This is part six of a multi-part article. To begin at the first part, click here.

Reading more about the fortlet of Froideterre on my return to the UK, one difference between it and the full forts became apparent, namely that Froideterre was a collection of unconnected blockhouses rather than a single structure. Not getting inside the main structures on my visit, I had assumed they were connected by galleries underground but that was not the case. There was the main barrack block with one machine gun turret atop it, an artillery block with the twin 75mm gun turret, a third block with the second machine gun turret on top and the Bourges casemate block. All four were built into the one horseshoe-shaped artificial hillock but the only way to get from one to the other was to exit and cross the courtyard in the open. Only after the Battle of Verdun was over, in 1917, did military engineers have the time to dig tunnels into the bedrock under the four blocks and connect them up.

So what combat did Froideterre see during the ten-month Battle of Verdun, and what was the outcome? The Germans had launched the Verdun offensive in February 1916 and Fort Douaumont, at the centre of the Thiaumont Ridge, had fallen soon after. A road led straight downhill from Douaumont, through Fleury village to the eastern edge of Verdun itself, but it was in plain view of Froideterre, with its observers and gun turret. The choice was therefore either to work west along the ridge to take Froideterre, or to ignore it and concentrate on Fort Vaux at the far east of the defences, the opposite end from Froideterre. That is what the Germans did and through April and May they worked closer to it and then launched an assault on 1st June that took the fort on 7th June after very bitter fighting.

The Germans were now in a position to sweep down towards Verdun on a broader front, from Douaumont in the centre to Vaux in the east, but the thrust from Douaumont would be in view of the guns of Froideterre so it could be ignored no longer. On 23rd June 1916 the Bavarian troops attacked eastwards along the Thiaumont Ridge, taking Thiaumont and then the command posts and troop shelters that will be covered in the next part of this article, before leading units attacked Froideterre itself.

Map 2: June 1916 attacks on Forts Vaux, Thiaumont and Froideterre (map by Bruce Officer)

The Bavarians expected Froideterre to be battered almost helpless but although one machine gun turret was jammed the other was working as was the artillery turret (firing canister shot – shell cases full of steel balls which effectively turned an artillery piece into a giant shotgun for close defence). The Germans got into the courtyard but were machine gunned and beat a hurried retreat up onto the top of the fort. There they were still under fire but could take cover in the shell craters atop the fort and started to throw grenades into the few holes that their bombardment in the days before had blasted through the earth and concrete roofs into the rooms of the fort below.

After one particular grenade, a cloud of thick smoke started to pour out from inside the fort. The grenade had set off a store of signalling rockets which threatened to create a fire. Knowing they would be blown to smithereens too if fire reached the main magazine, the Germans evacuated the top of the fort while the French rushed to put the fire out. But during the confusion they also managed to get the second machine gun turret working again so by the time the danger was over a renewed German attack was met by a hail of fire and repulsed.

The German spearhead here had been whittled down to a handful of men but a concerted attack by reinforcements might have taken the fort. The commander of the leading troops, only a lieutenant, sent for more men but by now the French artillery batteries in the valleys further back had recovered from the gas shell attack which had silenced them temporarily and were able to lay down a thick curtain of shellfire to stop German reinforcements getting through. Only 15 men remained of the German lead unit that had attacked the fort, now cut off by shellfire. They tried to get back to their lines after midnight, under cover of darkness, but ran into a French unit and were captured.

Froideterre had held out, and would now be an invaluable observation point to call down fire onto the road through Fleury as the Germans attacked there. It also acted as a front line command post, shelter for weary troops, communications centre and first aid post over the next weeks as the French started to push the Germans back.

This is how the forts around Verdun, and the lesser bunkers, often ended up being used in the fighting – a mix of roles and above all a harbour of relative safety amid the hellish landscape of a First World War battle, places that anchored the defence, supported and sustained the troops fighting in trenches and shell holes in between.

