Ouvrage Village Coume

Ouvrage Village Coume is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line. Located in the Fortified Sector of Boulay, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petits ouvrages Bovenberg and Coume Annexe Nord, facing Germany. The position saw little action in World War II. It was sold in the 1970s and stripped by salvagers.

Design and construction
The site was surveyed by CORF (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), the Maginot Line's design and construction agency; Village Coume was approved for construction in May 1931. It was completed at a cost of 12 million francs by the contractor Duval-Weyrich of Nancy. The petit ouvrage was planned for construction in two phases. The second phase was to provide a separate entry block less than 100 m behind the ouvrage.

Description
Village Coume comprises three infantry blocks. A separate entrance block was planned for a second phase of construction which was never undertaken. The blocks are linked by deep underground galleries, which also provide space for barracks, utilities and ammunition storage. The galleries are excavated at an average depth of up to 30 m.
 * Block 1: Entry/infantry block with two automatic rifle cloches (GFM), one twin machine gun cloche (JM) and one machine gun/anti-tank gun embrasure (JM/AC47).
 * Block 2: Infantry block with two GFM cloche and two twin machine gun embrasures.
 * Block 3: infantry/observation block with one GFM cloche and one twin machine gun turret.

Manning
The 1940 manning of the ouvrage under the command of Lieutenant Lussus comprised 135 men and 2 officers of the 161st Fortress Infantry Regiment. The units were under the umbrella of the 3rd Army, Army Group 2. The Casernement de Ban Saint-Jean provided peacetime above-ground barracks and support services to Village Coume and other positions in the area.

History

 * See Fortified Sector of Boulay for a broader discussion of the Boulay sector of the Maginot Line.

Village Coume played no significant role in either the Battle of France in 1940 or the Lorraine Campaign of 1944.

Current condition
Village Coume has been stripped by salvagers and is largely buried.