Ouvrage Lembach
| Ouvrage Lembach | |
|---|---|
| Part of Maginot Line | |
| Northeast France | |
Infantry Block 1
|
|
 Ouvrage Lembach
|
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| Coordinates | 48°59′46″N 7°46′27″E / 48.99616°N 7.77415°E |
| Type | Petit ouvrage |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | France |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Site history | |
| Built by | CORF |
| In use | Abandoned |
| Materials | Concrete, steel, deep excavation |
| Battles/wars | Battle of France, Lorraine Campaign, Battle of the Bulge |
| Ouvrage Lembach | |
|---|---|
| Type of work: | Small artillery work (Petit ouvrage) |
|
sector └─sub-sector |
Fortified Sector of the Vosges └─Langensoultzbach |
| Work number: | O 550, Ouvrage D |
| Regiment: | 165th Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF) |
| Number of blocks: | 4 |
| Strength: | 4 officers, 58 enlisted |
Ouvrage Lembach is a petit ouvrage of the Maginot Line. Lembach is adjoined by petit ouvrage Grand Hohekirkel at some distance to its west and gros ouvrage Four-à-Chaux immediately to its east. It faces the German frontier, and was part of the Fortified Sector of the Vosges. During the Battle of France in 1940, the German 215th Infantry Division broke through the line of smaller fortifications to the west of Lembach, but did not directly attack. After aerial bombardments, Lembach surrendered with the rest of the Maginot fortifications according to the terms of the Second Armistice at Compiègne. After the war Lembach was renovated for further use, but was abandoned by the 1970s.
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency; Lembach was approved for construction in July 1931. The petit ouvrage was to be expanded in a second phase of construction, planned but not carried out, envisioned the addition of an 81mm mortar turret and new, separate munitions and personnelentries.
Lembach comprises an entry block, two infantry blocks and one observation block. A small entry block exists near Block 1, with underground barracks and service areas along the gallery that links the combat blocks.
A series of detached casemates and infantry shelters are in the vicinity of Lembach, including
Additionally, the space between Lembach and Grand-Hohékirkel, its neighbor to the west, is filled by more than forty casemates and blockhouses along the river Schwartzbach and across the ridge to the Sauer river.
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Captain Drouin comprised 58 men and 4 officers of the 165th Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 5th Army. The nearby Casernement de Lembach provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Lembach and other positions in the area.
On 19 June 1940, the German 215th Infantry Division attacked in the area immediately to the west of Lembach, between the river Schwartzbach and Lembach. Later in the day, Lembach and other ouvrages were bombed by Stukas with no significant effect. The next day an attack was repelled with artillery support from Hochwald. The German advance continued into the Vosges region, but did not directly attack Lembach. Lembach, Four-à-Chaux and Hochwald formally surrendered on 1 July 1940.
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Wikipedia