Ouvrage Brehain
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Bréhain is part of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes
of the Maginot Line
, located near the community of Bréhain-la-Ville
in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département
of France
. Bréhain is flanked by petits ouvrages Mauvais Bois
and Aumetz
. The gros ouvrage was equipped with long-range artillery, and faced the border with Luxembourg
. It saw no major action in either the Battle of France
in 1940 or the Lorraine Campaign
of 1944. While not open to public visitation, it has been secured and is in relatively good condition when compared to other abandoned Maginot positions. A flanking casemate has been restored and may be visited.
The ouvrage has two entries and eight combat blocks:
s and infantry shelters surround Bréhain, including
The Casernement d'Errouville provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bréhain and other fortifications in the area. The Observatiore de la Ferme du Bois-du-Four near the petit ouvrage Bois-du-Four reported to Bréhain, as did the Observatiore de Haut-de-la-Vigne near Mauvais-Bois.
On 21 June 1940 Brehain engaged advancing German troops, but saw no serious action Bréhain's chief efforts went to the support of neighboring fortifications, with 20,250 75mm, 1,780 81mm and 2,220 135mm shells fired between September 1939 and June 1940. 4200 shots were fired in support of actions at Esch 10–14 May 1940, and 10,145 shots of all kinds were fired 13–25 June 1940. The 22 June 1940 armistice brought an end to fighting. However, the Maginot fortifications to the west of the Moselle did not surrender immediately, maintaining their garrisons through a series of negotiations. Bréhain, along with Mauvais-Bois, Bois-du-Four and Aumetz surrendered on 27 June.
, Molvange
and later Immerhof
. After the establishment of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined, and most locations were sold to the public or abandoned.
Fortified Sector of the Crusnes
The Fortified Sector of the Crusnes was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line extending eastwards approximately from Longuyon. The sector roughly follows the valley of the Crusnes river...
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,...
, located near the community of Bréhain-la-Ville
Bréhain-la-Ville
Bréhain-la-Ville is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
in the Meurthe-et-Moselle département
Meurthe-et-Moselle
Meurthe-et-Moselle is a department in the Lorraine region of France, named after the Meurthe and Moselle rivers.- History :Meurthe-et-Moselle was created in 1871 at the end of the Franco-Prussian War from the parts of the former departments of Moselle and Meurthe which remained French...
of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Bréhain is flanked by petits ouvrages Mauvais Bois
Ouvrage Mauvais Bois
Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois is a petit ouvrage of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes on the Maginot Line. It is located between the gros ouvrage Latiremont and the petit ouvrage Bois-du-Four, facing the Belgium/Luxembourg border. The original plan for the position was for two phases of construction,...
and Aumetz
Ouvrage Aumetz
Ouvrage Aumetz is a small work, or petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line. It is part of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes and is located near the community of Aumetz in the Moselle département of France. The petit ouvrage flanked by the gros ouvrages Bréhain and Rochonvillers, all facing the...
. The gros ouvrage was equipped with long-range artillery, and faced the border with Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
. It saw no major action in either 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...
in 1940 or 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. While not open to public visitation, it has been secured and is in relatively good condition when compared to other abandoned Maginot positions. A flanking casemate has been restored and may be visited.
Design and construction
Bréhain was approved for construction in May 1931. It was completed at a cost of 84 million francs by the contractor Ballot of Paris. Compared with its neighbors, the ultimate plans for Aumetz, Bréhain, Bois-du-Four and Ouvrage Mauvais-Bois closely resemble each other, but Bréhain is the most fully realized, with only one unbuilt combat block and an unconnected casemate block. Its neighbors were built as petits ouvrages, to be developed with full tunnel networks at a later date.Description
Bréhain is a large ouvrage with a gallery system extending over 1500 metres (4,921.3 ft) from end to end. The munitions and personnel entries are located far to the rear of the compactly arranged combat blocks, with the entries hidden in the woods. An "M1" ammunition magazine is located just inside the ammunition entry, while the underground barracks are located near the junction of the two entry galleries. From there a long, straight gallery runs at an average depth of 30 metres (98.4 ft) to eight combat blocks. As part of an uncommenced second phase, Bréhain was to receive a second 135mm turret. A gallery was projected to link the turret block to the Casemate de l'Ouest de Bréhain, which was built as (and remained) an unconnected infantry combat block.The ouvrage has two entries and eight combat blocks:
- Ammunition entry: shaft access (elevator), two 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...
, one machine gun/47mm anti-tank gunAC 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....
embrasure (JM/AC47). - Personnel entry: shaft access (stairs), two GFM cloches, one JM/AC47 embrasure and one grenade launcher cloche (LG)LG clocheThe LG cloche was a defensive element common to many Maginot Line ouvrages. The fixed cupola was deeply embedded into the concrete on top of a combat block, with only the top surface visible. The opening permitted the ejection of grenades from the interior of the cloche, providing a means of...
