Les maisons fortes des Ardennes

While the fortification of the borders of the North-East is practically completed, the General Staff decides to erect along the German border a series of advanced concrete posts, known under the name of “strong houses”. Charged with giving the alert in the event of a sudden attack and bringing about destruction on the axes of penetration towards the fortified line, these bodies are then fully justified.
In 1937, the command proposed to build the same kind of fortified houses along part of the Belgian border, on the right bank of the Meuse. Twenty-two fortified houses will thus see the light of day, from Carignan to the Hautes-Rivières. Located behind a neutral country, they are much less interesting than those located along the German border and their role during the phoney war will be limited to that of border posts. Integrated into the cavalry's withdrawal plan after its mission in Belgium, they will prove to be totally useless due to the faster than expected pace of operations.
Abandoned without a fight with one exception, they played no role in May 1940 and were truly "useless sentinels".
They nevertheless remain witnesses of this period that time is beginning to make disappear. It is to prevent them from completely disappearing from memory that it seemed useful to bring them back to life through this illustrated book of 225 photos and around forty maps and plans.