Ouvrage Otterbiel
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Otterbiel forms part of the Maginot Line
in the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, Sub-sector of Bitche, and is located on the Camp de Bitche of the French Army
. It is located between gros ouvrage Schiesseck
and petit ouvrage Grand Hohekirkel
. Part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach
, the petit ouvrage comprises four combat blocks and an entry block. Due to budget restrictions, a planned flanking infantry block was never constructed. Otterbiel saw no significant action in the Battle of France
, and limited action during the 1944/45 Lorraine Campaign
. It was renovated for use during the Cold War
. Otterbiel is presently used for ammunition storage by the French Army.
s and infantry shelters are in the vicinity of Otterbiel, including
under General Alexander Patch
had reached the Vosges region. Otterbiel was occupied by elements of the German 25th Panzer Grenadier Division. Otterbiel was to be the next position to be attacked by the U.S. 100th Infantry Division , but the planned operation was disrupted by the Battle of the Bulge
. The Seventh Army withdrew to cover areas vacated by the U.S. Third Army
, which moved to confront the German offensive.
The 100th returned in March 1945 attacked the area on a broad front. Otterbiel was lightly defended, and the Americans, backed up by heavy artillery, were able to capture Otterbiel and the Ensemble de Bitche with few casualties.
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 Rohrbach, Sub-sector of Bitche, and is located on the Camp de Bitche of the French Army
French Army
The French Army, officially the Armée de Terre , is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces.As of 2010, the army employs 123,100 regulars, 18,350 part-time reservists and 7,700 Legionnaires. All soldiers are professionals, following the suspension of conscription, voted in...
. It is located between gros ouvrage Schiesseck
Ouvrage Schiesseck
Ouvrage Schiesseck is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near Bitche in the French département of Moselle. Schiesseck is adjoined by gros ouvrage Simserhof and petit ouvrage Otterbiel, all part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, and faces the German frontier...
and petit ouvrage Grand Hohekirkel
Ouvrage Grand Hohekirkel
Ouvrage Grand-Hohékirkel is a petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near Bitche in the French département of Moselle. Grand-Hohékirkel is adjoined by gros ouvrage Otterbiel to the west and petit ouvrage Lembach at some distance to the east, and faces the German frontier...
. Part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach
Fortified Sector of Rohrbach
The Fortified Sector of Rohrbach was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line in the vicinity of Bitche. The sector was bordered to the west by the Fortified Sector of the Sarre and to the east by the Fortified Sector of the Vosges...
, the petit ouvrage comprises four combat blocks and an entry block. Due to budget restrictions, a planned flanking infantry block was never constructed. Otterbiel saw no significant action 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...
, and limited action during the 1944/45 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...
. It was renovated for use during the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
. Otterbiel is presently used for ammunition storage by the French Army.
Design and construction
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, and was approved for construction in August 1931. The petit ouvrage was initially planned as a gros ouvrage with additional blocks for an 81mm mortar turret and two 75mm gun casemates, as well as a separate personnel entry.Description
Otterbiel is unusual for having an artillery block in a petit ouvrage, a vestige of its original intention as a gros ouvrage. It also possesses three infantry blocks and a single entry block.- Block 1: Infantry block with one retractable twin machine gun turret and 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...
. Access forbidden. - Block 2: Infantry block with two GFM cloches, 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...
, one twin 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...
, one twin machine gun embrasure and one machine gun (JM)/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). Access forbidden. - Block 3: Infantry block with two GFM cloches, one JM cloche, one 81mm mortar turret, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 embrasure. Access forbidden.
- Block 4: Infantry block with two GFM cloches 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...
. Access forbidden. - Entry block: The entry provides for personnel and ammunitionAmmunitionAmmunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
on one unit, with munitions arriving by truck. It is protected by two GFM cloches]] and a 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....
(JM/AC47) embrasure, which was never provided due to a lack of funding; only a machine gun was provided.
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 are in the vicinity of Otterbiel, including
- Casemate du Champ d'Aviation Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Casemate du Champ d'Aviation Est: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Abri du Kindelberg: Subsurface abri-caverne with two GFM cloches
- Casemate de Rochat Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Rochat Est: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Casemate du Petit-Hohékirkel: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Casemate du Grand-Hohékirkel Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Casemate du Grand-Hohékirkel Est: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche.
- Abri du Camp: Surface abri with two GFM cloches.
Manning
In 1939 the garrison comprised 98 men and 7 officers of the 37th Fortress Infantry Regiment under the command of Captain Le Guanec. The units were under the umbrella of the 5th Army The Casernement de Bitche provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Otterbiel and other positions in the area.History
- See Fortified Sector of RohrbachFortified Sector of RohrbachThe Fortified Sector of Rohrbach was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line in the vicinity of Bitche. The sector was bordered to the west by the Fortified Sector of the Sarre and to the east by the Fortified Sector of the Vosges...
for a broader discussion of the Rohrbach sector of the Maginot Line.
1940
Otterbiel saw relatively little action in 1940 compared to its neighbors, and surrendered to the Germans with the rest of the Bitche fortifications on 30 June 1940.1944 and 1945
At the end of November 1944 the U.S. Seventh ArmyUnited States Army Europe
United States Army Europe and Seventh Army, is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and the land component of United States European Command. It is the largest American formation in Europe.-Invasion of Sicily:...
under General Alexander Patch
Alexander Patch
General Alexander McCarrell "Sandy" Patch was an officer in the United States Army, best known for his service in World War II. He commanded Army and Marine forces during the invasion of Guadalcanal, and the U.S...
had reached the Vosges region. Otterbiel was occupied by elements of the German 25th Panzer Grenadier Division. Otterbiel was to be the next position to be attacked by the U.S. 100th Infantry Division , but the planned operation was disrupted by the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
. The Seventh Army withdrew to cover areas vacated by the U.S. Third Army
United States Army Central
United States Army Central is an Army Service Component Command of the United States Army and is also dual-hatted as the "United States Third Army". It is the Army Component of U.S...
, which moved to confront the German offensive.
The 100th returned in March 1945 attacked the area on a broad front. Otterbiel was lightly defended, and the Americans, backed up by heavy artillery, were able to capture Otterbiel and the Ensemble de Bitche with few casualties.
Cold War
Following World War II, interest revived in the use of the Maginot Line to defend against a possible Soviet advance through southern Germany. Funds were allocated for restoration of the gros ouvrages, but work was limited to restoration of systems and improvements to existing armament, with work completed by 1953. By 1953, Otterbiel had been designated part of the Mòle de Bitche, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack. By the late 1950s interest in fixed fortifications was waning after France developed a nuclear deterrent. The money needed to maintain and upgrade the fortifications was diverted for the nuclear programs. Otterbiel was not manned or maintained after the early 1970sPresent condition
Otterbiel is on military land and is not accessible to the public. It is reportedly used for ammunition storage.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...