Ouvrage Berenbach, also known asOuvrage Behrenbach, is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of theMaginot Line. Located in theFortified Sector of Boulay, theouvrage is located betweengros ouvrageAnzeling andpetit ouvrageBovenberg, facingGermany. Theouvrage consists of two infantry blocks and one observation block. Uniquely, the blocks are not connected by subterranean galleries, as is the case in virtually all other Maginot fortifications.
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency; Berenbach was approved for construction in August 1930. It was completed at a cost of 11 million francs by the contractor La Parisienne d'Enterprises.[1] Thepetit ouvrage[nb 1] was planned as an annex to Anzeling.[4]
Berenbach comprises three separate infantry blocks. Blocks 1 and 2 were planned for the deep underground gallery system to come in Phase 2. Since there was no centralusine, each block has its own generating plant.[4]
Block 1: infantry block with twoautomatic rifle cloches (GFM), one retractable twin machine gun turret, three automatic rifle embrasures, one twin machine gun embrasure and one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47). The block has a shaft excavated to access the gallery system proposed for the second phase, but no staircase in the shaft. Power provided by two 30 hp Renault generators.[5]
Block 2: Infantry block with one GFM cloche, two automatic rifle embrasures, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 embrasure. The block has a shaft excavated to access the gallery system proposed for the second phase, already equipped with a staircase. Power provided by two 8 hp Renault generators.[6]
Block 3: infantry/observation block with oneobservation cloche (VDP), one GFM cloche and two automatic rifle embrasures. Power provided by two 8 hp Renault generators.[7]
In addition to the combat blocks, a series of detachedcasemates and infantry shelters surround Berenbach, including
Abri de Colming: Surfaceabri-casemate[nb 2], a unique position in the Maginot Line, with two GFM cloches and with one JM/AC47 embrasure. The position was sited to control the defensive inundation of Gomelange that protected the low-lying area between Berenbach and Bovenberg.
Abri de Gomelange: Surfaceabri with two GFM cloches.[4]
The 1940 manning of theouvrage under the command of Captain Ramaud comprised 97 men and 2 officers of the 162nd Fortress Infantry Regiment.[4] The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2.[9] The Casernement de Bockange provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Berenbach and other positions in the area.[4][10]
Berenbach played no significant role in either theBattle of France in 1940 or theLorraine Campaign of 1944. After the Second World War it became part of theMòle de Boulay, a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.[11] Berenbach remained under Army control until after 1971, when it was declassified and sold.[12]
^English-language sources use the French termouvrage as the preferred term for the Maginot positions, in preference to "fort", a term usually reserved for older fortifications with passive defensives in the form of walls and ditches.[2] The literal translation ofouvrage in the sense of a fortification in English is "work." Agros ouvrage is a large fortification with a significant artillery component, while apetit ouvrage is smaller, with lighter arms.[3]
^Anabri is an infantry shelter, sometimes underground or under earth cover. Anabri in the main Maginot Line often closely resembles a casemate, but is more lightly armed and can hold more occupants.[8]
^Puelinckx, Jean; Aublet, Jean-Louis; Mainguin, Sylvie (2010)."Behrenbach (po de) Bloc 1".Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved26 May 2010.
^Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010)."Behrenbach (po de) Bloc 2".Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved26 May 2010.
^abPuelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010)."Behrenbach (po de) Bloc 3".Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Archived fromthe original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved26 May 2010.
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Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W.Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II, Stackpole Books, 2006.ISBN0-275-98345-5
Kaufmann, J.E., Kaufmann, H.W., Jancovič-Potočnik, A. and Lang, P.The Maginot Line: History and Guide, Pen and Sword, 2011.ISBN978-1-84884-068-3
Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques.Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 1. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2001.ISBN2-908182-88-2(in French)
Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques.Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 2. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003.ISBN2-908182-97-1(in French)
Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques.Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 3. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003.ISBN2-913903-88-6(in French)
Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques.Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009.ISBN978-2-35250-127-5(in French)
