The Fortified Sector of Altkirch (''Secteur Fortifiée d'Altkirch'') was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the French frontier with Germany and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

in the vicinity of

Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...

.It was built by France following the First world war from 1928 - 1940. it was built under the mandate of

André Maginot André Maginot (; ; 17 February 1877 – 7 January 1932) was a French civil servant, soldier and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his advocacy of the string of forts known as the Maginot Line. Early life Maginot was born and grew up ...

, the then minister of war. The sector's principal defense against an advance from Germany was the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

itself, which could be crossed only by boat or by seizing a bridge crossing. The frontier with Switzerland was not regarded as a high-risk location, save for a possible advance by German forces through Switzerland. Originally planned as a full extension of the

Maginot Line The Maginot Line (; ), named after the Minister of War (France), French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by French Third Republic, France in the 1930s to deter invas ...

with artillery ''ouvrages'', the sector's fortifications were scaled back and chiefly took the form of casemates and blockhouses. The SF Altkirch adjoined the Fortified Sector of Mulhouse to the north and the

Fortified Sector of Montbéliard A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

to the west.

Concept and organization

The region bordering Switzerland was treated as a low-priority area, but received a substantial number of casemates and blockhouses nonetheless. Initial plans floated in 1934 proposed four artillery ''ouvrages'' at Stetten, Ranspach-le-Haut, Bettlach and Trois-Maisons, with four more infantry ''ouvrages'' at

Uffheim Uffheim () is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. File:Uffheim, Eglise Saint-Michel.jpg, Saint Michael Church Population See also * Communes of the Haut-Rhin department The following is a list of the ...

, Helfrantzkirch, Ranspach-le-Haut, Bettlach and Oltingue. These were to be supported by 68 casemates. The project was cancelled in 1936 and were replaced by a more modest program that created three centers of resistance at

Sierentz Sierentz (; Alsatian: ''Siarez''; ) is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France. It is located roughly halfway between Mulhouse and Basel. Both cities can be accessed by train from Sierentz station. Population ...

, Bettlach-Oltingue and at Roedersdorff-Blochmont. A total of six blockhouses were built, each housing two 75 mm guns, with six more blockhouses armed with two 47 mm guns, two machine guns and two automatic rifles. Three more resistance centers were proposed at Stetten, Ransbach-le-Haut and Trois-Maisons in 1937, but were replaced by more casemates, prepared for mobile 155mm and 240mm howitzers to cover the bridges at Basel and Huningue. Thirteen blockhouses, four observation positions and fourteen infantry shelters were planned for the Glaserberg, along the Swiss border.Mary, Tome 3, p. 36

Command

Until 16 March 1940, the Altkirch sector was part of the

Fortified Region of Belfort The fortified region of Belfort () formed the first line of defense in the Séré de Rivières system, Séré de Rivières system of fortifications in the Belfort Gap. Located in northeastern France between Épinal and Besançon, the primary line ...

. Afterwards, the Altkirch sector was under the command of the 44th Army Fortress Corps under General Tence, which was in turn under the command of the French 8th Army, General Garchery at the

Fort de Giromagny Fort de Giromagny, also known as Fort Dorsner, was built near Belfort in northeastern France between 1875 and 1879. The fort forms the southern end of the defensive curtain of the Haute Moselle Region, abutting the fortified region of Belfort, whi ...

, part of Army Group 3 under General Besson.Mary, Tome 3, p. 146 The 44th Corps' headquarters was at Dannemarie. The 67th Infantry Division, commanded by General Boutignon, provided infantry support. The 67th DI was a series B reserve division, not suitable for heavy or sustained combat Following to its reorganization, the sector was called the Defensive Sector of Altkirch. The SF/SD Altkirch was commanded by General Salvan. Fortress troops were provided by the 12th and 171st Fortress Infantry Regiments. Artillery support was provided by the third and fourth battalions of the 159th Position Artillery Regiment. At the midpoint of the Battle of France on 1 June 1940, the fortress troops of the SF Altkirch amounted to two fortress infantry regiments in five battalions, comprising 165 officers and 3,300 men.Mary, Tome 3, p. 189

Description

The sector includes, in order from north to south, the following significant casemates and blockhouses in each sub-sector:

Sub-sector of Franken

171st Fortress Infantry Regiment (''171e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (RIF)''), Lt. Colonel Demange. All positions were constructed by the Army Engineering Service ''(Service Technique du Génie (STG))''. * Casemate d'Uffheim Nord-Ouest (80b), two 75mm guns * Casemate d'Uffheim Nord-Est (80), two 75mm guns * Casemate de l'Hôpital-de-Sierentz (81), two 75mm guns * Blockhaus de Sierentz Voie-Ferrée Ouest (82), single blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Sierentz Voie-Ferrée Est (83), single blockhouse with one

GFM cloche The GFM cloche was one of the most common defensive armaments on the Maginot Line. A ''cloche'' (bell) was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant. By comparison, turrets could be rot ...

