Fort de Villey-le-Sec
Encyclopedia
Fort de Villey-le-Sec, also known as Fort Trévise, is a fortification of the 19th century, built as part of the Séré de Rivières system
of fortifications in Villey-le-Sec
, France
, one of the defenses of Toul
. It is a unique example for its time of a defensive enclosure around a village. Conceived after the defeat of the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870-71, the fort was located away from the main combat zone of World War I
and has remained almost intact. The fort's preservation association has been at work since 1961 to restore and interpret the site. It has been included in the Inventory of Historic Sites and has been designated as a preserved natural area.
The Séré de Rivières was a response to the increasing power of explosive artillery, abandoning vertical masonry walls for more blended fortifications that served as artillery emplacements, defended by machine guns and small arms. The forts and batteries were designed to provide mutual support and to provide shelter and support for infantry units to maintain a defensive line, or cover for the assembly of larger offensive forces. In the 1880s, with the development of high explosives, much of the masonry construction of the forts became obsolete and was rebuilt using concrete and earth coverage.
that authorized construction envisioned four forts: Ecouvres, Dongermain, St.-Michel and Villey-le-Sec. Villey-le-Sec was planned to protect the southwestern approach to Toul, located on the plateau of Haye, supported on the south by the bluffs along the Moselle
. The fort was originally planned to be about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) father west, where the Chaudeney redoubt is located. The fort was responsible for the exits from the Forest of Haye, and to provide flanking support to the Fort de Gondreville and Fort de Chanot.
Design began 5 December 1873 and construction 26 July 1875. The work was carried out by Morel, and took four years with hundreds of workers. It was the most expensive fort of the region.
In 1885 the development of high-explosive shells made stone fortifications obsolete. It became necessary to reinforce the Fort de Villey-le-Sec with concrete and metal armor. At the same time the fort's artillery was judged to be vulnerable and was dispersed across the plateau.
In 1890 four barracks were built of concrete, as well as a redan and two batteries in the redoubt. About 1900 a firing range was created with the fort at Gondreville
in the edge of the Forest of Haye, to test the fort's weapons. Another, in the Bois de l'Embanie, was used as a training area for s In 1912 work began to equip the fort with a battery of two Mougin turret
s with 155mm guns. This was interrupted by the First World War.
, the German troops moved rapidly to the west. From mid-September, after the Battle of Grand Couronné
at Nancy, the front was stabilized within a few tens of kilometers along an axis Saint-Mihiel
- Pont-à-Mousson
- Nomeny
- Moncel-on-Pail - Arracourt
. It will more hardly move in this sector. The population was evacuated, leaving only the garrison and the men who were essential to work the farms.
-Moselle region, the fort lost its strategic interest. The army installed a small garrison, but was concerned with little more than maintenance. During the Second World War the fort's metal was stripped by the German army for scrap. The fort as bombarded by the Americans during the liberation of Toul. The 155mm guns of the Mougin turret were sent to Ouvrage Barbonnet
, a Séré de Rivières fort in the Alps that had been modernized to function as part of the Alpine Line
portion of the Maginot Line
.
to keep the vegetation on the 20 hectares (49.4 acre) surface of the fort under control.
. The restoration society has recovered the 75mm turret's guns from the ouvrage du Mordant and restored them so that they can fire blank rounds, along with the eclipsing action of the turret.
road, taking the valley of the Moselle in enfilade and facing the Bois l'Eveque. It lies to the southeast of the village. 48°39′27"N 5°58′47"E, 320 meters altitude. Like the north battery, the south battery was laid out in the form of a V. The south battery was not reinforced with concrete and retains its stone construction, with the exception of a concrete barracks added on the south side in 1890. It was planned to receive a 75mm gun, which was never installed. The entry was equipped with a rolling bridge by Th. Pilter that could be laterally displaced. The southern battery was used by the National School of Applied Geology and Mineral Exploration (École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie Appliquée et de Prospection Minière) in Nancy to store a radioactive mineral collection.
implied that Germany might initiate a pre-emptive war. The pentagonal position featured a Haxo casemate and a 164.7mm naval gun, protected by an earth rampart and masonry walls. The site is abandoned and covered with vegetation.
, and Whiskered bat
s), with a temperature and humidity suitable for their hibernation. It is therefore designated a nature preserve and is closed to access.
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 in Villey-le-Sec
Villey-le-Sec
Villey-le-Sec is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.-See also:*Communes of the Meurthe-et-Moselle department...
