Ouvrage Villy-La Ferté was chosen as a stop on our Battle of the Bulge tour because it was a convenient stop on our route and ticked the Maginot Line box. I am so glad we chose to visit this site as it gave an idea of the terrain the forts were built to defend as well as how the individual elements of the defences linked together and covered each other.
Visiting
The site is very well preserved and has a small car park with a memorial to the troops that died there. There are clear paths between each of the defence bunkers that avoid the rusty barbed wire! We were also lucky that it was a very sunny day although it did lessen the gravity of where we were to hear bird song in the sunshine.
Ouvrage Villy-La Ferté is a series of interconnected bunkers, pillboxes and cupolas with barbed wire covering the gaps between defences. There are plenty of information boards at each element, detailing both the purpose of the relevant bunker and the history of the fighting in 1940. The damage done to some of the cupolas and bunkers was quite horrendous and the lack of visibility for the garrison very noticeable.
A guided tour of the main blockhouse is available at limited times but this would allow you to explore the entire and descend to 35m below ground level.
My Experience
The story of Ouvrage Villy-La Ferté is on the Wikipedia page here and makes for fascinating, if gruesome, reading. Budget shortfalls meant the fortification wasn’t built as planned, the bravery of the French troops, particularly the North African regiments, is impressive to read and the detached arrogance of high command.
On being asked if they could evacuate the fort, the garrison were told “A Maginot Line ouvrage is like a submarine. One doesn’t leave a submarine: one sinks with it.” The entire garrison was wiped out, suffocating in the burning blockhouse due to substandard gas masks.
Photo Gallery
References
The translated version of the site page is here.