Ouvrage Coucou
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Coucou is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
, located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay
. The ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks, and is located between the gros ouvrages of Hackenberg
and Mont des Welches
, facing Germany
, just north of Kemplich
.
In addition, the ouvrage was linked to the Abri du Coucou by an 80 metres (262.5 ft) underground gallery. The above-ground infantry shelter was armed with two GFM cloches and five automatic rifle embrasures. It possessed its own generating plant. Other nearby posts include:
An observation block was planned for a second phase, never executed, directly over the caserne.
The Casernement de Veckring provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Coucou and other positions in the area.
Coucou played no significant role in either the Battle of France
in 1940 or 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.
Coucou remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.
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 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 consists of two infantry blocks, and is located between the gros ouvrages of Hackenberg
Ouvrage Hackenberg
Ouvrage Hackenberg, one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications, is part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It is situated twenty kilometers east of Thionville, in the Moselle département, near the village of Veckring, on the Hackenberg . It is located between gros ouvrage Billig and...
and Mont des Welches
Ouvrage Mont des Welches
Ouvrage Mont des Welches, a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line fortifications, is part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It comprises two entrance blocks, one infantry block, one artillery block, one observation block and two combination blocks. It is located between petit ouvrage Coucou and gros...
, 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...
, just north of Kemplich
Kemplich
Kemplich is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
.
Design and construction
Coucou was approved for construction by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in June 1930 and became operational by 1935, at a cost of 12 million francs. The contractor was Enterprise de Travaille de Fortification.Description
Coucou is a petit ouvrage with two combat blocks, overlooking the village of Kemplich. 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: infantry/entry block with 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...
, three automatic rifle embrasures and one 37mm anti-tank gunAC 37 anti-tank gunThe AC 37 was a French anti-tank gun of 37mm caliber, developed by the Ateliers de Puteaux. It was principally used in the ouvrages and casemates of the Maginot Line in the late 1930's...
(JM/AC37) embrasure. - Block 2: infantry block with two GFM cloches, one retractable machine gun turret, two machine gun embrasures and one 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....
(JM/AC47) embrasure.
In addition, the ouvrage was linked to the Abri du Coucou by an 80 metres (262.5 ft) underground gallery. The above-ground infantry shelter was armed with two GFM cloches and five automatic rifle embrasures. It possessed its own generating plant. Other nearby posts include:
- Abri des Chênes-Brûlés: Subterranean infantry shelter (abri-caverne) with two GFM cloches.
- Observatoire des Chênes-Brûlés: Observation post with one VP observation cloche and one GFM cloche, reporting to Mont-des-Welches.
An observation block was planned for a second phase, never executed, directly over the caserne.
Manning
In June 1940 the garrison comprised 113 men and 3 officers of the 164th Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF). The commanding officer was Chef d'Escadron Ebrard until 13 June 1940, succeeded by Captain Roques.The Casernement de Veckring provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Coucou and other positions in the area.
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.
Coucou played no significant role 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. After the Second World War it became part of the Mòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.
Coucou remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.
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...