Les Maisons Fortes Des Ardennes: Sentinelles Inutiles [French]

By Jean-Yves Mary

Text in French

Alors que la fortification des fronti?res du Nord-Est est pratiquement achev?e, l'Etat-Major d?cide d'?riger le long de la fronti?re allemande une s?rie de postes b?tonn?s avanc?s connus sous le nom de maisons fortes. Charg?s de donner l'alerte en cas d'attaque brusqu?e et de faire jouer des destructions sur les axes de p?n?tration vers la ligne fortifi?e, ces organes sont alors pleinement justifi?s. En 1937, le Commandement se propose de faire construire le m?me genre de maisons fortes le long d'une partie de la fronti?re belge, en rive droite de la Meuse. Vingt-deux maisons fortes vont ainsi voir le jour, de Carignan ? Hautes-Rivi?res. Situ?es derri?re un pays neutre, elles pr?sentent beaucoup moins d'int?r?t que celles implant?es le long de la fronti?re allemande et leur r?le pendant la dr?le de guerre va se limiter ? celui de postes fronti?re. Int?gr?es dans le plan de repli de la Cavalerie apr?s sa mission en Belgique, elles vont s'av?rer totalement inutiles en raison du rythme plus rapide que pr?vu des op?rations.

Abandonn?es sans combat ? une exception pr?s, elles ne joueront aucun r?le en mai 1940 et auront vraiment ?t? « des sentinelles inutiles . Elles n'en demeurent pas moins des t?moins de cette p?riode que le temps commence ? faire dispara?tre. C'est pour ?viter qu'elles disparaissent totalement des m?moires qu'il nous a sembl? utile de les faire revivre au travers de cet ouvrage illustr? de 225 photos et d'une quarantaine de cartes et plans.

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While the fortification of the North-Eastern borders was practically completed, the General Staff decided to erect along the German border a series of advanced concrete posts known as fortified houses. Charged with giving the alert in the event of a sudden attack and bringing about destruction on the axes of penetration towards the fortified line, these bodies are then fully justified. In 1937, the Command proposed to build the same kind of fortified houses along part of the Belgian border, on the right bank of the Meuse. Twenty-two fortified houses will thus see the light of day, from Carignan to Hautes-Rivi?res. Located behind a neutral country, they are much less interesting than those located along the German border and their role during the phoney war will be limited to that of border posts. Integrated into the Cavalry's fallback plan after its mission in Belgium, they will prove to be totally useless due to the faster than expected pace of operations.

Abandoned without a fight with one exception, they played no role in May 1940 and were truly "useless sentinels". They nevertheless remain witnesses of this period that time is beginning to make disappear. It is to prevent them from completely disappearing from memory that we thought it useful to bring them back to life through this illustrated book of 225 photos and around forty maps and plans.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: French
• ISBN: B0B7L5PC3Y
• ISBN13: 9782840485919
• Release Date: June 2025
• Publisher: Editions Heimdal
• Length: 144 Pages