Ouvrage Schiesseck
| Ouvrage Schiesseck | |
|---|---|
| Part of Maginot Line | |
| Northeast France | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | French Army |
| Controlled by | France |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 49°03′35″N 7°23′57″E / 49.05972°N 7.39917°E |
| Site history | |
| Built by | CORF |
| In use | Abandoned |
| Materials | Concrete, steel, deep excavation |
| Battles/wars | Battle of France, Lorraine Campaign, Battle of the Bulge |
| Ouvrage Schiesseck | |
|---|---|
| Type of work: | Large artillery work (Gros ouvrage) |
| sector └─sub-sector | Fortified Sector of Rohrbach └─Bitche |
| Work number: | O 350, Ouvrage A |
| Regiment: | 37th Fortress Infantry Regiment (RIF), 150th Position Artillery Regiment (RAP) |
| Number of blocks: | 11 |
| Strength: | 679 enlisted + 22 officers |
Ouvrage Schiesseck is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located near Bitche in the French département of Moselle. Schiesseck is adjoined by gros ouvrage Simserhof and petit ouvrage Otterbiel, all part of the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, and faces the German frontier. Schiesseck saw comparatively little activity during the Battle of France, surrendering with other positions in its sector on 30 June 1940. During the Lorraine Campaign of 1944 Schiesseck was occupied by German forces and presented a point of resistance to American advances, requiring heavy bombardment and infantry assaults by engineer units to capture. The area was abandoned during the Battle of the Bulge, but was recaptured in March 1945. In the 1950s Schiesseck was repaired as part of a program to re-arm the Maginot Line against a potential advance by Warsaw Pact forces. It was abandoned in the early 1970s. Schiesseck is on military land and is not visitable by the public.