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Ouvrage Roche-la-Croix
Ouvrage Roche-la-Croix is a work (''gros ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks, one artillery block and two observation blocks in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. An aerial tram was provided for better access. The position is located at the top of a sheer escarpment that dominates Meyronnes and the valley of the Ubayette. The ''ouvrage'' replaced an earlier fortification, the Redoute de Roche-la-Croix (or Fort Inférieure), built as part of the Séré de Rivières system between 1883 and 1889. The earlier fort's walls and ditches were kept on two sides of the ''ouvrage''.Mary, Tome 5, p. 35–37 The fort's pre-Maginot armament was six 138mm guns in casemates with a magazine excavated in the rock. Most of the fort apart from the ditch and caponiers was obliterated by the Maginot construction. Description Construction began in March 1931. Costs a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maginot Line
The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force them to move around the fortifications. The Maginot Line was impervious to most forms of attack. In consequence, the Germans invaded through the Low Countries in 1940, passing it to the north. The line, which was supposed to be fully extended further towards the west to avoid such an occurrence, was finally scaled back in response to demands from Belgium. Indeed, Belgium feared it would be sacrificed in the event of another German invasion. The line has since become a metaphor for expensive efforts that offer a false sense of security. Constructed on the French side of its borders with Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg and Belgium, the line did not extend to the English Channel. French strategy therefore envisioned a move into Belgium ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GFM Cloche
The GFM cloche was one of the most common defensive armaments on the Maginot Line. A ''cloche'' (bell) was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant. By comparison, turrets could be rotated and sometimes lowered so that only the top shell was exposed. GFM is an acronym for ''Guetteur et Fusil-Mitrailleur'' (lookout and rifle-machine-gunner), which describes its purpose as a lookout and firing position for light weapons. Most of the bunkers or blocks in a Maginot Line ''ouvrage'' were fitted with several fixed armoured cupolas or cloches. The cupolas were designed to allow the soldiers to perform reconnaissance or repel an attack with an absolute maximum of cover, from inside the bunker. The armament of each cloche varied significantly, but were typically equipped with some combination of: * Light machine guns or automatic rifles * Vision blocks * Mounted binoculars * A periscope (located on the top of the bell) * A 50&nbs ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fortified Sector Of Dauphine
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, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ouvrage Saint Ours Bas
Ouvrage Saint Ours Bas is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block. The location is unusual in lacking the underground galleries typical of a Maginot fortification, making it more like a blockhouse than an ''ouvrage''. It was armed with two machine gun cloches and three heavy twin machine guns and six light machine gun embrasures. The interior is laid out on two levels.Mary, Tome 5, p. 34 Construction began in July 1931, and cost 4.2 million francs to complete.Mary, Tome 4 - La fortification alpine, p. 29 The position controlled movement along RN 100. :''See Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné for a broader discussion of the Dauphiné sector of the Alpine Line.'' Present condition Saint-Ours Bas has been preserved and is now a museum, associated with Ouvrage Saint Ours Haut, as part of the Museum of Saint-Ours-Bas.Kaufmann 2011, pp. 264-264 See also * List of Alpine Line ouvrages ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Alpine Line Ouvrages
This is the list of all ''ouvrages'' of the Alpine Line or Little Maginot Line along the Franco-Italian border, organized by sector and type of fortification. ''Ouvrage'' translates as "works" in English; publications in both English and French refer to these fortifications in this manner, rather than as "forts". An ''ouvrage'' typically consists of a distributed series of concrete-encased strongpoints defending a region, linked by tunnels, as opposed to a fort, which typically refers to a defended surface enclosure, which may have underground galleries as an adjunct. For a list of the ''ouvrages'' of the main Maginot Line, refer to List of Maginot Line ouvrages. Voici la liste des ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot répartis par Secteurs Fortifiés et types d'ouvrages: Fortified Sector of Savoy (La Tarentaise) Ouvrage * 1 - Ouvrage Chatelard (PO) * 1 - Ouvrage Cave Canon (PO) Fortified Sector of Savoy (La Maurienne) Ouvrages * 2 - Ouvrage Sapey (GO) * 3 - Ouvrage Sain ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
19th Army (Wehrmacht)
The 19th Army (German: ''19. Armee'') was a World War II field army of the German Army. History Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern France from ''Armeegruppe Felber'' (the '' LXXXIII. Armeekorps''), the 19th Army defended southern France, the Vosges Mountains, Alsace, Baden and southern Württemberg during the Allied invasion of southern France and other large Allied military operations that had as their goal the liberation of southern France and the invasion of southern Germany. Although nominally a field army, the 19th Army was under strength and consisted of third tier soldiers, wounded veterans, conscripts and Hiwis. Southern France in general was treated as a third tier theatre and given minimal attention by the OKW. The entire army was outfitted with damaged and obsolete equipment, with four of the 19th army's divisions designated "static divisions," meaning that they were stripped of all mobile assets and forbidden to move from their assigned positions. The Hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ouvrage Plate Lombard
