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Fort De L'Infernet
The Fort de l'Infernet is a fortification complex near Briançon in the French Alps. It was built as part of the Séré de Rivières system of fortifications in 1876–78 to defend France against invasion from Italy. It specifically overlooks the valley of the Durance behind and the Fort du Gondran, closer to Italy. Built at an elevation of , the fort was accessed by an aerial tramway, which connected to the older Fort du Randouillet at lower elevation. It was the last French fort to be built from cut stone masonry. The construction of the fort required that its mountaintop be leveled, a process that produced landslides. The 210-man garrison served an armament consisting of seven 138mm guns, five 155mm guns, two 220mm mortars, two 150mm mortars and six more 138mm guns in a separate battery. Much of the armament was placed on a cavalier or gun platform on top of the masonry barracks. The garrison was accommodated in two barracks at somewhat lower elevation, La Cochette and La Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alpine Line
The Alpine Line (french: Ligne Alpine) or Little Maginot Line (French: ''Petite Ligne Maginot'') was the component of the Maginot Line that defended the southeastern portion of France. In contrast to the main line in the northeastern portion of France, the Alpine Line traversed a mountainous region of the Maritime Alps, the Cottian Alps and the Graian Alps, with relatively few passes suitable for invading armies. Access was difficult for construction and for the Alpine Line garrisons. Consequently, fortifications were smaller in scale than the fortifications of the main Line. The Alpine Line mounted few anti-tank weapons, since the terrain was mostly unsuitable for the use of tanks. Ouvrage Rimplas was the first Maginot fortification to be completed on any portion of the Maginot Line, in 1928. The Alpine Line was unsuccessfully attacked by Italian forces during the Italian invasion of France in 1940. Following World War II, some of the larger positions of the Alpine Line were retai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Séré De Rivières System
The system was named after Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, its originator. The system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 along the frontiers and coasts of France. The fortresses were obsolescent by 1914 but were used during the First World War. Background Following the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, France found itself seriously weakened and isolated from the rest of Europe, menaced by Germany and stung by the loss of Alsace-Lorraine. At the same time as the departure of the last German troops, France created the Defence Committee (), which was active between 1872 and 1888, whose mission was to reorganize the defence of the French frontiers and coasts. It was necessary to compensate for the lost territories of the north-east; to modernise old fortifications, which had been shown to be wanting in the last war and to create new fortifications proof against modern weaponry using new and more powerful explosives. The committee was created by a preside ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its Metropolitan France, metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Due to its several coastal territories, France has the largest exclusive economic zone in the world. France borders Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Andorra, and Spain in continental Europe, as well as the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Netherlands, Suriname, and Brazil in the Americas via its overseas territories in French Guiana and Saint Martin (island), ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italian Invasion Of France
The Italian invasion of France (10–25 June 1940), also called the Battle of the Alps, was the first major Italian engagement of World War II and the last major engagement of the Battle of France. The Italian entry into the war widened its scope considerably in Africa and the Mediterranean Sea. The goal of the Italian leader, Benito Mussolini, was the elimination of Anglo-French domination in the Mediterranean, the reclamation of historically Italian territory (''Italia irredenta'') and the expansion of Italian influence over the Balkans and in Africa. France and Britain tried during the 1930s to draw Mussolini away from an alliance with Germany but the rapid German successes from 1938 to 1940 made Italian intervention on the German side inevitable by May 1940. Italy declared war on France and Britain on the evening of 10 June, to take effect just after midnight. The two sides exchanged air raids on the first day of the war, but little transpired on the Alpine front since Fran ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fortification
A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ("to make"). From very early history to modern times, defensive walls have often been necessary for cities to survive in an ever-changing world of invasion and conquest. Some settlements in the Indus Valley civilization were the first small cities to be fortified. In ancient Greece, large stone walls had been built in Mycenaean Greece, such as the ancient site of Mycenae (famous for the huge stone blocks of its 'cyclopean' walls). A Greek '' phrourion'' was a fortified collection of buildings used as a military garrison, and is the equivalent of the Roman castellum or English fortress. These constructions mainly served the purpose of a watch tower, to guard certain roads, passes, and borders. Though smaller than a real fortress, they act ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Briançon