And a final macabre note: because of the fighting it saw, and its later use as a first aid post, a good number of French soldiers were buried under the courtyard of the fort. Whether they were later exhumed and moved to one of the main cemeteries, or whether they lie there still I know not.

That completed our visit to this small but important fort, so we mounted our bicycles again and rolled down to rejoin the road along the Thiaumont Ridge.

To be continued in part seven (still to be written), but for now please jump to the final part, about the sources used in writing these articles.

This is part five of a multi-part article. To begin at the first part, click here.

I had read of the non-rotating armoured observation posts on the forts at Verdun, and that is what the helmet-shaped dome proved to be.

Photo 8: observation dome at Froideterre (photograph by Bruce Officer)

Pockmarked by bullet hits and surrounded by a concrete apron, this armoured observation post peers out across the front of the fort like the helmet of a medieval knight buried almost to his eyes. Within here, a single observer would have looked out to spot approaching enemy, or to direct the fire of the artillery or machine gun turrets. Generally, one observation dome was paired with one armed turret, the two connected by a speaking tube so that the observer could relay instructions.

The view from here is obscured by trees, but one must remember that the hills around Verdun were not nearly so wooded in 1914. The forests here are post-war plantations and when the fort was built the views from it were extensive, across open hillsides and the fields of farms and villages that were destroyed in the war and have never been rebuilt. When one visits Verdun, one has to constantly remind oneself of this, that the fighting was across muddy hills and ravines but with open views that allowed observers from hilltop forts to call down fire on anyone that moved in daylight on the slopes below. Only with a map or a good guide can one really get a feel for how dominating these hilltop positions were.

The map in part two of this series is marked with the main woods that existed in 1914 and from that one can see how commanding the view from here would have been.

The final part of the Froideterre fortlet that we visited was a strange-shaped concrete bunker attached to the west side of the main block.

In appearance this was like two bunkers joined side to side, but one stepped slightly back, both with gun ports for artillery pieces. A spur of concrete jutted out, blocking view from the front of the fort.

Diagram 2: Bourges casemate (diagram by Bruce Officer)

This is one of the ‘Bourges casemates’ that were added to many of the forts during pre-war modernisation. They housed a pair of 75mm guns that could rotate through a 60 degree arc and were aligned to cover gaps between the forts, to their sides. The solid concrete spur jutting from one corner protected the gun ports from shelling by an enemy in front of the fort, and thick steel shutters could close the ports if an enemy assaulted and tried to clamber through or throw grenades in.

Below the main gun floor was a basement with sleeping quarters for the crew and an ammunition store. Above was a pillbox-like structure that was actually an observation post to command the fire of the guns from.

The photos below show views from the outside (facing the gun ports) and inside (note that entering the block is not recommended due to structural damage during shelling and there are warning notices).

Photo 9: view of the Bourges casemate at Froideterre (photograph by author’s companion on the trip

Photo 10: interior of the Bourges casemate (photograph by Bruce Officer)

In the photograph above one can see the curved rails in the floor on which the gun pivoted. The rail attached for the ceiling is for a hoist to lift away a damaged gun barrel and bring in a new one.

Continued in part six.

This is part four of a multi-part article. To begin at the first part, click here.

My companion and I didn’t pause long to take in the view from the top of the fort – those fascinating-looking turrets beckoned.

Photo 5: Froideterre twin 75mm gun turret (photograph by Bruce Officer)

The first turret was maybe 8 feet across, with two stubby gun barrels barely poking out. From the way the mushroom-shaped cap matched the ring around the base it was obvious that it could be lowered so that all that would show would be the domed top. Further reading on returning home revealed some interesting facts. It was made of steel 9 to 12 inches thick (thickest on the top) and could withstand all but the heaviest hits. The guns within could fire out to almost 5km (just over 3 miles). The visible turret is only the top of a two-storey structure going down into one of the blocks of the fort, with a hand-cranked lift to carry ammunition up to the platform where the gun crew stood and a massive counterweight that balanced the mass of the turret so that it could be raised or lowered by a single man operating a hand crank.

