Fort de la Pompelle

The Fort de la Pompelle was built between 1880 and 1883 to complete the fortification belt around Reims that was started by General Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870. This secondary work was planned to support the principal forts of Witry-les-Reims, Nogent-l'Abbesse, Brimont, Saint-Thierry, Fresnes and Montbré. The relatively small rectangular fort was surrounded by a ditch defended by two-level caponiers. With a surface area of , it was provided with six 155mm de Bange 1881 guns, four 138mm guns and a variety of lesser pieces. An artillery company of 277 men garrisoned the fort. In 1917-18 a number of underground passages were cut from the chalk to provide access points a few hundred meters to the rear of the fort. == First World War ==

The fort was disarmed in 1913, immediately prior to the First World War. During the offensives of 1914, the fort was briefly taken by German forces on 4 September. Following the First Battle of the Marne it was reoccupied by French forces of the 138th Infantry Regiment on 24 September 1914. A total of 180 different regiments, including two special Russian brigades sent by Tsar Nicholas II in 1916 would defend the fort in turn. The garrison was supported by naval artillery stationed on the canal between Sept Saulx and Courmelois, which bombarded the German lines. The fort was depicted in the 1931 Raymond Bernard movie Les Croix de Bois. == Abandonment and restoration ==

After the First World War, the Fort de la Pompelle was abandoned for nearly forty years and was finally listed for sale by the Administration des Domaines in November 1955. Supported by veterans' groups, the fort was purchased by the Fédération Nationale André Maginot which sold the site to the city of Reims for one symbolic franc. == Musée du Fort de la Pompelle ==

Classified as an historic monument on 23 March 1922, the fort is today a museum, inaugurated on 10 November 1972. The museum features an unusual collection of German army headgear, collected by Charles Freise. file:Fort de la pompelle 185.JPG|Canon de 155mm GPF. file:Fort de la pompelle 046.JPG|Russian infantry sergeant and French artillery lieutenant. file:Casque escadrille Cigognes 12171.JPG|Cigognes squadron helmet. file:Casques du grand-duché de Mecklenburg.jpg|Helmets from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin. file:Casque de général du Wurtemberg.JPG|General's helmet from the Württemberg . file:Casque adrian M Raou.JPG|Adrian helmet. file:Sabres des royaumes d'Allemagne.JPG|Smallswords of the German kingdoms. File:Choppe 12185.JPG|Beer stein. ==See also==