Ouvrage Bois-Karre
| Ouvrage Bois-Karre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Maginot Line | |
| Northeast France | |
Machine gun turret — note two GFM cloches to the rear
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 Ouvrage Bois-Karre
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| Coordinates | 49°25′47″N 6°12′15″E / 49.429822°N 6.204173°E |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | France |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Preserved |
| Site history | |
| Built by | CORF |
| Materials | Concrete, steel, deep excavation |
| Battles/wars | Battle of France, Lorraine Campaign |
| Ouvrage Bois-Karre | |
|---|---|
| Type of work: | Small infantry work (Petit ouvrage - infantry) |
|
sector └─sub-sector |
Fortified Sector of Thionville └─Hettange-Grande |
| Work number: | A12 |
| Constructed: | 1930–1935 |
| Regiment: | 168th Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF) |
| Number of blocks: | 1 |
| Strength: | 2 officers, 91 men |
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. It is unusual for a Maginot fortification in its construction as a single blockhouse, with no underground gallery system or remotely located entries. Bois-Karre has been preserved and is maintained as a museum.
Bois-Karre 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 in 1931, and the position became operational in 1935, at a cost of 10 million francs.
Bois-Karre was planned as an anchor point for a fortified line of retreat from the Cattenom salient formed by Kobenbusch and Oberheid. A firing chamber is arranged to cover the reinforcing line (bretelle de Cattenom), which was to be anchored at its other end by Block 2 of Ouvrage Galgenberg. The reinforcing line was never built.
The single two-level combat block comprises two firing chambers and one machine gun turret. The west firing chamber was armed with a machine gun embrasure and a machine gun/47mm anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47). The east firing chamber was equipped with two JM/AC47 embrasures and a JM embrasure. Three automatic rifle cloches (GFM) on the surface provided spotting for ouvrage Métrich, along with a machine gun turret. The integral usine was equipped with two 40 horsepower (30 kW) Renault engines.
Several casemates, observatories and infantry shelters are located around Bois-Karre, including
None of these are connected to the ouvrage or to each other. All were built by CORF. The Casernement de Cattenom provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bois-Karre and other ouvrages in the area.
The garrison comprised 91 men and two officers of the 168th Fortress Infantry Regiment under Sub-Lieutenant Boulay.
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