, 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...
, one of the defenses of Toul
Toul
Toul is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:Toul is located between Commercy and Nancy, and situated between the Moselle River and the Canal de la Marne au Rhin....
. It is a unique example for its time of a defensive enclosure around a village. Conceived after the defeat of the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870-71, the fort was located away from the main combat zone 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...
and has remained almost intact. The fort's preservation association has been at work since 1961 to restore and interpret the site. It has been included in the Inventory of Historic Sites and has been designated as a preserved natural area.
The Séré de Rivières was a response to the increasing power of explosive artillery, abandoning vertical masonry walls for more blended fortifications that served as artillery emplacements, defended by machine guns and small arms. The forts and batteries were designed to provide mutual support and to provide shelter and support for infantry units to maintain a defensive line, or cover for the assembly of larger offensive forces. In the 1880s, with the development of high explosives, much of the masonry construction of the forts became obsolete and was rebuilt using concrete and earth coverage.
History
Fort Villey-le-Sec was built between 1875 and 1879, then modernized in 1888, 1903 and 1914.Construction
The fortified camp of Toul anchors the end of the fortification curtain of the Hauts de Meuse. The 1874 Declaration of Public UtilityDéclaration d'utilité publique
A Déclaration d'utilité publique, or declaration of public utility, is a formal recognition that a proposed project has public benefits. Many large construction projects in France, especially relating to infrastructure, must achieve DUP before work can begin....
that authorized construction envisioned four forts: Ecouvres, Dongermain, St.-Michel and Villey-le-Sec. Villey-le-Sec was planned to protect the southwestern approach to Toul, located on the plateau of Haye, supported on the south by the bluffs along the Moselle
Moselle
Moselle is a department in the east of France named after the river Moselle.- History :Moselle is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
. The fort was originally planned to be about 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) father west, where the Chaudeney redoubt is located. The fort was responsible for the exits from the Forest of Haye, and to provide flanking support to the Fort de Gondreville and Fort de Chanot.
Design began 5 December 1873 and construction 26 July 1875. The work was carried out by Morel, and took four years with hundreds of workers. It was the most expensive fort of the region.
In 1885 the development of high-explosive shells made stone fortifications obsolete. It became necessary to reinforce the Fort de Villey-le-Sec with concrete and metal armor. At the same time the fort's artillery was judged to be vulnerable and was dispersed across the plateau.
In 1890 four barracks were built of concrete, as well as a redan and two batteries in the redoubt. About 1900 a firing range was created with the fort at Gondreville
Gondreville
Gondreville may refer to the following places in France:* Gondreville, Loiret, a commune in the Loiret department* Gondreville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department* Gondreville, Oise, a commune in the Oise department...
in the edge of the Forest of Haye, to test the fort's weapons. Another, in the Bois de l'Embanie, was used as a training area for s In 1912 work began to equip the fort with a battery of two Mougin turret
Mougin turret
The Mougin turret is a land-based revolving gun turret that housed some of the heaviest armament in French fortifications of the late 19th and early 20th centuries...
s with 155mm guns. This was interrupted by the First World War.
First World War
At the beginning of the war, after the French defeat at MorhangeMorhange
Morhange is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France....
, the German troops moved rapidly to the west. From mid-September, after the Battle of Grand Couronné
Battle of Grand Couronné
The Battle of Grand Couronné was an episode of the Battle of the Frontiers, at the beginning of the First World War. The battle was fought from the 4th to 13 of September 1914, between the 6th German Army commanded by Crown Prince Rupprecht of Bavaria and the 2nd French Army commanded by Noel de...
at Nancy, the front was stabilized within a few tens of kilometers along an axis Saint-Mihiel
Saint-Mihiel
Saint-Mihiel is a commune in the Meuse department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-History:Saint-Mihiel was captured by the Germans in the first year of World War I, and was re-captured during the Battle of Saint-Mihiel from 12 September to 19 September 1918, during World War...
- Pont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson
Pont-à-Mousson is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.Population : 14,592 . It is an industrial town , situated on the Moselle River...
- Nomeny
Nomeny
Nomeny is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.South of Nomeny, there is a mediumwave broadcasting station, which works on 837 kHz with 300 kW. It uses two guyed masts with different height, which are both insulated against ground, as antenna. The tallest of them...
- Moncel-on-Pail - Arracourt
Arracourt
Arracourt is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.The battle of Arracourt was a World War II clash of U.S. and German armored forces near Arracourt during September 18–29, 1944....