Just how proof against hits the turret was became obvious when we walked around it and saw the gouges in the steel, none actually penetrating all the way through (though on doing further research I discovered these actually dated from a later war, from June 1940 when the fort briefly faced German invaders once more).

Photo 6: damage to main turret at Froideterre (photograph by Bruce Officer)

One could almost put one’s fist in these shell hits but yet they hadn’t penetrated the armour!

Next we moved on to one of the smaller turrets, a machine gun turret. From a distance this looked crude, tinny almost, but the armour is actually almost as thick as the main turret. The two vertical slits are for a pair of machine guns, the horizontal ones for the crew to look out of. The reason for having two machine guns was less for the increased firepower and more that since machine guns firing continuously will overheat. Having two in a turret allowed one to fire while the other cooled down. Again, this turret could rotate and could be lowered when not needed, and as before it is only the top of a tall and complex mechanism below.

Photo 7: machine gun turret at Froideterre (photograph by Bruce Officer)

It seemed surprising to me at the time that two pairs of machine guns would be considered enough to protect even a small fort like this from direct assault by enemy infantry, but on reflection I remembered that a machine gun can pin down large numbers of enemy unless the crew are themselves forced to duck down. Safe within armoured turrets, these machine gun crews would be able to keep up a withering fire regardless of whether they were being shot back at.

Having examined the armed turrets that just left the strange helmet-shaped dome, so we next walked over to that.

Continued in part five.

Firstly during enlistment, the medical fitness of all potential candidates would be assessed. Then, based on their status the candidates are enlisted in various sectors within defense. Exemptions are very rare as candidates whom are unfit for combat vocation are often trained to form the administrative support for combat units.

For those whom are combat fit, each individual will be assigned a vocation after their basic military training, and they train and serve in that particular vocation for the remainder the two years.

For my national service, I was in the army as platoon machine gunner. Like majority of the people whom enlist for national service, I was initially unsure and resentful; however, in the end I thoroughly enjoy my National service experience. Besides learning about various weapons and combat skill, National service provided me with a great opportunity to mingle with people from all walks of life. It taught me to work with different types of people and not to judge people to quickly.

Most of all, it gave me an opportunity to make great friends.

Steve walked back from his office at around 5.30pm on Christmas eve, as he passed the tube train station entrance he heard a tramp say,

“Mr can you spare any change? Its real cold today”

Steve produced a pound or so and dropped it into the tin next to the tramp and his one-eyed dog,

“There you go chap, happy Christmas, now buy some food with money not Cider ok?”

The tramp replied,

“God bless you son and all who sail in you!”

Steve settled into a seat on the rammed tube train and just managed to open his evening paper. The news was as depressing as ever, with student riots and the war in Afghanistan being the lead stories. As Steve read on he suddenly dropped the paper and stood up and said out loud,

“God bless you and all who sail in you! It cant be not after all these years, surely not”

Steve forced his way back towards the tube train doors treading on people’s feet as he did so,

“Careful mate that was my foot!”

Steve blushed and apologised saying,

“I’m so sorry I have to get off this train! I’ve just seen a Ghost or an apparition!”

                              May 1982 The Falkland Isles.

“Private get you’re bloody head down! Do really want an Argentine soldier to blow you away?”

“No Sergeant sorry, I’m just scared”

The burley 2nd Parachute Regiment Sergeant replied,

“It’s ok son, its Steve Blanchet isn’t it?”

“Yes Sergeant”

A mortar round exploded and burning hot shrapnel struck Sergeant Fisher in the leg!

“Aah shit, that hurts, medic, medic”

Steve flew himself over the Sergeant and grabbed his arms and pulled him to safety behind the rock,

“It’s not as bad as I thought private, can you just tie my belt around the wound to stop the bleeding until we get out from this bloody crevasse?”

