| Fortified Sector of Rohrbach | |
|---|---|
Secteur Fortifié de Rohrbach | |
| Part of Maginot Line | |
| Near Bitche, France | |
 Mixed-arms cloche at Simserhof with artillery damage. | |
| Site information | |
| Owner | French Ministry of Defense, except Rohrbach, or "Fort Casso," Association Fort Casso since 1989. Simserhof, while remaining the property of the Ministry of Defense, is managed by the Moselle département and the city of Bitche. |
| Controlled by |  France and Nazi Germany in World War II. |
| Open to the public | Rohrbach and Simserhof |
| Condition | Preserved: Rohrbach and Simserhof |
| Site history | |
| Built | Late 1930s |
| Battles/wars | World War II Cold War |
The Fortified Sector of Rohrbach (Secteur Fortifié de Rohrbach) was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Maginot Line in the vicinity of Bitche. The sector was bordered to the west by the Fortified Sector of the Sarre and to the east by the Fortified Sector of the Vosges. With lower priority than other sectors, the SF Rohrbach was built somewhat later than its neighbors to the east and west, and in company with positions on the extreme western end of the Maginot Line, became one of the "New Fronts." The sector contains several major ouvrages and was the scene of fighting in both 1940 and 1944. It was attacked in 1940 by German forces in the Battle of France. The sector was heavily engaged by German forces in mid-June 1940, with several casemates and the petit ouvrage Welschhof surrendering before the Second Armistice at Compiègne. The remaining positions and their garrisons finally surrendered on 27 June 1940. In 1944 German forces occupied several positions in the SF Rohrbach, forcing advancing American forces to attack them individually or to bypass them. The German Operation Nordwind offensive of early 1945 caused American forces to fall back, returning to complete the capture of the Rohrbach sector in March 1945. Following the war many positions were reactivated for use during the Cold War. Two locations are now preserved and open to the public.[1]
- ^ "The Maginot Line" (PDF).