Hackenberg - Le géant de la ligne Maginot.

Built between 1929 and 1935 riding on the eponymous hill, Hackenberg (A19) is the largest structure on the Maginot Line. In this formidable fortress buried in places 96 meters deep, everything is immoderate: two entrances, 17 combat blocks, divided into two half-west and east, 25 guns including 7 anti-tank, 33 light mortars, 30 machine guns and 60 rifles -mitrailleurs, a storage capacity of nearly 80000 shells and 1.5 million cartridges of 7.5mm, a thickness of 3.50 meters of concrete for the walls of blocks exposed to blows, 10 kilometers of underground galleries.
In 1940, 43 officers and 1040 crewmen lived inside the structure; they belonged to 164th RIF, 163rd RAP, 2nd, 15th and 18th Engineer Regiments. Unleashing the precise and deadly fire of his artillery in June 1940 but spared a direct attack, the book is reoccupied by the Germans then partially reused especially to slow the advance of the allies. Its block 8 is then attacked and neutralized by American troops of the 90th Infantry Division in November 1944.
Maintained by the French army until the 1970s, it was sold in 1975 to the association Amifort-Veckring. Since then, it is partially open to the public and receives nearly 50,000 visitors a year.
For the first time, Michel Truttmann, eminent recognized fortification specialist, explores all the fields related to the design, the realization and the history of this giant of the Maginot line, thanks to new testimonies and the bases modern data. This innovative work, the result of 45 years of research, is illustrated with nearly 400 photos, plans and diagrams.