Steve tightened the leather belt around the Sergeant’s wound,

“God bless you son and all who sail in you”

Argentinean machine gun fire ricochet off the surrounding rocks showering the 2nd Para as they laid behind the cover from the cold grey outcrops. A Para screamed as a bullet struck him dead centre! He was dead before he hit the ground!

“Private give me you’re grenades and any spare ammo you have on you, I’ve just about had enough of this shit!”

Steve handed the sergeant two fresh ammo clips and three ant-personnel grenades,

“Sergeant Fisher what are you planning to do?”

 The Sergeant replied,

“Look son how old are you? 17 or 18?  I’m 35 and been divorced twice, I figure I’ve seen more of life than you kid. I’m going to take that machine gun-nest if the last thing I ever do!”

Steve said,

“Ok Sergeant I’ll cover you from here the best I can, are you running left or right up the hill?”

The muscled Sergeant replied,

“Both! You ain’t seen me run when I’m angry kid, and I’m bloody furious right now!”

Sergeant Fisher cocked his machine gun and put the grenades in his tunic pockets. Taking a few deep breaths to get his blood oxygenated, the Sergeant jumped over the rock and ran for all he was worth towards the Argentine machine gun nest. Screaming as he ran!

“Die you bastards die!”

Sergeant Fisher fired his machine gun from his hip and ran left then right never for one second in a straight line. Machine gun fire kicked up grass and shards of rock! Sergeant Fisher just kept on going. Forty feet from the nest Fisher took out an anti-personnel grenade and threw it behind the rocks ahead of him. Covering fire from Steve and his fellow Para’s stung at the rocks, then the grenade went off! Pieces of tattered camouflaged uniform and singed flesh erupted from behind the rocks, then the machine Argentine machine guns fell silent.

Steve ran up to the Sergeant and knelt down next to him and said,

“You crazy fool you did it! You got us through, God bless you and all who sail in you!”
                                  Christmas Eve today

Steve exited the tube train and ran up against the flow of commuters trying to get on the tube train. As Steve emerged from the station entrance he saw the tramp down huge gulps of Diamond White cider! Steve approached the tramp and said,

“I said no cider!”

The tramp just shook his head and said,

“I’ve nothing else to look forward to Steve!”

Steve could not believe his ears and replied,

“You knew it was me earlier?”

Sergeant Fisher (retired) said,

“Of course son I never forget a face I’m just ashamed”

Steve smiled and said,

“You’re coming home with me for Christmas after all without you I would probably be dead!”

The Sergeant replied,

God bless you son and all who sail in ya!”

                                  The End

Lord Banks

At precisely  07.32 on the eighth of August 2010 or as it became known “Bloody 08/08/2010”  28 heavily armed Alkieda terrorists walked from France to Britain virtually unopposed and Killed 102  British civilians and 43 Police officers!  How did this catastrophe ever happen?

The European Union took a huge financial hit in 2008 when the stock markets and banking system had their loans called in. The Euro as a currency was greatly devalued.  Greece along with France and Italy were financially crippled.  Britain was in a similar debt crisis but was not a member of the Euro currency.  Economists all agreed on cutting their national debt by slashing public spending and freezing wages.

Inevitably redundancy’s in the public sector were made, pensions and benefits were also slashed to try to claw back funding to dig these countries out of spiralling debt.  In May and June 2010 riots were seen on the streets of Greece in protests against cut backs and a hike in taxes.

France has and always will have a very effective striking system.  Previously fishermen and farmers have struck for more pay.  Lorry drivers have previously blockaded the Channel Tunnel to illicit money from the French government.  French workers stick together in their struggle with 100% solidarity, the government always losses to strike action.

At one minute passed midnight on Sunday 08/08/2010 the Channel tunnel policemen and border police struck over proposed redundancies and down sizing of the police force.  The policemen sat in the security cabins at the entrance to the Euro Tunnel many policemen sat on orange boxes and brought their families as well to please the cameras.

