History
- See Fortified Sector of the Crusnes for a broader discussion of the events of 1940 in the Crusnes sector of the Maginot Line.
Aumetz did not see significant action until June 1940, when German forces kept up a series of harassing attacks. On 19 June, the Germans set up a 37mm anti-tank gun on a mine spoil mound and opened fire against Block 3, without much effect. Bréhain's artillery replied with counter-battery fire. An advance along the nearby rail line was repelled with machine gun fire from Aumetz. Steady advances by the Germans isolated Aumetz by 23 June. The 22 June 1940 armistice brought an end to fighting. However, the Maginot fortifications to the west of the Moselle did not surrender immediately, maintaining their garrisons through a series of negotiations. Aumetz, along with Mauvais-Bois, Bois-du-Four and Bréhain surrendered on 27 June.
Aumetz appears to have been ignored by the Germans during the Occupation. With the 1944 advance of the American army through the area, the Americans used some of the ouvrages for experiments in tactics and weapons. The cloches of the Casemate du Gros Bois was used as firing targets and were pierced by artillery fire.
After the war, Aumetz remained government property. On 23 June 1970 Aumetz was the first Maginot ouvrage to be offered for sale to the public. The buyers stripped the position of all materials and equipment, leaving only bare concrete.
Read more about this topic: Ouvrage Aumetz
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