Until I did some research on Trip Advisor, I must confess I had never heard of Hackenberg Fortress. It is actually one of the largest of the Maginot Line structures and a showpiece for the entire fortification. Begun in 1930 it actually remained in service until the 1960’s!
Visiting
The site is well signposted and there is a large car park once you get there and also a small cafe. Visits are by tour only but the tour we undertook was absolutely superb. My notes from my blog on our Battle of the Bulge tour are:
“Just before we arrived there was an M10 tank destroyer at the junction so we stopped to take a picture and 3 lorries headed up the road to the fort. We continued on our way to find the lorries blocking the road as they were replacing a telegraph pole so I had to reverse back to the main road and then find another route that only involved going through two no entry signs to reach the car park! On the plus side it meant the place was deserted so I had a little napette for an hour.
My Experience
This fort was the largest of the Maginot Line and didn’t actually surrender to the Germans until ordered to by the Paris government after the armistice was signed. We had a guided tour which lasted a couple of hours and was fascinating.
The place was still almost entirely intact inside, despite bombing and shelling and we took a ride on the underground railway to get to one of the bastions. This one had been badly damaged by the Americans in 1944 but had done pretty well considering they were in effect attacking from behind. We then left the tunnels into the lovely warm sunshine and headed to our final stop, Luxembourg.”
It is easy to see how Hackenberg Fortress impressed the politicians of the day. It is an incredible structure with plenty of space and facilities for the thousand man garrison. We were only inside for a couple of hours and were very happy to get outside and see the sunshine. Being locked underground for months at a time must have been utterly morale sapping.
The tour covered the barracks, magazines, blast doors, kitchens, store rooms, hospital and then, once outside, the defences of the structure plus the damage caused in 1944. It was certainly an experience and a visit is well recommended.
Photo Gallery
History
The Wikipedia site giving more extensive information is here and a summary of that information is:
“The fort occupies the wooded Hackenberg ridge. Before World War II it was considered a showpiece of French fortification technology, and was visited by British King George VI.
In 1940 Hackenberg was never directly attacked, providing covering fire to neighboring positions and harassing nearby German forces. Its garrison was one of the last French units to surrender after the June 1940 armistice. In 1944, under German occupation, it was in action against American forces advancing along the Maginot Line. It resisted for three days before artillery bombardment from the rear forced the Germans to evacuate. Following World War II it became part of a strongpoint meant to delay a potential advance by Soviet forces into northeastern France. Hackenberg has been preserved and operates as a museum.”
References
The Hackenberg fortress website is here.