The strike was unannounced to the French government until the strike was physically underway!  However highly trained Afghanistan Alkieda troops new exactly when the strike was on!  At 07.32 precisely the Alkieda troops dressed in black jumped out from a waiting articulated lorry!  One police security sergeant stood up and outstretched his arms in an attempt to stop the terrorists.

Britain’s nightmare!

A bullet fired from a high powered AK 47 Assault rifle hit him square in the chest lifting him off his feet and depositing his lifeless body on the floor!  28 Alkieda troops walked briskly into the service tunnel scanning the area for resistance.  No other French policemen lifted a single finger to halt the passage of the troops on their way to British soil!

No silent alarm was triggered by the French police, later the policemen claimed how could they help when they were on strike!  The terrorists spread out in a loose undisciplined march towards Britain that hot Sunday morning.  Several minutes later a service truck was hot-wired and carried the terrorists to within one mile of the British side of the Euro tunnel.

Four terrorists walked the last leg of the journey to the security fencing and porter-cabins. An armed British policeman was startled to see an unknown figure emerge from the service tunnel, the figure was dressed all in black and he or she wore a face mask.  The figure in black raised his hands above his head.  The policeman shouldered his Heckler and Koch MP5 machine gun pistol.

The terrorist shouted out in pigeon English,

“Don’t shoot please I want political asylum”

The terrorist fell to his knees and looked at the ground.  At this given signal the remaining three terrorists emerged from the shadows and unleashed a hail of 7.62mm high velocity rounds at the policeman.  The officer managed to loose off two rounds before the 7.62 mm rounds hit his anti-stab vest which gave way easily.  7 bullets nearly cut the officer in two! He fell in a pool of sticky blood.

The gunfire brought four more armed police officers running towards their downed fellow officer.  Firing from the hip officer Dunn hit one of the terrorists in the head which exploded like a rotten melon.  The terrorists swarmed out from the tunnel entrance and dived for cover behind crates of seized illegal goods.

A fire fight broke out between the police and terrorists.  The policemen were highly trained but sheer numbers were against them. Suddenly a terrorist broke from behind a crate and ran at the four policemen who were using a transit van for cover.  Seeing the charge officer Norman fired his MP5 machine pistol which connected with the terrorist, the black figure fell to the gravel floor as he did so he threw a Russian made hand grenade behind the white van!

The grenade exploded sending shards of red hot metal into the white van and the brave policemen.  Two officers died instantly the other two laid on the ground stunned and bleeding heavily.  A tall terrorist disarmed the prostrate officers then shot them at point blank range with their own weapons. 

Alarm sirens were screaming from the security cabins and a remaining officer tripped the safety alarm and the power was cut to the two tunnels, no more trains would pass either way through the tunnels. 

Three waiting lorries were stolen from the drivers who were unceremoniously shot execution style.  The Alkieda terrorists had three separate targets to hit and split up into groups who contacted each other via mobile phones.  40 minutes later one articulated lorry stopped in the middle of Ashford in Kent. The lorry was driven into a retail park, through a barrier and into the very centre of the shopping area. 10 terrorists emerged from the lorry and without warning or mercy opened fire on the shocked and stunned innocent shoppers.

Blood splattered the window panes, bodies fell from the raised walk ways women and children were shown no quarter, no mercy afforded to the elderly young or infirm.  This was a massacre of innocent civilians.  Each terrorist had 3 spare magazines containing 30 rounds of ammunition.  The last magazine was loaded into the hot AK47 Assault rifles and the terrorists climbed back into the stolen lorry.

Are these specialist Policemen a match for terrorists?

The news of the  horrific slaughter had reached Downing street.  In a swift emergency meeting Prime minister David Cameron ordered in the specialist armed police forces from all over the country to converge on Kent in an attempt to stop the killing innocent citizens.

