Ouvrage Otterbiel forms part of the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...

in the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, Sub-sector of Bitche, and is located on the ''Camp de Bitche'' of the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

. It is located between ''gros ouvrage'' Schiesseck and ''petit ouvrage'' Grand Hohekirkel. Part of the

Fortified Sector of Rohrbach The Fortified Sector of Rohrbach (''Secteur Fortifié de Rohrbach'') was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line in the vicinity of Bitche. The sector was bordered to the west by the Fortified Sector ...

, the ''petit ouvrage'' comprises four combat blocks and an entry block. Due to budget restrictions, a planned flanking infantry block was never constructed. Otterbiel saw no significant action in the

Battle of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the Nazi Germany, German invasion of French Third Rep ...

, and limited action during the 1944/45 Lorraine Campaign. It was renovated for use during the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

. Otterbiel is used for ammunition storage by the French Army.

Design and construction

The site was surveyed by Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées (CORF), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, and was approved for construction in August 1931. The ''petit ouvrage'' was initially planned as a ''gros ouvrage'' with additional blocks for an 81mm mortar turret and two 75mm gun casemates, as well as a separate personnel entry.Mary, Tome 3, p. 128

Description

Otterbiel is unusual for having an artillery block in a ''petit ouvrage'', a vestige of its original intention as a ''gros ouvrage''. It also possesses three infantry blocks and a single entry block. *Block 1: Infantry block with one retractable twin machine gun turret and one automatic rifle cloche (GFM). Access forbidden. *Block 2: Infantry block with two GFM cloches, one grenade launcher cloche (LG), one twin machine gun cloche (JM), one twin machine gun embrasure and one machine gun (JM)/ 47mm anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47). Access forbidden. *Block 3: Infantry block with two GFM cloches, one JM cloche, one 81mm mortar turret, one twin machine gun embrasure and one JM/AC47 embrasure. Access forbidden. *Block 4: Infantry block with two GFM cloches and one observation cloche (VDP). Access forbidden. *Entry block: The entry provides for personnel and

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

on one unit, with munitions arriving by truck. It is protected by two GFM cloches and a machine gun/ 47mm anti-tank gun (JM/AC47) embrasure, which was never provided due to a lack of funding; only a machine gun was provided.

Casemates and shelters

A series of detached

casemate A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which artillery, guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to Ancient history, antiquity, th ...

s and infantry shelters are in the vicinity of Otterbiel, including * Casemate du Champ d'Aviation Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Casemate du Champ d'Aviation Est: Single block with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Abri du Kindelberg: Subsurface ''abri-caverne'' with two GFM cloches * Casemate de Rochat Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Casemate de Rochat Est: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Casemate du Petit-Hohékirkel: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Casemate du Grand-Hohékirkel Ouest: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Casemate du Grand-Hohékirkel Est: Single block with one JM/AC37 embrasure, one twin machine gun embrasure and a GFM cloche. * Abri du Camp: Surface ''abri'' with two GFM cloches.

Manning

In 1939 the garrison comprised 98 men and 7 officers of the 37th Fortress Infantry Regiment under the command of Captain Le Guanec. The units were under the umbrella of the 5th Army The Casernement de Bitche provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Otterbiel and other positions in the area.

History

:''See

for a broader discussion of the Rohrbach sector of the Maginot Line.''

1940

Otterbiel saw relatively little action in 1940 compared to its neighbors, and surrendered to the Germans with the rest of the Bitche fortifications on 30 June 1940.

1944 and 1945

At the end of November 1944 the

U.S. Seventh Army The Seventh Army was a United States army created during World War II that evolved into the United States Army Europe (USAREUR) during the 1950s and 1960s. It served in North Africa and Italy in the Mediterranean Theater of Operations and Fran ...

under General Alexander Patch had reached the Vosges region. Otterbiel was occupied by elements of the German 25th Panzer Grenadier Division. Otterbiel was to be the next position to be attacked by the

U.S. 100th Infantry Division The 100th Training Division (Leader Development) (formerly the 100th Infantry Division) is a division of the United States Army headquartered at Fort Knox, Kentucky. It currently serves as a major training command of the United States Army Res ...

, but the planned operation was disrupted by the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

. The Seventh Army withdrew to cover areas vacated by the

U.S. Third Army The United States Army Central, formerly the Third United States Army, commonly referred to as the Third Army and as ARCENT, is a military formation of the United States Army which saw service in World War I and World War II, in the 1991 Gulf Wa ...

, which moved to confront the German offensive. The 100th returned in March 1945 attacked the area on a broad front. Otterbiel was lightly defended, and the Americans, backed up by heavy artillery, were able to capture Otterbiel and the ''Ensemble de Bitche'' with few casualties.

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. By 1953, Otterbiel had been designated part of the ''Mòle de Bitche'', a strongpoint in the northeastern defenses against Soviet attack.Mary Tome 5, p. 161 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. Otterbiel was not manned or maintained after the early 1970sMary, Tome 5, p. 173

Present condition

Otterbiel is on military land and is not accessible to the public. It is reportedly used for ammunition storage.

Notes

References

Bibliography

*Allcorn, William. ''The Maginot Line 1928-45.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. *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.

External links

L'ouvrage de l'Otterbiel
at alsacemaginot.com .

at lignemaginot.com
Otterbiel (petit ouvrage de l')
at fortiff.be
de l'Otterbiel
at wikimaginot.eu {{DEFAULTSORT:Otterbiel, Ouvrage

OTTE Otte is a surname and given name. Notable persons with that name include: Given name *Otte Brahe (1518–1571), Danish (Scanian) nobleman and statesman *Otte Krumpen (1473–1569), Marshal of Denmark from 1554 to 1567 * Otte Rømer (c.1330–1409), ...

Maginot Line