User:Acroterion/Gros Bois

The Abri du Gros Bois (sometimes written as "Gros-Bois"), additionally known as Abri X1, is a fortification of the Maginot Line located to the southeast of the commune of Rochonvillers in the Moselle department of northeastern France. The abri or infantry shelter is located at the southern extremity of the woods of the same name, while the casemate of the same name is located at the north end of the wood.

Description
The shelter was built in 1931 by the Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées (CORF), which was responsible for the major fortifications of the Maginot Line. The Gros Bois abri was built into the surface of the ground, as opposed to the largely buried abris-cavernes built elsewhere. The shelter measures approximately 24 m by 60 m with two interior levels enclosing about 3000 m2.

Position
The Gros Bois fortification is at the eastern extreme of the Fortified Sector of the Crusnes near its border with the Fortified Sector of Thionville.Like the majority of interval; infantry shelters, it is somewhat to the rear of the principal line of resistance, just to the south of the Casemate de Gros Bois, and protected by the guns of Ouvrage Bréhain to the west and Ouvrage Rochonvillers to the east.

Gros Bois is the only CORF abri in the Crusnes sector. 24 more were planned but not built. Some less substantial shelters were built in the area during the Phoney War of 1939-1940 by the Main-d'œuvre Militaire (MOM).

Equipment
Gros Bois was equipped with two GFM cloches on top of the superstructure. Three automatic rifle embrasures protected the front, together with grenade launcher ports covering the protective ditch across the front. Access was provided by two gas-proof armored doors. The entire position was encircled by barbed wire.

The interior comprises two levels with six rooms housing 132 soldiers, six rooms for pairs of non-commissioned officers, and a room for two officers. Toilets were provided, together with heat and ventilation.

Upper level
The entry level comprises three of the shelter's six large rooms, a filter room with a battery of air filters agauinst gas attack, latrines, an infirmary, cisterns, two magazines and access to the GFM cloches.

Lower level
The lower level includes the remaining three large barracks spaces, the generator room, a coal bin for the boiler, a pantry with rations for fifteen days, diesel fuel tanks, cisterns, latrines, a well and the command post with radio communication. The shelter's sewer doubles as an emergency exit, via an armored door in the abri to a grill 594 m away, an unusual measure in an interval shelter.

Functions
The Abri du Gros Bois was planned to serve as a command post for the area. It also controlled two sections of infantry that assured the protection of interval troops behind the main line of resistance. .

Pre-war
The shelter was part of the second phase of the 1929 fortification program, intended to extend the Maginot Line to the west from the Fortified Region of Metz. The budget was released in 1930, allowing work to begin in 1931.



In peacetime the ouvrages, casemates and abris were not occupied. The garrisons were station in casernements de sûreté (large "security barracks"), with detachments in casernements légers de proximité (smaller "proximity barracks") next to the ouvrages, ready to deploy in an alert. In the sub-sector of Aumetz, which included Gros Bois, the peacetime garrison was the first battalion of the 149th Fortress Infantry Regiment in Tressange, with light wooden barracks next to the positions.

The first alert took place in March-April 1936 when Germany remilitarized the Rhineland, followed by more alerts in March-May 1938 for the Austrian Anschluss. In September-October another alert and partial mobilization was called for Germany's annexation of the Sudetenland. On 21 August 1939 troops were alerted after a German ultimatum to Poland over the Danzig Corridor, with partial mobiliation on 24 August and full mobilization on 2 September following Gemany's invasion of Poland.

1940


Just before France's entry into the Second World War on 3 September 1939, the active battalion in charge of the sector was augmented by reservists to become the 128th Fortress Infantry Regiment. This unit reported to the 42nd Fortress Army Corps of the French 3rd Army from March 1940. The region, which faced Luxembourg rather than Germany, was quiet until 10 May 1940.

Les troupes d'intervalle, menacées d'encerclement par les forces allemandes arrivant de l'ouest, reçoivent l'ordre de quitter leur position et de marcher vers le sud à partir du 13 juin 1940. Le 128 RIF abandonne donc ses blockhaus, points d'appui et abris (seuls les équipages des casemates et ouvrages restent sur place) pour faire partie du « groupement de Fleurian », avec ordre de marcher par Conflans et Briey pour se positionner le long du canal de la Marne au Rhin à hauteur de Toul. Attaquée par les Allemands à Barisey-la-Côte le 20, puis encerclé près de Crépey, le régiment se rend le 22 juin. Les équipages laissés en arrière se rendent le 27 juin, livrant en état les ouvrages, casemates et l'abri aux Allemands de la 161. ID.

Present state
Propriété de la commune de Rochonvillers, l'abri a été mis à disposition de l'association « La Lorraine à travers les siècles » par délégation spéciale. Il est depuis l'automne 2011 en cours de restauration dans le but d'en faire un musée,. Les travaux portent sur la réinstallation de l'électricité, l'entretien des tables et bancs métalliques, la peinture intérieure et extérieure, le démoussage de la façade, le défrichement des abords, l'aménagement d'un chemin, etc.

Descriptions et photos

 * Abri du Gros Bois (X1)
 * L'abri du Gros-Bois
 * X1 (abri du Gros Bois)
 * Abri X1