. It will more hardly move in this sector. The population was evacuated, leaving only the garrison and the men who were essential to work the farms.
After the war
After the recovery of the AlsaceAlsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
-Moselle region, the fort lost its strategic interest. The army installed a small garrison, but was concerned with little more than maintenance. During the Second World War the fort's metal was stripped by the German army for scrap. The fort as bombarded by the Americans during the liberation of Toul. The 155mm guns of the Mougin turret were sent to Ouvrage Barbonnet
Ouvrage Barbonnet
Ouvrage Barbonnet is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block and one infantry block facing Italy...
, a Séré de Rivières fort in the Alps that had been modernized to function as part of the Alpine Line
Alpine Line
The Alpine Line or Little Maginot Line was the component of the Maginot Line that defended the southeastern portion of France...
portion 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,...
.
Present
An association has existed since 1961 to carry out restoration work on the fort. Portions were opened to the public in 1967 and the fort was listed on the inventory of historic structures in 1973. The Mougin turret and the north battery artillery have been restored to functional status. At present, the site is registered as a site pittoresque with tourism authorities, and is open from May to September. The preservation association uses Highland cattleHighland cattle
Highland cattle or kyloe are a Scottish breed of beef cattle with long horns and long wavy coats which are coloured black, brindled, red, yellow or dun....
to keep the vegetation on the 20 hectares (49.4 acre) surface of the fort under control.
Main enclosure
Because the village already occupied the best site, the fort was built to limit the cost and difficulty in moving the occupants.The villagers were opposed to relocation because the village occupies one of the only places where water is retained at the ground's surface, due to the presence of a layer of clay.Réduit
The réduit comprises the principal fortification of Villey-le-Sec. Constructed at the southwestern angle of the village 48°39′29"N 5°58′26"E, the réduit (a rallying point or center of resistance) forms a square, 180 metres (590.6 ft) on each side. The réduit forms its own fort, concentrating together stores, quartering and ammunition magazines. Its plan is similar to the Fort de Lucey. However, its modernization was different and changed the fortification considerably. It is organized around a Mougin turret with two 155mm guns, one of only two working Mougin turrets. The guns were returned from Fort Barbonnet, which had two turrets. Four rectangular courts constitute the original barracks. Two concrete-protected barracks were constructed, one in 1888 in a special concrete, the other in 1910 in reinforced concrete which forms the present entry to the réduit. In 1914 a battery to be armed with two 155mm turrets was under construction but never completed.Redan
Situated between the north and south batteries 48°39′36"N 5°58′46"E on the opposite side of the village from the redoubt, the redan is equipped with a 75mm gun turret and two armored observatories. A concreted barracks was added in 1890 under the turret. The redan was overlooked by a water tower and the steeple of the village church, which were dynamited in 1914 to prevent the Germans from using them to sight artillery. The Germans never came close to Villey, and the church tower was rebuilt in 1950. A third observation point was added during the war. In 2002 the preservation association pumped w to 2.5 meters of water from the works, allowing access to the barracks and turret. Linited stabilization work was done, and the area awaits restoration. It is not presently accessible to the public.North battery
The north battery is located just to the north of the village. In the form of a V with legs 160 metres (524.9 ft) long, it possessed a retractable 75mm gun turret and a machine gun turret, with two armored observatories. 48°39′43"N 5°58′38"E, 310 meters altitude. The battery controlled the plain. The entry was protected by an Ardagt et Pilter drawbridge. The position retains its double caponierCaponier
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" -...
. The restoration society has recovered the 75mm turret's guns from the ouvrage du Mordant and restored them so that they can fire blank rounds, along with the eclipsing action of the turret.
South battery
More imposing than the north battery, the south battery was planned to cover the MarronMarron
Marron is a name given to two closely related species of crayfish in Western Australia. Formerly considered a single species, it is now thought to comprise two species, the critically endangered Cherax tenuimanus, and the species which is outcompeting it, Cherax cainii.Marron make excellent eating,...
road, taking the valley of the Moselle in enfilade and facing the Bois l'Eveque. It lies to the southeast of the village. 48°39′27"N 5°58′47"E, 320 meters altitude. Like the north battery, the south battery was laid out in the form of a V. The south battery was not reinforced with concrete and retains its stone construction, with the exception of a concrete barracks added on the south side in 1890. It was planned to receive a 75mm gun, which was never installed. The entry was equipped with a rolling bridge by Th. Pilter that could be laterally displaced. The southern battery was used by the National School of Applied Geology and Mineral Exploration (École Nationale Supérieure de Géologie Appliquée et de Prospection Minière) in Nancy to store a radioactive mineral collection.
