1940 THE BLOCKHOUSES OF THE ARDENNES - Useless Sentinels

While the fortification of the north-eastern borders was virtually complete, the General Staff decided to erect a series of advanced concrete posts along the German border, known as « maisons fortes ». Tasked with raising the alarm in the event of a surprise attack and triggering the demolition of infiltration routes towards the fortified line, these positions were fully justified at the time.

In 1937, the command proposed constructing the same type of blockhouses along part of the Belgian border, on the right bank of the Meuse. Twenty-two blockhouses were thus built, from Carignan to Les Hautes-Rivières. Located behind a neutral country, they were of far less strategic value than those situated along the German border, and their role during the Phoney War was limited to that of border posts. Integrated into the cavalry's withdrawal plan following its mission in Belgium, they proved entirely useless owing to the faster-than-expected pace of operations.

Abandoned without a fight — with one exception — they played no role in May 1940 and truly were « useless sentinels ». They nonetheless remain witnesses to that period, which time is beginning to erase.

It is to prevent them from disappearing entirely from memory that we felt it worthwhile to bring them back to life through this illustrated work, featuring 225 photographs and around forty maps and plans.