Ouvrage La Ferté

About

La Ferté is a fortified work of the Maginot line located in the communes of Villy and La Ferté-sur-Cheers, in the Ardennes department. The building, built at the top of a hill (cote 215) with the name "La Croix de Villy", is sometimes called "Villy-La Ferté's work". It is a small infantry building with two blocks connected by an underground gallery.

Built from 1935, the building was damaged by fighting in May 1940. It is one of the most famous points of the line, marking the northern limit of the fortified line and constituting the first set attacked by the Germans. This small fort without great firepower (machine guns, machine guns, grenade launchers and a few small-calibre anti-tank guns) was driven northward, then shelled by more than 250 German guns.

He did not benefit from the support of the two casemates supposed to support him, equipped with 75 mm guns but prematurely abandoned. During the night of May 18-19, 1940, he was attacked by the west as he was designed to defend himself against attacks from the north and east. The whole of his...