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B O O Fz H E Im

B O O Fz H E Im

A bit of history… Between 1930 and 1940, the French High Command built a vast fortified system to protect the vulnerable regions under threat along the country’s borders, which we know as the (named after the French Minister of Defence, André Maginot). The Maginot Line is made up of a piecemeal range of ouvrages, or , from the modest bloc- khaus to the strong underground fortress. The designs of these different modes of defence differed according to their strategic, geographic or topographical location. The were built according to a stan- dard plan that could vary depending on the configuration of the area and its role (i.e. 2 cloches, or non-retractable ). Work began in 1930 (Construction decree of 1928) and as early as 1938 the casemates were manned by surveillance troops. For a long time, the represented an impassable obstacle for an army; its defence was less developed than the defence of the northern The Trail Trail Casemate The part of , where forts are to be found. The river was, nonetheless, at the heart of the battle of 15 June 1940, considered as a prestigious battle, better known as the Great Amphibian Offensive of June 1940. was on the battle’s right flank. However, not long before the battle, the infantry was withdrawn to go to the Belgian border and the IMPORTANT Vosges Mountains. Bring a flashlight to tour the inside of the A ccess : casemates! By car, take the D1083 (formerly the RN83), exit at , and then Rhinau; in Boofzheim, follow the signs to . The departure is at no. 26 Route de . T o find out more: • Roger Bruge: Offensive sur le Rhin, 1977 • Parish and municipal records of Rhinau • Jean-Bernard Wahl: La Ligne Maginot en Alsace, 2001 • Municipal archives of the towns concerned by the combat • Denkschrift, Récit d’Archives, Deutscher Frontkämpferverband O ther sites to see nearby: • : in Bloom • Friesenheim: Pilgrimage of Notre Dame de Neunkirch The German attack started at 10 am. Due to sand banks, they used rub- • : Maginot Line Memorial ber dinghies to cross the Rhine. However, 120 Germans died (drowned • Rhinau: Nature Reserves of Taubergiessen and Île de Rhinau or shot) before the first one was able to set foot on the riverbank. After neutralizing on the shore, the Germans infiltrated the Rhine Fo- I nformation: rest. At 11 am, they had arrived in front of the main line of defence. By Tourist Office of “Communauté de Communes du Rhin” the end of the day, they already controlled a large zone. Tel: 03.88.74.68.96 • E-mail: [email protected] • www.grandried.fr Time: 2 hours with tour of the casemates Self-guided tours. Guided tours upon request for groups, all year long. Distance: 2.5 km www.atelierc.com / photos J. Peter - Printed on recycled paper - Do not throw in the nature or on the public space. The term “casemate” encompasses what is also called a or a blockhaus (usually isolated and small in size). A so-called passive The Communauté de Communes du Rhin would like to thank all the people who have casemate is one that can only serve as barracks, as its openings made this project possible: have no role in defence. An active casemate, designed to serve as a • The owners who have granted access to their properties firing post, has a ventilation system to remove the firing exhaust. A • Mr André Guidetti for his exceptional research work in various casemate has a crew (like on a boat). works and articles • The Municipality of Boofzheim and its staff, for their involvement in the development of this trail project. The strategy implemented during the Second World War resulted in 6 a triple line of defence: 1 This is a CP (Com- • 1st line: about fifty casemates and concrete shelters were lo- mand Post) casemate that cated on the banks, monitoring any river crossings; these were served for transmission (with advanced posts (square in this area) which were manned by 2 to underground cables), manned 3 people. by French troops: the 34th RIF, • 2nd line: 18 ouvrages monitored major penetrations, such as in 6th company belonging to the Rhinau; these were support points. 5 sub-sector of of the • 3rd line: further west, about 3 km from the Rhine, 53 casemates SBRF (Strong Sector of the were lined up with the villages. Bas-Rhin). The purpose of the first line was to channel any crossings and to First, you go into the firing reconnoitre. Next, the reserve troops had to intervene from the chamber, which is the defence forest in order to drive back the enemy forces.Pond In the worst-case of the casemate’s core. scenario, the third line intervened to halt any advances. A loophole, still called a door- protection defence crenelle, In Boofzheim, the vestiges of the French defence line can still be 4 Pond found: a casemate that served as a Command Post, infantry and 3 is next to the entrance. A engineering casemates, an antiaircraft casemate and a machine machine-rifle used to be there. gun nest. These ouvrages belonged to the sub-sector of Erstein, You can see a machine-gun directed from the Gerlier command post of and the support table that was used command post that participated in the Saillant de Rhinau Battle: 2 for twin machine guns; these the Caussade command post of Boofzheim, situated at no. 26 were cross-firing machine guns. There is also a gutter where the cartridge cases would fall. You can still see the guide rails of the

Route de Strasbourg. On 17 June 1940 at 8 am, PrivatesRD468 Stieffatre and Mondet were killed after an assault. Privates Brunner, Billon, shutters. In the wall, you can see where the radio set was located. Reval and Lieutenant Barthelemy were seriously injured. In order 1 DURR This recess was reworked with a sledgehammer, in order to fit the to prevent a massacre, Lieutenant Caussade raised the white flag. Farm post-1940 sets, which were larger. In each firing chamber, there was a pedal-actuated ventilation mechanism for poisonous smoke and gases. 3 Inside this antiaircraft Westergraben The door was reinforced to protect the core. You can see an air vent casemate are 4 separate rooms grille for protection from grenades. Next, you go into the resting Please respect each with 2 artillery posts. Heavy chamber. The casemate could house 16 to 24 men. the natural French machine guns were used Next, you come to the 2nd firing chamber, which is larger, and whose environment. here, featuring automatic ejection range was 6 km, taking into account that you are 3 or 4 km away with no recoil (Hotchkiss). You can Do not leave any from the Rhine. still see bullet impacts on the walls. refuse behind. On the exterior of each firing crenelle you can see a diamond-shaped The back-up squad was posted be- Walk on the edge of (angular shape) that prevented intruders from approaching and, hind the door. the forest. in case of bombing, enabled the men to recover the reinforced con- crete debris, so that it would not obstruct the .

2 4 5 These are the engineering case- OBENHEIMRD468 mates, where the water source was located. There was just one for each sector. This was where the sol- 6 The ma- dier assigned to chores would come to fetch water chine gun nest is (about 20 litres per trip and per man, for each case- made of concrete. mate). There was no cover plate; only and It is a round, fixed wood. Each sub-sector commander came up with his station. 3 or 4 men own design for the concrete structure, so there were would be posted too many different models to make a standard cast here. They would cover plate. The framework was made of metal and BOOFZHEIM add sandbags to the concrete was poured on top. You can see a Departure in front bring them up to impact on the side of the opening. chest height. of no. 26 Route de Strasbourg Engineering casemate.

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