Ouvrage Bois- Karre is located in the

Fortified Sector of Thionville The Fortified Sector of Thionville (''Secteur fortifié de Thionville'') was the French military organisation that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line immediately to the north of Thionville. The sector describes an arc of about , ...

of the Maginot Line, facing the

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border. The ''petit ouvrage'' is situated in the Cattenom Forest between the ''gros ouvrages'' Soetrich and Kobenbusch, just south of Boust. It is unusual for a Maginot fortification in its construction as a single blockhouse, with no underground gallery system or remotely located entries. Bois-Karre has been preserved and is maintained as a museum.

Design and construction

Bois-Karre was surveyed by CORF (''Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées''), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, in 1930. Work by the contractor Degaine-Dubois began in 1931,Mary, Tome 3, p. 93 and the position became operational in 1935,Kaufmann 2006, p. 25 at a cost of 10 million francs. Mary, Tome 1, p. 52 Bois-Karre was planned as an anchor point for a fortified line of retreat from the Cattenom salient formed by Kobenbusch and Oberheid. A firing chamber is arranged to cover the reinforcing line (''bretelle de Cattenom''), which was to be anchored at its other end by Block 2 of Ouvrage Galgenberg. The reinforcing line was never built.

Description

The single two-level combat block comprises two firing chambers and one machine gun turret. The west firing chamber was armed with a machine gun embrasure and a machine gun/ 47 mm anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47). The east firing chamber was equipped with two JM/AC47 embrasures and a JM embrasure. Three automatic rifle cloches (GFM) on the surface provided spotting for ''ouvrage'' Métrich, along with a machine gun turret. The integral ''usine'' was equipped with two Renault engines. Several casemates, observatories and infantry shelters are located around Bois-Karre, including * Casemate de Basse-Parthe Ouest: Single classmate flanking to the west with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche. * Casemate de Basse-Parthe Est: Single classmate flanking to the east with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one JM embrasure and one GFM cloche. * Abri du Bois-Karre: Surface shelter for one infantry section, with two GFM cloches. * Abri du Rippert: Subsurface shelter for two infantry sections and the quarter command post, two GFM cloches. * Abri du Bois-de-Cattenom: Surface shelter for one infantry section, two GFM cloches. None of these are connected to the ''ouvrage'' or to each other. All were built by CORF. The Casernement de Cattenom provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Bois-Karre and other ''ouvrages'' in the area.

Manning

The garrison comprised 91 men and two officers of the 168th Fortress Infantry Regiment under Sub-Lieutenant Boulay.

History

:''See

for a broader discussion of the events of 1940 in the Thionville sector of the Maginot Line.''

Current condition

The ''ouvrage'' which retains a large portion of its equipment, has been restored and may be visited.Kaufmann 2011, p. 221

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Allcorn, William. ''The Maginot Line 1928–45.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. *Degon, André; Zylberyng, Didier, ''La Ligne Maginot: Guide des Forts à Visiter,'' Editions Ouest-France, 2014. *Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. ''Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II'', Stackpole Books, 2006. *Kaufmann, J.E., Kaufmann, H.W., Jancovič-Potočnik, A. and Lang, P. ''The Maginot Line: History and Guide'', Pen and Sword, 2011. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 1.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2001. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 2.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 3.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2003. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009.