Ouvrage Welschhof

Ouvrage Welschhof is a lesser work of the Maginot Line, located near Rohrbach-lès-Bitche in the Moselle department of northeastern France. Located in the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petit ouvrage Haut-Poirier and gros ouvrage Simserhof, facing Germany. Welschhof was attacked by German forces during the Battle of France on 21 June 1940 and was forced to surrender after a heavy artillery bombardment. It was re-equipped after the war, but was abandoned in the 1970s.Design and constructionThe Rohrbach sector was built somewhat later than its neighbors to the east and west, and in company with positions on the extreme western end of the Maginot Line, became one of the "New Fronts." The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency, and was approved for construction in February 1934. The petit ouvrage was to be expanded in a second phase with an 81mm mortar turret and a separate entrance block several hundred meters to the rear, behind the Welschhof farm for which the ouvrage was named.DescriptionWelschhof comprises three combat blocks. The blocks are linked by an underground gallery system containing baracks spaces, ammunition storage and utility services. The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30m. The majority of the service areas, barracks and magazines are located in the area of Block 1. Block 1: Infantry/entrance block, combined with the entry, with one machine gun (JM)/47mm anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47), one machine gun embrasure (JM) and one mixed-arms embrasure (unique in the Line). The block is surmounted by a mixed arms cloche (AM) and two automatic rifle cloches (GFM-B). Block 2: Submerged (in the ground) block with a retractable mixed-arms turret and a Type B GFM cloche. Block 3: Infantry block opposite Block 1, with one JM/AC47 embrasure, one JM embrasure, two GFM cloches (Type B) and one AM cloche. The usine used two SNIM engines.