. - Block 1: Infantry block with one machine gun turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 2: Infantry block with one machine gun turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 3: Observation block with one GFM cloche (with emergency exit) and 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...
. - Block 4: Artillery block with one 75mm gun turret.
- Block 5: Artillery block with one 135mm gun turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 6: Artillery block with one 75mm gun turret and one grenade launcher cloche.
- Block 7: Artillery block with one 81mm mortar turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 8: Infantry block with one GFM cloche and one Machine gun cloche (JM)JM clocheThe JM cloche is an element of the Maginot Line. It is a non-retractable non-rotating cupola of steel alloy like GFM cloches, but are armed with twin heavy machine guns, as opposed to the lighter automatic rifles associated with the GFM. There are 179 JM cloches on the Maginot Line.JM is an acronym...
. - Block 9 (not built): Artillery block with one 135mm gun turret and one GFM cloche.
Casemates and shelters
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 Bréhain, including
- Casemate de l'Ouest de Bréhain or Casemate C2: Planned to eventually be linked to the main ouvrage, it is in effect an unconnected combat block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, one mortar turret and two GFM cloches. The casemate has been restored and functions as a small museum. 49°26′34.35"N 5°53′52.35"E
- Block 7: Artillery block with one 81mm mortar turret and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de la Ravin-de-Crusnes: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, one 81mm mortar cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Crusnes Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, one VDP observation cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Crusnes Est: Block with one mortar cloche and two GFM cloches.
- Casemate de Nouveau-Crusnes Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Nouveau-Crusnes Est: Block with one mortar cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate du Réservoir: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, one 81mm mortar cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de la Route d'Ottange Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de la Route d'Ottange Centre: Block with one mortar cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de la Route d'Ottange Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, one 81mm mortar cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Observatiore du Réservoir: Observation block with one VP observation cloche reporting to Ouvrage RochonvillersOuvrage RochonvillersOuvrage Rochonvillers is one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications. Located above the town of Rochonvillers in the French region of Lorraine, the gros ouvrage or large work was fully equipped and occupied in 1935 as part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Moselle...
The Casernement d'Errouville provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bréhain and other fortifications in the area. The Observatiore de la Ferme du Bois-du-Four near the petit ouvrage Bois-du-Four reported to Bréhain, as did the Observatiore de Haut-de-la-Vigne near Mauvais-Bois.
Manning
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Commandant Vanier comprised 615 men and 22 officers of the 128th Fortress Infantry Regiment and the 152nd Position Artillery Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 42nd Fortress Corps of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.1940
- See Fortified Sector of the CrusnesFortified Sector of the CrusnesThe Fortified Sector of the Crusnes was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line extending eastwards approximately from Longuyon. The sector roughly follows the valley of the Crusnes river...
for a broader discussion of the events of 1940 in the Crusnes sector of the Maginot Line.
On 21 June 1940 Brehain engaged advancing German troops, but saw no serious action Bréhain's chief efforts went to the support of neighboring fortifications, with 20,250 75mm, 1,780 81mm and 2,220 135mm shells fired between September 1939 and June 1940. 4200 shots were fired in support of actions at Esch 10–14 May 1940, and 10,145 shots of all kinds were fired 13–25 June 1940. The 22 June 1940 armistice brought an end to fighting. However, the Maginot fortifications to the west of the Moselle did not surrender immediately, maintaining their garrisons through a series of negotiations. Bréhain, along with Mauvais-Bois, Bois-du-Four and Aumetz surrendered on 27 June.
Cold War
In 1951 Bréhain was renovated for use against a potential invasion by Warsaw Pact forces, becoming part of the môle de Rochonvillers strongpoint in company with RochonvillersOuvrage Rochonvillers
Ouvrage Rochonvillers is one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications. Located above the town of Rochonvillers in the French region of Lorraine, the gros ouvrage or large work was fully equipped and occupied in 1935 as part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Moselle...
, Molvange
Ouvrage Molvange
Ouvrage Molvange is a large work, or gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line. The fortification complex faces the France-Luxembourg border from a height near Entrange in the Moselle département. The complex, armed and occupied in 1935, is located on the heights of Entrange, at an altitude of about...
and later Immerhof
Ouvrage Immerhof
Ouvrage Immerhof, also known as Ouvrage Ferme-Immerhof, is one of the largest petit ouvrages of the Maginot Line of northeast France. Located near the community of Hettange-Grande, it is 7 km north of Thionville between the gros ouvrages of Molvange and Soetrich, the closest ouvrage to the...
. After the establishment of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined, and most locations were sold to the public or abandoned.
Current condition
The site has been secured since its abandonment and is in relatively good condition. It remains property of the Army. Casemate C2, located along the RN 52 road, has been restored and may at times be open to the public.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...
External links
- Bréhain at darkplaces.org