You are employed with the Royal Canadian Air Force. You are probably in your early twenties, and suddenly, you are transferred to 1 Air Division France. It is difficult enough to have to adjust to what is a foreign culture and for many, a foreign language - but you also find yourself having to adjust to the fact that France has just been at war, and the surrounding country side is evident of this fact.
1 Air Division Headquarters is located on the outskirts of Metz, and while there is the familiar mesh fence surrounding the property which makes up this military complex, we find ourselves surrounded by an assortment of war bunkers. To many, these must be a part of the Maginot Line - but in reality, these particular bunkers were constructed in the 1907-1916 time period.
The bunkers immediately adjacent to 1 Air Division Headquarters were known as the Groupe Fortifie la Marne, and this fortification consisted of three main bunkers - L'Ouvrage d'Ars, L'Ouvrage de Mercy, and L'Ouvrage de Jury.
Depending on who you talk to, the RCAF made use of two of these bunkers. The main complex for the RCAF was at L'Ouvrage d'Ars and this bunker housed the Combat Operations Center (COC) amongst many other sections. The facilities at L'Ouvrage de Jury were initially used as a Supply storage area, and it is understood that 601 Telecommunications Squadron also maintained a complex at this location. To the best of our knowledge, L'Ouvrage de Mercy was never used by the RCAF.The following detail has been extracted from a book called "Les Fortifications de Metz et Thionville, by Christian Dropsy, 1995.
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Updated: June 25, 2001
