Guentrange and Fort du Hackenburg

Fort Guentrange was built by the Germans after they captured the Alsace-Lorraine region during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871 since this was the new border.  The Fort was turned back over to France after World War I in 1918 and the French used the German state-of-the-art technology for building the Maginot Line along the new Franco-German border. Guentrange then became part of the secondary defenses of the Maginot Line, to help support the primary defenses of Fort du Hackenburg.

Fort du Hackenburg (in the town of Veckring) was built to house upwards of 6,000 soldiers (2,000 per shift). The majority of this Fort as well as the majority of the Maginot Line defenses was underground.  Usually, the only portion of the Maginot Line defenses that was above ground were the turrets.

The Maginot Line is considered by many to be one of history's defensive military blunders.  Due to lack of funding, it wasn't extended all the way along the French-Belgian border, but instead only covered the French-German border.  There were only minimal defenses along the border with Belgium, and when the Germans invaded France, they simply went around the Maginot Line via Belgium.

The forts were built to be self-sufficient, almost like living in a submarine. Deep down underground and along the miles and miles of tunnels, the soldiers had all the modern necessities such as hospitals, dentists, bakeries, full-service kitchens and cafeterias, running potable water and electricity including a full-service subway system. 

Above: At Guentrange, the end of this turret was ordered destroyed by US General Patton during the Battle of the Bulge so that  the guns would not be used against the Allied Forces by the advancing German Army.

Above, left and lower left: Life inside the Guentrange Fort included modern machinery for the time, huge kettles and pots for the kitchen, and a brick oven for the bakery.

Below and far left: Fort du Hackenburg, the largest of all the Maginot Line forts.
The turrets on the roof open and closed.
The entrance to the fort.
The view from the roof (trees have grown in during the years).
Damage done by the 2 week American bombardment in 1944 as the Germans were retreating into the Rhineland.