boulay sector was among the earliest and strongest portions of the Maginot Line...
. The ouvrage is located between petit ouvrage Hobling
Ouvrage Hobling
Ouvrage Hobling is a lesser work of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks and two observation blocks, and is located between gros ouvrage Michelsberg and petit ouvrage Bousse, facing Germany...
and gros ouvrage Anzeling
Ouvrage Anzeling
Ouvrage Anzeling is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It is located between petit ouvrage Bousse and petit ouvrage Berenbach, facing Germany just to the east of Bockange. With one of the longest main galleries of any Maginot position, it consists of two...
, near Hestroff
Hestroff
Hestroff is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
in the Bois du Bousse, facing Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. A small position, it was manned primarily by reservists. It is noted for the events of 15 June 1940, when it received orders to prepare for an evacuation as German forces advanced along the Line in 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 the garrison prepared to abandon the position, sabotaging equipment, they destroyed their telephone connection, leaving them unable to receive the order countermanding the evacuation. The garrison was captured three days after leaving Bousse. Bousse is presently managed as a museum and is open to public visitation.
Design and construction
Bousse was approved for construction by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in 1930 and became operational by 1935, at a cost of 23 million francs. The contractor was Gianotti of Nice. Bousse was sited to control the Thionville-Hargarten and Metz-Bouzonville railroad lines. A plannedblock to cover the railroad cutting just beyond Block 1 was never built. It would have functioned much like a 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:...
in a counterscarp
Counterscarp
A scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides of a ditch used in fortifications. In permanent fortifications the scarp and counterscarp may be encased in stone...
had it been built, with the cutting standing in for a traditional outer ditch.
Description
Bousse is a petit ouvrage with three combat blocks and an entry block. The blocks are linked by an underground gallery with barracks and a utility area (usine). The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 metres (98.4 ft).- Block 1: observation block with one observation cloche (VDP)VDP clocheThe VDP cloche was an element of the Maginot Line fortifications. A cloche was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant. By comparison, turrets could be rotated and sometimes lowered so that only the top shell was exposed. VDP cloches...
, one automatic rifle cloche (GFM)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...
. - Block 2: Infantry casemate, flanking to the south — one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47AC 47 anti-tank gunThe AC 47 was a French anti-tank gun of 47mm caliber. It was principally used in the ouvrages and casemates of the Maginot Line in the late 1930s; another version was created for naval use....
), two GFM cloches and one twin machine gun embrasure (JM). - Block 3: Infantry casemate, flanking to the south one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47), one machine gun embrasure (JM), two GFM cloches, one machine gun turret.
- Entry: one JM/AC47 embrasure, one grenade launcher cloche, one GFM cloche.
A planned Block 4, equipped with an 81mm mortar turret, was not built.
Casemates and shelters
In addition to the connected combat blocks, a series of detached 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 and infantry shelters surround Bousse, including
- Casemate d'Edling Nord: SIngle block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate d'Edling Sud: SIngle block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Observatoire de Hestroff: SIngle block with VP cloche and one GFM cloche, reporting to Anzeling.
- Abri de Hestroff: Surface abri with two GFM cloches.
- Abri de Rotherberg: Subgrade abri-caverne with two GFM cloches.
Manning
In June 1940 the garrison comprised 144 men and 5 officers of the 162nd Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF). The commanding officer was Captain Ramaud. The Casernement de Bockange provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bousse and other positions in the area. The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.History
- See Fortified Sector of BoulayFortified Sector of BoulayThe Fortified Sector of Boulay was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line to the north and east of Metz in northeastern France. The left wing of the Boulay sector was among the earliest and strongest portions of the Maginot Line...
for a broader discussion of the Boulay sector of the Maginot Line.
In June 1940, as German units bypassed Maginot fortifications to the east, French commanders ordered garrisons in the Boulay and Falquemont sectors to prepare for withdrawal to avoid their isolation by German units operating behind the lines. As it became clear that retreat was impractical, the orders were countermanded. A poorly-understood telephone call from Ouvrage Anzeling
Ouvrage Anzeling
Ouvrage Anzeling is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It is located between petit ouvrage Bousse and petit ouvrage Berenbach, facing Germany just to the east of Bockange. With one of the longest main galleries of any Maginot position, it consists of two...
on the 15th caused the reservists manning Bousse to evacuate the position between 1600 and 2100 hours. Before departing they sabotaged their equipment, including their telephone switchboard, preventing them from receiving the counter-order to remain in place. After three days' march, the garrison was captured at Pange
Pange
Pange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
near Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
on the 18th. Block 2 was damaged by covering fire from its neighbor, ouvrage Aumetz, a unique occurrence.
Bousse played no significant role in the Lorraine Campaign
Lorraine Campaign
Lorraine Campaign is a term used by U.S. Army historians to describe operations of the U.S. Third Army in Lorraine during World War II from September 1 through December 18, 1944. Official U.S. Army campaign names for this period and location are Northern France and Rhineland. The term was...
of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.
Bousse remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.
Current condition
Ouvrage Bousse is under the care of a preservation society, the Association Fort aux Fresques, which organizes tours for the public. The association is named for the well-preserved frescoFresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
s or wall paintings found within the ouvrage.
See also
- List of all works on Maginot Line
- Siegfried LineSiegfried LineThe original Siegfried line was a line of defensive forts and tank defences built by Germany as a section of the Hindenburg Line 1916–1917 in northern France during World War I...
- Atlantic WallAtlantic WallThe Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
- Czechoslovak border fortificationsCzechoslovak border fortificationsThe Czechoslovak government built a system of border fortifications from 1935 to 1938 as a defensive countermeasure against the rising threat of Nazi Germany that later materialized in the German offensive plan called Fall Grün...