Downloaded from the Facebook page "Passion Fortification" this morning.
Built between 1874 and 1880.. Situated south-east of Paris. Part of Séré de Rivieres works. The fort had 32 rampart guns, 10 flanking guns and 10 mortars (4 indirect firing). Full garrison complement was 820 men and 9 horses. Did not see much action. Plans to modernise the fort were put forward in 1911 but not started. Some damage in 1944.
Between 1979 and 1995, the fort was owned by the military contractor Thomson. Abandoned in 1995.
This fort may be very important as it was not modernised.
A Note of Explanation on Séré de Rivieres.
1871. The German states defeated France in the Franco-Prussian war. France lost Alsace and part of Lorraine. France decided to build defences along the new border. in 1874 Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivieres (20.05.1815 - 16.02.1895) was appointed Directeur du Service Genie (Military Engineering Service) and he was charged with building defences from Dunkirk to Nice, a total of 196 forts and 330 other works. A number of the forts are open to the public, such as Forts Douaumont and Vaux at Verdun. Most of the works are in the country, in defensive rings outside towns and cities, to defend those towns from the longer ranged artillery of the period. Some of the forts have Associations, such as Fort Villey-le-Sec, volunteers who work to restore the fort and open it, but many forts are still occupied by the French Army, others are in private hands, others are abandoned and are slowly falling into ruin.
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