Ouvrage Latiremont
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Latiremont is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line
, located in the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes
, sub-sector of Arrancy. It lies between the gros ouvrage Fermont
and the petit ouvrage Mauvais Bois
, facing Belgium
. The village of Doncourt-Cités is nearby. Latiremont was active in 1939-1940, coming under direct attack in late June of 1940. It surrendered to German forces on 27 June. After renovations during the Cold War
, it was abandoned.
More than 1200 metres (3,937 ft) of underground galleries connect the entries to the farthest block, at an average depth of 30 metres (98.4 ft). An "M1" magazine, arranged with parallel galleries connected by cross galleries, is located close to the ammunition entrance, while the underground barracks and utility areas are just inside the personnel entry. The gallery system was served by a narrow-gauge (60cm) railway that continued out the ammunition entry and connected to a regional military railway system for the movement of materiel along the front a few kilometers to the rear. Several "stations" along the gallery system, located in wider sections of gallery, permitted trains to pass or be stored.
Unbuilt blocks:
s and infantry shelters surround Latiremont, including the:
None of these are connected to the ouvrage or to each other. The Casernement de Doncourt provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Latiremont and other ouvrages in the area.
From September 1939 to June 1940, Latiremont fired 14,452 75mm rounds and 4,234 81mm rounds at German forces and in support of neighboring units. It was not until June of 1940 that Latiremont and Fermont were attacked were directly attacked by the German 161st Division, which brought 21cm howitzers and 30.5cm mortars to bear on 21 June. By this time, German units were moving inn the rear of the Line, cutting power and communications. Heavy fire from Fermont and Latiremont repelled attacks. Firing continued until 25 June. Latiremont's garrison surrendered to the Germans on 27 June. In 1944 the area did not see significant fighting.
By 1951 work was proceeding on renovation of many of the northeastern ouvrages, including Latiremont, with the aim of restoring their combat capability to block a potential advance by the Warsaw Pact
. Latiremont and Fermont were designated the môle de Crusnes, a fortified strongpoint. After the establishment of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined
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 the Crusnes
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...
, sub-sector of Arrancy. It lies between the gros ouvrage Fermont
Ouvrage Fermont
Ouvrage Fermont is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, part of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes in northeastern France, near the community of Montigny-sur-Chiers. It is located near the commune of Montigny-sur-Chiers, between the petit ouvrage Ferme Chappy and the gros ouvrage Latiremont...
and the petit ouvrage 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,...
, facing Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The village of Doncourt-Cités is nearby. Latiremont was active in 1939-1940, coming under direct attack in late June of 1940. It surrendered to German forces on 27 June. After renovations 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...
, it was abandoned.
Design and construction
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in early 1931. Latiremont was approved for construction in May 1931. It was completed at a cost of 88 million francs by the contractor Monod of Paris. Latiremont was designed from the beginning as a gros ouvrage with casemate-mounted 75mm guns. A second phase was planned, to add 75mm and 135mm gun turret blocks. By the late 1930s resources had been allocated elsewhere, and the turret blocks were not built.More than 1200 metres (3,937 ft) of underground galleries connect the entries to the farthest block, at an average depth of 30 metres (98.4 ft). An "M1" magazine, arranged with parallel galleries connected by cross galleries, is located close to the ammunition entrance, while the underground barracks and utility areas are just inside the personnel entry. The gallery system was served by a narrow-gauge (60cm) railway that continued out the ammunition entry and connected to a regional military railway system for the movement of materiel along the front a few kilometers to the rear. Several "stations" along the gallery system, located in wider sections of gallery, permitted trains to pass or be stored.
Description
Latiremont has two entrances and six combat blocks. Most of the blocks are in and around the Bois de Pracourt.- Ammunition entrance: two automatic rifle cloches (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/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 entrance: one GFM cloche, one grenade launcher cloche, one JM/AC47 embrasure
- Block 1: Infantry block with two machine gun cloches (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...
and one GFM cloche. - Block 2: Infantry block with one machine-gun turret, one GFM cloche, one JM cloche and one periscope 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 3: Infantry block with one machine-gun turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 4: Artillery block with one 81mm mortar turret, one JM embrasure, one JM/AC47 embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Block 5: Artillery block with three 75mm gun embrasures, two GFM cloches and one LG cloche/grenade launcher cloche (LG).
- Block 6: Artillery block with three 75mm gun embrasures and two GFM cloches.
- Personnel entry: one grenade launcher clocheLG 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 GFM cloche, three light machine gun embrasures and one JM/AC47 embrasure. - Munitions entry: two GFM cloches, three light machine gun embrasures and one JM/AC47 embrasure.
Unbuilt blocks:
- Block 7 (unbuilt): Artillery block with a twin 75mm gun turret and two GFM cloches.
- Block 8 (unbuilt): Artillery block with a twin 135mm gun turret, one grenade launcher clocheLG 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...
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 Latiremont, including the:
- Casemate de Jalaumont Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate du Haut-de-l'Anguille Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and two GFM cloches.
- Casemate du Haut-de-l'Anguille Est: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and two GFM cloches.
- Casemate du Bois-de-Tappe Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and two GFM cloches.
- Casemate du Bois-de-Tappe Est: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure and two GFM cloches.
- Casemate de l'Ermitage Saint-Quentin: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, one mortar cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Pracourt: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, two mortar cloches and two GFM cloches.
None of these are connected to the ouvrage or to each other. The Casernement de Doncourt provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Latiremont and other ouvrages in the area.
Manning
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Commandant Pophillat comprised 21 officers and 580 men of the 149th Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 42nd Fortress Corps of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.History
- 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.
From September 1939 to June 1940, Latiremont fired 14,452 75mm rounds and 4,234 81mm rounds at German forces and in support of neighboring units. It was not until June of 1940 that Latiremont and Fermont were attacked were directly attacked by the German 161st Division, which brought 21cm howitzers and 30.5cm mortars to bear on 21 June. By this time, German units were moving inn the rear of the Line, cutting power and communications. Heavy fire from Fermont and Latiremont repelled attacks. Firing continued until 25 June. Latiremont's garrison surrendered to the Germans on 27 June. In 1944 the area did not see significant fighting.
By 1951 work was proceeding on renovation of many of the northeastern ouvrages, including Latiremont, with the aim of restoring their combat capability to block a potential advance by the Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
. Latiremont and Fermont were designated the môle de Crusnes, a fortified strongpoint. After the establishment of the French nuclear strike force, the importance of the Line declined
Present status
Latiremont is abandoned, but secured. It has served as a source of material for Maginot museums and has suffered from water ingress, staining floors and walls.See also
- List of all works on Maginot Line
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