Ouvrage Simserhof


Ouvrage Simserhof is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the French commune of Siersthal in the Moselle department. It faces the German border and is adjoined by the petit ouvrage Rohrbach and the gros ouvrage Schiesseck. Located 4 km west of Bitche, the ouvrage derived its name from a nearby farm. It was part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach. During the Battle of France in 1940, the Simserhof supported its neighboring fortifications with partially successful covering artillery fire. After the surrender of France, it was repurposed by the Germans as a torpedo storage depot, and later resisted the American advances of late 1944. The Americans briefly occupied the fort in the first days of 1945 until the German counter-offensive of Operation Nordwind, which allowed them to take back control of the Simserhof. The fort was finally liberated by the 100th Infantry Division on March 15th 1945. Following the war, it was initially repaired for the French Army and later converted into a Maginot Line museum in the early 1960s. Retained by the Ministry of Defense, Simserhof now functions as a museum, and has the most extensive visitor infrastructure of any of the preserved Maginot fortifications.

Design and construction

Initial project planning was led by Colonel Frossard. The first concept consisted of five closely spaced blocks fronted by an anti-tank ditch. The entry for the ouvrage was to be built in a ravine to the rear, with a 60 cm rail line running to a supply network farther behind the lines. The plan was rejected in July 1929 by CORF, the central planning agency for the Maginot Line. A number of objections were raised, including the amount of clear-cutting required, and an insufficient field of fire with dead ground exploitable by an attacker.
The second concept envisioned two ouvrages apart, arranged for mutual support. This plan was adopted in September 1929 at the direction of Maréchal Pétain, despite increasing costs estimated at 38 million francs. Further modifications raised the projected cost to 62 million francs. Ultimately, eight combat blocks were constructed, with a single mixed entry, the principal work spanning from 1930 to 1933. The entire project ran from 1929 to 1938. By 1934 the central utility plant was in place, along with ammunition lifts and the internal railway. In 1938 the anti-tank obstacles were completed. Final costs were 118 million francs. Plans to provide blockhouses covering an anti-tank ditch were dropped.

Description

Simserhof was, like most Maginot fortifications, composed of a combat section and a support section. Two separate entries were provided for personnel and ammunition, with underground utilities, mess halls, and barracks near the personnel entrance. A large "M1" magazine was provided near the munitions entrance. The combat blocks were as much as 1800 meters from the entry. The entire ouvrage was provided with a 60 cm gauge electric railway that connected the service areas with the combat blocks, and which extended outside the position to a network of similar surface railways behind the main Line. The gallery system was excavated at an average depth of below the surface.
Blocks 1, 2, and 5 comprised the west wing, and 3, 4 and 6 the east. Blocks 7 and 8, with their turrets, we located between the two wings and to the rear, along with the command post.

Casemates and shelters

A series of detached casemates and infantry shelters are in the vicinity of Simserhof, including
Simserhof was garrisoned by 28 officers and 792 men of the 153rd Fortress Infantry Regiment and the 155th Position Artillery Regiment, as well as elements of the 1st, 15th and 18th Régiments du Génie. The garrison was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Bonlarron from 25 April 1940. The ouvrage was under the overall command of the French 5th Army.
In times of peace, the active troops were stationed in newly built regular barracks in Légeret. When the ouvrage was on combat alert, daily life was similar to that of a warship.

History

1940

Simserhof was first garrisoned in March 1936 while still incomplete. It was reinforced with fortress troops after the Munich Agreement in September 1938 and further augmented in March 1939. On 21 August 1939 the Maginot Line was brought to a state of readiness for war. General mobilization was ordered on 2 September, and a state of war was declared the following day. Simserhof fired for the first time on 12 October, when a 75mm gun turret supported troops twelve kilometers in front of the fortified line. On 10 May 1940, Germany launched the Blitzkrieg against the West, but in front of the Maginot Line, the front remained calm. On 12 May, Simserhof responded to the bombardment of advanced French posts.
On 13 June the troops of the field army in the intervals between fortifications began to withdraw towards the south. According to the plan, Simserhof would cover the withdrawal and the garrison troops would withdraw in turn after sabotaging the equipment. Simserhof provided covering fire from 15 June, but by the 16th it was apparent that the retreat was nearly impossible. Lt. Colonel Bonlarron stopped the sabotage and prepared for a siege. From 21 June the ouvrage's artillery fired to prevent German troops from advancing on its neighbor, Welschhof. Simserhof was too distant to support Ouvrage Haut-Poirier, and that position surrendered on the 22nd. The same day the Second Armistice at Compiègne was signed, which provided for a cease-fire from the 25th.
One the 24th the situation at Welschhof had declined, and the ouvrage surrendered. The same day, Simserhof protected Rohrbach against German attack, firing approximately 13,500 shells in defense of its neighbor. The fate of the garrisons under the armistice terms remained ambiguous. The Germans tried to negotiate with the ouvrages but were rebuffed each time, as the commanders of the ouvrages awaited orders from their superiors. On 30 June, at a meeting at Grand-Hohekirkel, Lt. Colonel Simon brought the ouvrage commanders the order to relinquish their fortifications to the victors.
On June 30 Simserhof formally surrendered and the Germans rendered honors to the garrison. Maintenance was continued by French technicians, and the ouvrage was used by the Germans as a storage facility for torpedoes.

1944

At the end of November 1944 the U.S. Seventh Army under General Alexander Patch pursued the Germans. Simserhof was occupied by elements of the German 25th Panzer Grenadier Division. on 14 December the 71st Infantry Regiment of the U.S. 44th Infantry Division assaulted Simserhof using tank destroyers to fire at firing apertures in block 5. Combat engineers were assigned to attack individual blocks. The fortress and surrounding casemates were captured after six days of fighting. On 20 December the Simershof's guns were prudently destroyed. The 44th Infantry yielded to the U.S. 100th Infantry Division, which occupied the ouvrage during the first days of 1945, but the German counter-offensive Operation Nordwind caused the occupiers to leave the fort. It was re-occupied on 15 March without resistance from the Germans. Bitche was finally liberated on 16 March.

Cold War

Following World War II, interest revived in the use of the Maginot Line to defend against a possible Soviet advance through southern Germany. Funds were allocated for restoration of the gros ouvrages, but work was limited to restoration of systems and improvements to existing armament, with work completed by 1953. In 1951, Simserhof had been designated part of the Mòle de Bitche, a strong point in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack. By the late 1950s interest in fixed fortifications was waning after France developed a nuclear deterrent. The money needed to maintain and upgrade the fortifications was diverted for the nuclear programs. Simserhof was proposed as a potential museum in the 1960s.

Preservation

Simserhof remains the property of the French Ministry of Defense. Its museum operations are managed by the Moselle département and the city of Bitche. Restoration work is ongoing. Simserhof has an extensive array of visitor services, including a gift shop, picnic area and café. The tour is limited to the entry, caserne and magazine, excluding the combat blocks.