Briançon (, ) is the sole Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hautes-Alpes Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is the highest city in France at an altitude of , based on the national definition as a community containing more than 2,000 inhabitants. Its most recent population estimate is 11,084 (as of 2018) for the Communes of France, commune. Briançon has been part of the Fortifications of Vauban UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Fortifications of Vauban UNESCO World Heritage Sites since they were established in 2008. History Briançon was the ''Brigantium'' of the Romans and formed part of the kingdom of Cottius, King Cottius. Brigantium was marked as the first place in Gaul, Gallia after Alpis Cottia (Mont Genèvre). At Brigantium the road branched, to the west through Grenoble to ''Vienna'' (modern Vienne), on the Rhone; to the south through ''Ebrodunum'' (modern Embrun, Hautes-Alpe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alps
The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia. The Alpine arch generally extends from Nice on the western Mediterranean to Trieste on the Adriatic and Vienna at the beginning of the Pannonian Basin. The mountains were formed over tens of millions of years as the African and Eurasian tectonic plates collided. Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn. Mont Blanc spans the French–Italian border, and at is the highest mountain in the Alps. The Alpine region area contains 128 peaks higher than . The altitude and size of the range affect the climate in Europe; in the mountains, precipitation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical region. Italy is also considered part of Western Europe, and shares land borders with France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and the enclaved microstates of Vatican City and San Marino. It has a territorial exclave in Switzerland, Campione. Italy covers an area of , with a population of over 60 million. It is the third-most populous member state of the European Union, the sixth-most populous country in Europe, and the tenth-largest country in the continent by land area. Italy's capital and largest city is Rome. Italy was the native place of many civilizations such as the Italic peoples and the Etruscans, while due to its central geographic location in Southern Europe and the Mediterranean, the country has also historically been home ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Durance
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .Bassin versant : Durance (La) Observatoire Régional Eau et Milieux Aquatiques en PACA Its source is in the southwestern part of the , in the ski resort near ; it flows southwest through the following [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort Du Gondran
Ouvrage Gondran is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one observation block. Gondran was commenced in June 1933, and was intended to cover the gap between Janus and Les Aittes. The site is close to two older forts, designated Gondran C and Gondran D. The Maginot fortification became known as Gondran E.Mary, Tome 5, p. 28 The fortified area is near the Les Gondrans portion of the Montgenèvre ski area. Description :''See Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné for a broader discussion of the Dauphiné sector of the Alpine Line.'' The ''ouvrage'' was never completed. As the emergency exit was on the same level as the main portion it was used during peacetime as the main entrance. It is sometimes called "Gondran E."Kaufmann 2011, p. 261 *Block 1 (entry): one machine gun cloche and one heavy twin machine gun embrasure. *Block 2 (infantry): one machine gun embrasure. *Bl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aerial Tramway
An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts, aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and higher wait times. Terminology Because of the proliferation of such systems in the Alpine regions of Europe, the French and German names, ''téléphérique'' and ''Seilbahn'', respectively, are often also used in an English language context. ''Cable car'' is the usual term in British English, as in British English the word ''tramway'' generally refers to a railed street tramway while in American English, ''cable car'' may additionally refer to a cable-pulled street tramway with detachable vehicles; e.g., San Francisco's cable cars. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort Du Randouillet
The Fort du Randouillet, is a fortification in the vicinity of Briançon in the Dauphiné region of southeastern France. Briançon was surveyed by Vauban in 1692. His master plan for the defenses of the city would result in one of the most heavily fortified locales in France over the next forty years. Constructed to Vauban's plan between 1724 and 1734, the site was chosen to protect the lower Fort des Têtes from an enemy on the heights. The position was used by the French Army in the defense of Briançon until 1940, when it was part of the Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné. The fort is composed of an armed citadel or donjon on the highest point, and a caserne on a lower shelf The Fort du Randouillet is linked to the Fort des Têtes by an enclosed, fortified gallery known as ''"Communication Y."'' A military aerial tram links the fort to the town, and another continued on to the Fort de l'Infernet. The Fort du Randouillet, along with the Fort des Têtes and other military works of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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