Ouvrage Immerhof

Ouvrage Immerhof
Part of Maginot Line
Northeast France
Machine gun turret, Block 2
Ouvrage Immerhof
Coordinates	49°25′30″N 6°08′08″E / 49.42508°N 6.13564°E / 49.42508; 6.13564
Site information
Owner	Town of Hettange-Grande
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
Garrison information
Current commander	Commandant Réquiston

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 Luxembourg frontier. It was part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville, in the Fortified Region of Metz, the strongest portion of the Line. Apart from its function as a communication post between the neighbouring gros ouvrages, Immerhof also controlled the road and railway routes from Luxembourg, which pass in the immediate vicinity. In addition, Immerhof protected other Maginot works in the vicinity: the casemates of Kanfen, the infantry shelter of Stressling, the observation point and shelter of Hettange-Grande, and a number of nearby blockhouses constructed during the Phoney War.

Built between 1930 and 1935, Immerhof saw little action. After a renovation for continued use after World War II, the position was sold to the nearby community of Hettange-Grande in 1974 for use as a museum.

The Immerhof farm 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 Duval of Nancy began in 1931, and the position became operational in 1935, at a cost of 31 million francs.

Immerhof was the only ouvrage to be built using entirely cut-and-cover techniques, with no tunnelling, due to poor soil conditions. A high water table meant that the drinking water well was only 28 metres (92 ft) deep; no deep drain could be constructed under the galleries due to the shallow water table. The position was constructed entirely in reinforced concrete, as opposed to unreinforced mass concrete, causing a significant cost increase. It was named after a nearby farm.

The ouvrage consists of four closely grouped combat blocks. The underground barracks is arranged in a unique two-level configuration.