Introduction
Relive day by day the siege of the Belgian fortress of Aubin-Neufchâteau as recorded in the commander’s log.
Key Bloc Details
BI = B1 or Bloc 1. Armed with a twin 75mm gun turret and two machine gun cupolas.
BII = B2 or Bloc 2. Armed with a twin 75mm gun turret and two machine gun cupolas.
BIII = B3 or Bloc 3. Peacetime entrance. Armed with 3 machine gun cupolas and a machine gun in casemate.
BO = Bloc O. Air intake and observation bloc.
BM = Mortar Bloc. Armed with three 81mm mortars and an observation cupola.
BP = Bloc P. Wartime entrance and auxiliary air intake. Two observation cupolas and a machine gun casemate.
CI = C1 or Coffer 1. Protects the moat. Armed with a 47mm AT gun and a machine gun.
CII = C2 or Coffer 2. Protects the moat. Armed with two 47mm AT guns and two machine guns.
CIII = C3, Coffer 3 or Anti-Tank Bloc. Armed with two 47mm AT guns in cupolas.
Day 4: Monday the 13th of May 1940
1.20 Movement seen near the 3 chimneys crossroad. BII fires 25 rounds in that direction. Request sent to Battice fortress to fire on the crossroad.
1.35 BII fires 25 shrapnel rounds toward “La sablière”. Mortars fire on the farm which is along the road leading from Warsage to the fort. Call to Battice to let them know lights are being seen in the Aalst and St Gilles woods near Fourons.
1.45 Enemy infantry spotted trying to get close to bloc P. Mortar bloc fires 25 rounds of 81mm, and bloc CII fires 25 rounds of 47mm in that direction.
2.00 Bloc BII is being shelled by the enemy, but the rate of fire is slow, and the calibre small.
Intense Conflict Throughout the Morning
4.30 Movement spotted on the massif itself (“Roof” of the fort). BII gun turret fires 25 grapeshot rounds over the massif. The 47mm guns defending the moat are ordered to fire over the massif by ricochet (By aiming at the outer wall, the gunners could bounce a shell against it and send it flying over the massif itself). All 3 mortars from the mortar bloc ordered to trail a rolling fire all along the outer walls and in depth.
4.50 Enemy shelling intensifies.
5.04 Bloc O calls in and signals muzzle flashes amongst the ruins of the peacetime barracks. Order sent to the Mortar Bloc to fire 25 rounds on that objective. Call to Battice to request they engage that objective also.
5.45 The enemy shelling is becoming frighteningly intense. The vibrations are felt within the fort itself 35 meters underground.
Resistance and Counter-attacks
Update requested by HQ. Reply sent: We are resisting well. The fort has fired a total of 4,376 shells of all calibres in the past 3 days.
6.53 Message sent to Battice asking them to open fire on the Cranhez farm, which is where one of the enemy batteries is estimated to be. Battice replies: They are also being shelled.
7.49 Bloc BIII reports that many anti-tank obstacles and a lot of the barbed wire around the fort have been destroyed by the German shelling. Bloc O reports the rate of enemy shelling on the fort is slowing down. Order is sent to all the sentries to get back to their battle stations: Risk of an enemy infantry assault.
8.36 Bloc BI reports the Germans seem to be fortifying the Weykmans farm. Order to fire 50 rounds of 81mm mortar bombs and 75mm shells on that objective. Request sent to Battice to try and provide counter-battery fire for us in the Sarolay region.
9.22 Muzzle flashes reported near Bombaye and Richelle. HQ informed of the situation.
10.00 Bloc P signals an important convoy on the Mortroux-Bombaye road. 25 rounds of 75mm are fired in that direction. BI and BII gun turrets also open fire again on the Weykmans farm.
Afternoon Skirmishes and Repairs
12.06 Bloc P signals enemy convoy on the Bombaye-Warsage road travelling toward the Netherlands. Order sent to the gun turrets to engage the convoy with 75 rounds.
13.55 German tank spotted on the Bombaye-Warsage road. 25 rounds are fired in that direction. The tank is damaged and tries to turn around and go toward Berneau; it moves slowly. 25 more rounds of 75mm are fired on the objective. The tank stops moving.
14.31 50 rounds of mortar shells are fired on the hills’ crossroad where enemy movement was spotted. Enemy infantry spotted assembling near Bombaye. 100 rounds of 75mm are fired on that position to harass them. HQ request a report. Reply sent: We resist well, hardware repaired and functioning.
16.00 Bloc CI reports an unexploded shell is only yards away from its gun port. Calibre estimated around 150mm.
16.36 The Germans are shelling the fort once again.
17.26 BP reports lorries travelling at high speed on the Bombaye-Mortroux road. Order sent to the mortar bloc to fire 50 rounds on that road to stop the enemy using it.
18.40 Bloc O reports the town of Mauhin seems to be shelled by very heavy German calibre.
18.54 Bloc P reports very intense shelling near the town of Richelle; a lot of smoke is observed. Muzzle flashes near Dalhem. Enemy seen trying to set up a command post at the Smeets farm. BI fires 25 rounds on the farm.
20.15 Infantry spotted at the Regnoul castle. BM fires 25 mortar bombs in that direction. Report sent to HQ: Good morale among the crew, the fort’s concrete walls resist the enemy shelling well (enemy calibre used is suspected to be 220mm).
Nighttime Defense
20.45 Order sent to mortar bloc to fire 50 rounds on the Fouron-St Martin crossroad where enemy troops have been spotted.
21.07 Muzzle flashes spotted near the Remensdael train station. 100 rounds of 75mm are fired in that direction. Enemy shelling has damaged our antenna. Phone call to Battice to request they inform HQ of the situation. Repairs will be carried out on the antenna as soon as it is safe to send somebody on the massif (roof).
21.52 German machine guns open fire from the cemetery. Order sent to gun turrets and CIII bloc to fire 25 rounds on the cemetery.
22.00 Antenna repaired. The engineer (Sergeant Elias) crawled on the roof and repaired the antenna under enemy fire.
22.12 German white flare fired above bloc BIII. Gun turrets ordered to fire grape shells over a 360-degree arc.
22.45 Gun turrets and mortar bloc open fire around Bloc P where German machine gunners were spotted.
23.20 All machine guns ordered to fire low over their respective arc of fire to dislodge any possible German intruders. Machine guns and 47mm guns in coffers ordered to fire to clear the moat of any possible intruder.
23.50 Observation cupola on mortar bloc repaired. One of the embrasures was severely damaged by direct hits from an anti-tank gun. The engineers placed an armor plate with an opening over the damaged embrasure.
Day 5 tomorrow.
-RBM.