Ouvrage Plate Lombard is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks and one observation block. Unusually for an ''ouvrage'', Plate-Lombard was built by MOM (''Main d'Oeuvre Militaire''), which usually was responsible for lesser fortifications. The isolated position was commanded in 1940 by Lieutenant de Loye. It controlled the Fouillouse valley and the Col du Vallonet.Mary, Tome 5, p. 31 Description *Block 1 (entry): two machine gun embrasures. *Block 2 (infantry block): one Pamart cloche. *Block 3 (infantry block): one Pamart cloche. *Block 4 (observation block): one STG observation cloche. History :''See Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné for a broader discussion of the Dauphiné sector of the Alpine Line.'' Plate-Lombard saw action against Italian forces on 22 June 1940, when covering fire from Ouvrage Roche-la-Croix assisted with the defense of Plate Lombard. After Ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ouvrage Saint Ours Haut
Ouvrage Saint Ours Haut is a work (''gros ouvrage'') of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block, one artillery block, two observation blocks and one combination block in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. It is located on the territory of the commune of Meyronnes. Construction began in March 1931, at a cost of 15.1 million francs.Mary, Tome 4 - La fortification alpine, p. 29 The bulk of the subterranean galleries lie between Blocks 1 and 2, with branches running out to 3, 4 and 5.Mary, Tome 5, p. 32 Description *Block 1 (entry): one machine gun cloche, one grenade launcher cloche and one heavy twin machine gun embrasure. *Block 2 (artillery): one heavy twin machine gun cloche, one grenade launcher cloche, one 75mm gun embrasure and two 81mm mortar embrasures. *Block 3 (infantry): one machine gun cloche. *Block 4 (infantry): one machine gun cloche. *Block 5 (infantry): one machine ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
36 Mountain Infantry Division Forlì
36 may refer to: * 36 (number), the natural number following 35 and preceding 37 * One of these years of Gregorian or Julian calendars: ** 36 BC, 1st century BCE ** AD 36, 1st century ** 1936, 20th century ** 2036, 21st century Arts and entertainment * ''36'' (TV series), an American sports documentary show * "36", a 2002 song by System of a Down from '' Steal This Album!'' * 36 Quai des Orfèvres (film) ''36 Quai des Orfèvres'' (also known as ''The 36'') is a 2004 French film directed by Olivier Marchal and starring Daniel Auteuil and Gérard Depardieu. The title derives from the original address of the Judicial Police headquarters, part of the ..., a 2004 French crime film * "Thirty Six", a song by Karma to Burn from the album '' Almost Heathen'', 2001 {{Numberdis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fort De Tournoux
The Fort de Tournoux is a fortification complex in the Ubaye Valley in the French Alps. It was built between 1843 and the early 20th century to defend France against invasion from Italy and Savoy. It was described as the "Military Versailles of the 19th century," resembling a Tibetan monastery on the mountainside above the Ubaye. The fort is actually an ensemble of fortifications, including some "batteries" that rival the main fort in size and power. Prehistory Earliest records show that the position of the village of Tournoux was a strategically important one, with the tiny plateau offering food and watering facilities to armies crossing the Col de Larche from modern day Italy and the Col de Vars. There is evidence of Roman occupation of the plateau. Of later times little survives, but there are the traces of a 7th-century fortified church in the valley. Between the 7th century and the 17th century, the upper Ubaye Valley changed hands between states about 17 time ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Abri Du Ancien Camp
Ancien Camp is an ''abri'' or infantry shelter associated with the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The position consists of two entry blocks. Neither block was armed. One machine gun cloche and embrasures for a heavy twin machine gun and a light machine gun were built, but not equipped. The blocks are connected by a single large underground gallery. See also * List of Alpine Line ouvrages This is the list of all ''ouvrages'' of the Alpine Line or Little Maginot Line along the Franco-Italian border, organized by sector and type of fortification. ''Ouvrage'' translates as "works" in English; publications in both English and French ... References Bibliography *Allcorn, William. ''The Maginot Line 1928-45.'' Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. *Kauffmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. ''Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II'', 2006. *Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, To ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LG Cloche
The LG cloche was a defensive element common to many Maginot Line ''ouvrages''. The fixed cupola was deeply embedded into the concrete on top of a combat block, with only the top surface visible. The opening permitted the ejection of grenades from the interior of the cloche, providing a means of close defense against enemy troops on top of the bunker. 75 units were installed in the Maginot Line. LG refers to ''Lance-Grenade'' (grenade launcher). Unlike other cloches such as the GFM or the JM, the LG cloche was effectively "blind", possessing a single shuttered orifice in diameter in its flat crown. It had no observation ports at all, as it did not project appreciably above the surrounding surface. The LG cloche came in three models: a small version, high, a large version, and a cloche for two persons, tall. All were in diameter. LG cloches were usually found in the vicinity of an entrance block. The LG cloche was armed with a grenade launcher that could fire at an angle f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