* Blockhaus du Chemin-Creux (84), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche and command post * Blockhaus du Haselberg (85), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Aschenbach (86), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus des Vernes (87), single blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Stetten (88), double blockhouse with two GFM cloches * Blockhaus du Tapfelbaum (89), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Helfranzkirch Nord-Ouest (90), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus des Trois-Maisons-Nord (91), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Ranspach Nord (93), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Ranspach Sud (94), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de la Cote 445 (95), double blockhouse with two GFM cloches * Blockhaus du Monument (96), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Knoeringue Est (97), double blockhouse with one Pamart cloche * Blockhaus de Knoeringue Sud-Est (99), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus du Willerbach (100), single blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus du Tiefenbach Nord (101), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus du Tiefenbach Sud (102), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus du Calvaire (103), double blockhouse with two GFM cloches * Casemate de Breitenhaag (104), two 75mm guns * Blockhaus de Breitenhaag (105), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus du Cesarhof Nord (106), double blockhouse * Blockhais du Caesarhof Sud (107), double blockhouse * Blockhaus du Strengwald Nord (108), double blockhouse * Blockhaus du Strengwald Sud (109), double blockhouse * Casemate de Bettlach (110), double blockhouse * Blockhaus de Bettlach Nord (111), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Bettlach Sud (112), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche

Sub-sector of the Ill (Durmenach)

12th Fortress Infantry Regiment (''12e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (RIF)''), Lt. Colonel Françon. All positions were constructed by the STG. * Casemate d'Oltingue (113), two 75mm guns * Blockhaus de Raedersdorf (114), double blockhouse with two GFM cloches *Casemate de Raedersdorf (115), two 75mm guns * Blockhaus de Brochritty Est (116), double blockhouse with one GFM cloche * Blockhaus de Brochritty Sud (117), double blockhouse Four heavy gun emplacements were planned: * Willerhof, with four 155mm gun positions and three shelters * Breitenhaag, with two 240mm gun positions and two shelters * Eichwald, with four 155mm positions and three shelters * Strengwald, with two 240mm positions and one shelter Troop barracks were located at Uffheim, near Ranspach-le-Bas, near Bettlach, Ferrette and Raedersdorf.

Glaserberg

Additionally, 47 positions were planned by the ''Main d'Oeuvre Militaire (MOM))'', which was in charge of small-scale fortifications, on the Glasenberg massif looking into Switzerland. 29 were built, a mixture of blockhouses, observation points and infantry shelters.

Battle of France

The German offensive (Operation ''Kleiner Bär'') across the Rhine was concentrated in the area near and to the north of

Colmar Colmar (; ; or ) is a city and commune in the Haut-Rhin department and Alsace region of north-eastern France. The third-largest commune in Alsace (after Strasbourg and Mulhouse), it is the seat of the prefecture of the Haut-Rhin department ...

, with little fighting in the Altkirch sector. The offensive, launched on 15 June, was rendered unimportant when the German XIX Corps under General

Heinz Guderian Heinz Wilhelm Guderian (; 17 June 1888 – 14 May 1954) was a German general during World War II who later became a successful memoirist. A pioneer and advocate of the "blitzkrieg" approach, he played a central role in the development of ...

reached the Swiss border on 17 June, behind the main French line.Mary, Tome 3, p. 200 The 12th RIF was deployed on the heights of the Jura until 17 June, when it was called back to

Belfort Belfort (; archaic , ) is a city in northeastern France, situated approximately from the Swiss border. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Territoire de Belfort. Belfort is from Paris and from Basel. The residents of the city ...

for the defense of the city. The second battalion was captured the next day, while the first battalion, retreating to

Masevaux Masevaux ( is the French name of Màsmìnschter (), a former Communes of France, commune in the Haut-Rhin Departments of France, department in north-eastern France. Demographic evolution History On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new com ...

, was captured on the 19th at Chapelle-sous-Rougemont. The 171st RIF began a retreat toward the Dollar Valley and Masevaux on 18 June. Fighting ensued at Sentheim on the 19th, with Colonel Lavelle's detachment and the 21st battalion captured there. The remainder retreated to the Lauw- Mortzwiller area. The second and third battalions were captured at

, while the remainder of the regiment, now amounting to about one hundred men, retreated through the Stiftkopf forest, ending up at the Tête-de-Neuf-Bois. On the 26th the regiment was ordered to the Charbonniers village, where it was captured.Mary, Tome 1, pp. 136-137

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 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. *Romanych, Marc; Rupp, Martin. ''Maginot Line 1940: Battles on the French Frontier.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2010.

External links

Le secteur défensif d'Altkirch
at wikimaginot.eu
Le secteur fortifié d'Altkirch
at alsacemaginot.com

at ligne.maginot.corf.free.fr
Mémorial Maginot de Haute-Alsace (casemate de l'Aschenbach)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altkirch, Fortified Sector Of French border defenses before World War II