Redoute de Chaudeney
Also called the Charton redoubt, the Redoute de Chaudeney is located about one kilometer behind the fort at a location that could be used to bombard Toul. 48°39′28"N 5°57′33"E Its construction was initiated at the end of 1874 to anticipate delays in the construction of the main fort. Actual construction began in December 1875, predating the "panic" forts built after April–May 1875, when German chancellor Otto von BismarckOtto von Bismarck
Otto Eduard Leopold, Prince of Bismarck, Duke of Lauenburg , simply known as Otto von Bismarck, was a Prussian-German statesman whose actions unified Germany, made it a major player in world affairs, and created a balance of power that kept Europe at peace after 1871.As Minister President of...
implied that Germany might initiate a pre-emptive war. The pentagonal position featured a Haxo casemate and a 164.7mm naval gun, protected by an earth rampart and masonry walls. The site is abandoned and covered with vegetation.
Batterie de Chaudeney
Four batteries were planned behind the redoubt 48°39′28"N 5°57′14"E, but only one was built, to the west in 1912. It was equipped with four 155mm guns. 500 metres (1,640.4 ft) to the southeast of the batteries, a magazine was constructed. The magazine is abandoned but accessible.Powder magazine of Bois sous roche
The powder magazine was located 1800 metres (5,905.5 ft) to the southwest of the fort 48°39′0"N 5°57′10"E. Constructed in 1890-91, it was equipped with its own well (now dry). Today it is in ruins and shelters bats (Myotis myotis, PlecotusPlecotus
The genus Plecotus consists of the lump-nosed bats. Many species in the genus have only been described and recognized in recent years.-Species:Genus Plecotus - Lump-nosed bats*Plecotus ariel*Brown Long-eared Bat, Plecotus auritus...
, and Whiskered bat
Whiskered bat
The whiskered bats Myotis mystacinus and related species, are small European bats with long fur. Although uncommon, M. mystacinus is often found around human habitation and around water; it is similar to Brandt's bat Myotis brandtii, from which it was distinguished as a separate species only in...
s), with a temperature and humidity suitable for their hibernation. It is therefore designated a nature preserve and is closed to access.
Batteries de Bois sous roche
A set of six batteries was planned along the way to the powder magazine from the fort 48°39′16"N 5°57′48"E. Only four were built to the west in 1888, totaling 24 positions for 120mm or 155mm guns. A raised position 100 metres (328.1 ft) behind the batteries shelters ammunition niches and conceals the 60 cm military railway from direct vision.Advance post Ouvrage du Fays
A small infantry position 1000 metres (3,280.8 ft) north of the fort. 48°40′17"N 5°58′34"E. Constructed by a Declaration of Public Utility of 23 August 1889, it was planned to be slightly modernized between 1907 and 1914.Train line
A Péchot system rail line using a gauge of 60 cm was used to supply the fort. A Péchot wagon remains, along with several traces of the old line and the protective slope that shielded the line. The Villey-le-Sec military rail line was built between 1889 and 1891, with extensions in 1906 to the Redoubt of Chaudeney and in 1913-14 to the road between Villey-le-Sec and Gondreville. The preservation association has re-created a 1500 metres (4,921.3 ft) section of the line for tourists.Other works
Also located on the plateau are:- The Redoubt of Dommartin (48°39′56"N 5°55′45"E)
- The Battery of Dommartin (48°39′56"N 5°57′5"E)
- The field work of Haut-des-Champs(48°41′1"N 5°58′11"E)
- The battery of Charmois (48°40′27"N 5°56′34"E)
- The Fort de GondrevilleGondrevilleGondreville may refer to the following places in France:* Gondreville, Loiret, a commune in the Loiret department* Gondreville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department* Gondreville, Oise, a commune in the Oise department...
(48°40′58"N 5°56′21"E)
Source
- This article incorporates text translated from the corresponding French Wikipedia article as of February 6, 2010.
External links
- Site du fort de Villey-le-Sec
- Fortified ensemble of Villey-le-Sec) at fortiff.be
- Le fort de Villey le Sec ou fort Trévise at fortiff' sere
- Fort de Villey-le-Sec at Chemins de mémoire
- Page describing the site naturel classé of the fortified ensemble of Villey-le-Sec