Ouvrage Soetrich
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Soetrich is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line
in northeastern France
. Soetrich is located between petits ouvrages Immerhof
and Bois Karre
, facing the France-Luxembourg
border near the town of Hettange-Grande
, part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville
. Compared with other gros ouvrages, Soetrich is compact in arrangement, with the entries and underground ammunition magazines and barracks in close proximity to the combat blocks, accessed through underground galleries at an average depth of 30 metres (98.4 ft). Its primary purpose was to cover the main road to Luxembourg, just to the west. Along with its neighbors, Ouvrage Rochonvillers
and Ouvrage Molvange
, Soetrich was used during the Cold War
as a secure command center for NATO forces.
Soetrich stands just to the east of the Thionville-Luxembourg road. A military road and a 60 cm narrow-gauge railway link the entrance blocks to the rear supply areas. The railway continues through the ouvrage to the combat blocks. The combat and support areas are separated by only 125 metres (410.1 ft), and the total length of the main gallery is 625 metres (2,050.5 ft).
Several other casemates, observatories and infantry shelters are located around Soetrich, including
None of these are connected to the ouvrage or to each other. All were built by CORF. The Casernement de Hettange-Grande provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Soetrich and other ouvrages in the area.
Soetrich came under bombardment by German forces in June 1940, without much effect. Soetrich surrendered with other positions on its sector as a result of the Second Armistice at Compiègne. No significant action is recorded concerning Soetrich during the Lorraine Campaign
of 1944.
After the war, most of the gros ouvrages were reconditioned for continued service. However, the 75mm turrets in Soetrich's blocks 5 and 6 were removed in 1953. In 1960 Rochonvillers
and Molvange
were offered to NATO for use as secure command centers. Soon after, Soetrich was added to the offer. Soetrich was renovated for this purpose at a cost of 54 million francs, using its ammunition magazine and underground barracks spaces for the purpose and largely abandoning the combat blocks.
The ouvrage is no longer used by the French Army
and the entries are now buried to prevent unauthorized entry.
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 northeastern 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...
. Soetrich is located between petits ouvrages 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...
and Bois Karre
Ouvrage Bois Karre
Ouvrage Bois- Karre is located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line, facing the France - Luxembourg border. The petit ouvrage is situated in the Cattenom Forest between the gros ouvrages Soetrich and Kobenbusch, just south of Boust...
, facing the France-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...
border near the town of Hettange-Grande
Hettange-Grande
Hettange-Grande is a commune in the Moselle department in Lorraine in north-eastern France.-Geography:Hettange-Grande is located close to the borders between France, Germany, and Luxembourg.-History:...
, part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville
Fortified Sector of Thionville
The Fortified Sector of Thionville was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line immediately to the north of Thionville. The sector describes an arc of about , about halfway between the French border with Luxembourg and Thionville. The Thionville...
. Compared with other gros ouvrages, Soetrich is compact in arrangement, with the entries and underground ammunition magazines and barracks in close proximity to the combat blocks, accessed through underground galleries at an average depth of 30 metres (98.4 ft). Its primary purpose was to cover the main road to Luxembourg, just to the west. Along with its neighbors, Ouvrage Rochonvillers
Ouvrage 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...
and Ouvrage 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...
, Soetrich was used 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...
as a secure command center for NATO forces.
Design and construction
The Soetrich site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in 1930. Work by the contractor Degaine-Dubois began the same year, and the position became operational in 1935, at a cost of 86 million francs.Soetrich stands just to the east of the Thionville-Luxembourg road. A military road and a 60 cm narrow-gauge railway link the entrance blocks to the rear supply areas. The railway continues through the ouvrage to the combat blocks. The combat and support areas are separated by only 125 metres (410.1 ft), and the total length of the main gallery is 625 metres (2,050.5 ft).
Description
The ouvrage comprises two entries and six closely grouped combat blocks:- Ammunition entry: shaft, 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...
and 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....
(JM/AC47) embrasure. - Personnel entry: shaft, one GFM cloche and one JM/AC47 embrasure.
- Block 1: Infantry block with one machine gun turret, 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...
and one GFM cloche. - Block 2: Infantry block with one machine gun turret, 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...
and one GFM cloche. - Block 3: Infantry block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, two 81mm mortar embrasures and two GFM cloches.
- Block 4: Artillery block with one 135mm gun turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 5: Artillery block with one 75mm gun turret and one GFM cloche.
- Block 6: Artillery block with one 75mm gun turret, one GFM cloche 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...
.
Casemates, observation points and shelters
The Observatoire de la Route du Luxembourg is just to the west to the ouvrage, on the other side of the main road to Luxembourg. It was equipped with an observation cloche and a GFM cloche. Just to the south is the Abri de la Route du Luxembourg, which sheltered a section of infantry that supported the observatory and the flank of the ouvrage.Several other casemates, observatories and infantry shelters are located around Soetrich, including
- Observatoire de Boust: One observation cloche and one GFM cloche.
- Casemate de Boust: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one JM embrasure, and two GFM cloches.
- Abri Helmriech: Sub-surface shelter for two infantry sections and a command post, with two GFM cloches.
- Abri Barrungshof: Surface shelter for two infantry sections, two GFM cloches.
None of these are connected to the ouvrage or to each other. All were built by CORF. The Casernement de Hettange-Grande provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Soetrich and other ouvrages in the area.
Manning
Under the orders of Commandant Henger, the garrison comprised 583 men and 20 officers of the 169th Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF) and the 151st Position Artillery Regiment (RAP). The units were under the umbrella of the 42nd Fortress Corps of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.History
- See Fortified Sector of ThionvilleFortified Sector of ThionvilleThe Fortified Sector of Thionville was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line immediately to the north of Thionville. The sector describes an arc of about , about halfway between the French border with Luxembourg and Thionville. The Thionville...
for a broader discussion of the events of 1940 in the Thionville sector of the Maginot Line.
Soetrich came under bombardment by German forces in June 1940, without much effect. Soetrich surrendered with other positions on its sector as a result of the Second Armistice at Compiègne. No significant action is recorded concerning Soetrich during 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 war, most of the gros ouvrages were reconditioned for continued service. However, the 75mm turrets in Soetrich's blocks 5 and 6 were removed in 1953. In 1960 Rochonvillers
Ouvrage 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...
and 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...
were offered to NATO for use as secure command centers. Soon after, Soetrich was added to the offer. Soetrich was renovated for this purpose at a cost of 54 million francs, using its ammunition magazine and underground barracks spaces for the purpose and largely abandoning the combat blocks.
The ouvrage is no longer used by 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...
and the entries are now buried to prevent unauthorized entry.
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
- Ligne Maginot - Ouvrage de Soetrich (A11)
- Bunkertours - Soetrich
- Ouvrage Soetrich at fortiff.be
- Soetrich at darkplaces.org