The two other lorries were travelling along the M20 bound for London!  Britain’s Army was committed in Afghanistan.  Her reserve troops were on field training on the Falkland Islands just in case Argentina made good on its threat to retake the islands in the name of Argentina. 

National borders need protecting with soldiers now!

The troops that had just returned from their tour of duty in Afghanistan were on leave with their families mobilising them would take days not minutes!  Mr Cameron transmitted a nationwide warnings of further terror attacks against Britain.  Britain only hope was the armed response police units.  Who unfortunately were spread thin across the country. 

RAF reserve units flew into the Kent area in Tornado GR5 jet fighter bombers.  This day the 08/08/2010 would never be forgotten in the years ahead.  Of the 28 Alkieda terrorists 25 were eventually killed by police marksmen and a attacking strafing run by an RAF Tornado which destroyed the whole lorry containing terrorists on route for London.

The 3 remaining terrorists were never seen again and melted away into the crowds straining to see bodies of the dead.  This article is of course a work of fiction I do wonder how close I am with my assessment of our capability to defend our country from a determined terrorist attack?

Lord Banks  

            we protect and serve america and her allies with the most elight fighting force imaganible

            as your fire team fights terrorism across the globe with unsurpassed technology vehicles

            and weapons defend freedom were ever it is threatened  

We have something called “Community Officers” they are dressed like police walk the streets in pairs and have absolutely no powers at all.  They cannot arrest you detain you, issue tickets, however they can offer advice ie “Please stop hitting that man i think you’ve made your point” or “I don’t think you should steal that jewellery its clearly not yours!” I apologise for being flippant but that’s the truth of the matter, its a clear waste of tax payers money the whole scheme should be stopped, and real police officers recruited.

We are fighting crime in a way that belongs in the 1950s.  For instance I’m sure alot of my American cousins think London is constantly foggy pearly kings and queens are on every street corner and Londoners only eat jellied eels and pie and mash! I am a born and bread Londoner and Ive never even tried jellied eels, my point is the government must watch too many old black and white films rather than walk the streets.

Britain is not an island anymore we have the most diverse population in the world thanks to the EU passports and our extremely lax policy on immigration, I’m not racist and Im not pretending to be. The stark truth is the world is a smaller place now and far more dangerous than the 1950s.  If I were a police officer now i would want to be armed that’s the only way I would contemplate the job.  To my way of thinking the rest of the world arm their police why not Britain? if your staring down the barrel of a Russian made machine pistol sporting a can of chemical mace i don’t fancy your luck.  When the Berlin wall came down a year or so later Europe was flooded with ex Russian military firearms allied to a thriving industry in converting blank firing pistols into lethal weapons.

Put simply we are sending our over stretched police force into battle with a 1950s truncheon and a can of chemical mace, not good enough no way not even close to a fare fight.  When I’ve been on holiday to Spain I see their police carrying machine guns and that’s just around the hotels, I strongly feel we should drag our country kicking and screaming into the 21st century,  The police force should be armed at least as well as the criminals if not better.  I am not afraid of armed police because I don’t break the law.

The way things are in Britain its like putting Muhammed Ali in a boxing match with Jim Carey! 

Image Source

9 mm UZI Sub-machine Gun

The 9 mm UZI sub-machine gun was developed by an Israeli army officer during the early 1050’s.  The design seems to have been influenced by the Czech M-23 sub-machine gun.  However, the UZI has several novel features for a sub-machine gun:  A bayonet and a spigot type grenade launcher.  The UZI is considered to be an extremely reliable weapon.

The UZI is manufactured in Israel and Belgium.  It is a standard weapon in Israel, W. Germany and the Netherlands.  It is also carried by members of the U.S. Secret Service.

Caliber:  9 mm

System:  blowback

Feed device:  25 rd., 32 rd., or 40 rd. detachable box magazine

Weight:  8.8 lbs.

Muzzle velocity:  435 meters per second

Effective range:  200 meters