In the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes (Secteur Fortifiée de la Crusnes) lies the small Ouvrage Bois-du Four, a single large bunker, part of the French Maginot Line. The Crusnes sector belonged to the Fortified region of Metz and was under the command of the French 3rd Army.
The Fortified Sector of the Crusnes (Secteur Fortifiée de la Crusnes) was a French fortified section of the Maginot line, 28 km long, eastwards from the French city of Longuyon. The fortified sector is divided into smaller subsectors and roughly follows the valley of the Crusnes River and is located near the French-Belgian and French-Luxembourgish borders.
Within this line were larger and smaller Ouvrages, individual casemates, and observation posts. Each had its own designation. An Ouvrage had an A number; for example, Ouvrage Latiremont is designated A3, and Bréhain A6. The observation posts, in turn, had an O number, and the casemates a C number. And so, Ouvrage Bois-du-Four was numbered A5.
Bois-du-Four is designated as a Petit Ouvrage (small fortification). The order for its construction was given in 1932; the goal was to build a Gros Ouvrage, but ultimately it remained a single combat block. Block 1 was built and deployed in combat. Artillery blocks 2 through 6 were not built, and the underground connections with the personnel entrance and ammunition entrance were also not completed. Had the entire construction been completed, the fortification would have looked something like the layout of Gros Ouvrage Bréhain.
The large bunker had multiple levels and was constructed of approximately 6,000 cubic meters of reinforced concrete. It housed artillery observation posts, machine guns for close defense with armored plating for protection, multiple light machine guns, heavy twin machine guns, three 47 mm anti-tank guns in flanking and rear position, two 81 mm mortars on the lower level, and one 96-ton retractable rotating turret with, probably one larger caliber gun or a single or twin 75 mm guns. The Ouvrage’s weapons were divided into three automatic rifle turrets (GFM), along with one observation turret (VDP), and one machine gun turret on top of the casemat. The Ouvrage was staffed by 135 men and two officers.
When the Germans invaded France in 1940 during the Battle of France, they cleverly bypassed the Maginot Line’s strongest positions and captured the ground army and tactical positions within weeks. When the French army surrendered, the Ouvrage Bois-du-Four fell into German hands after the garrison was forced to surrender. The Germans completely emptied the casemat and used the materials and weapons elsewhere.
Fighting with the occupying forces and Bois-du-Four took place mainly in June 1940 (from 13 june to 22 june). These were smaller attacks, acts of intimidation; a truly large-scale attack never took place. Ouvrage Bois-du-Four and the casemetes in the vicinity did not see action during the Lorraine Campaign led by George Patton. After World War Two the Maginot Line was used again by the French forces during the Cold War. Today they are still property of the French Government but not in use, mostly abandoned.
Visit
In the vicinity of Ouvrage Bois-du-Four, there are several single casemates and observation posts. In recent years, Ouvrage Bois-du-Four A5 has been redeveloped as a full-fledged fort and is open to visitors as a museum on certain days of the month and in certain seasons. Visitor information can be found from the organization via this link (in French).
Sources:
Fortress Europe : European Fortifications of World War II – Kaufmann, J. E.; Jurga, Robert M.
Ligne Maginot – P.O. A5 Bois du Four
Wikipedia – Fortified Sector of the Crusnes
