Siege of the Belgian Fortress of Aubin-Neufchateau
Relive day by day the siege of the Belgian fortress of Aubin-Neufchateau as recorded in the commander’s log.
Fortress 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 8: Friday the 17th of May 1940
01.00 More German planes fly over the fort. B1, B2, C1, C2 and BM fire randomly around the fort to secure the perimeter.
01.45 Activity spotted near the Warsage bridge: German sappers may be trying to repair it. 25 rounds of 75mm fired in that direction.
08.05 Increased vigilance requested from all sentries: Heavy mist over the fort.
08.50 BP and BM detect muzzle flashes in the mist near Mauhin. 25 rounds of 75mm fired on those coordinates. The enemy artillery battery is neutralised.
10.27 German lorries spotted near the 3 chimneys crossroad: They are trying to load some cattle onboard. B2 opens fire with its gun turret and machine guns. Both lorries are destroyed.
14.34 German convoy (motorbikes) spotted on the road between Vise and Julemont. 25 rounds of 75mm fired on the crossroad ahead of them.
17.42 BM spots an artillery battery near Julemont. Battery neutralised with 50 rounds of 75mm.
Evening and Night Actions
19.40 Phone line with Battice fortress cut-off.
21.20 BM fires 10 rounds per side (The fort is triangle shaped) on the glacis to secure it. CI and CII fire five 47mm rounds per side to secure the moat.
21.22 Radio report on the current situation sent to HQ.
22.38 Another artillery battery is spotted near Julemont and neutralised. Radio contact with Battice fortress is established.
23.40 Coded telegram received from HQ. Impossible to decipher it.
Fortress Status Update
Fleron fortress fell today. Its commandant ordered the evacuation of his crew after the fort’s heavy guns and communication center and ventilation systems were damaged during German bombing and shelling. Subsequently, when the Germans launched an assault on the fort, they found that it had been abandoned.
Chaudfontaine surrendered after heavy German bombing followed by an assault which caused mass casualties inside the structure.
Embourg fort on the opposite ridge also surrendered after coming under heavy attacks and having its gun turrets knocked out of action. Chaudfontaine and Embourg had worked well together, often firing on each other across the valley to help repel German infantry assaults.
Chaudfontaine, Embourg and Fleron, just like Boncelles which fell the previous day, are older fort designs that fought in WWI and were refurbished and modernised in the 1930s. They were no match for air power. Their armament was too exposed, the concrete too thin and the structure too close to the surface.
Current Forts Holding the Line
There are now only 6 forts out of 12 holding the line: 3 old refurbished ones (Pontisse, Barchon, Evegnee) and 3 modern ones: Aubin, Battice, Tancremont.
See you tomorrow for day 9!
– RBM
