The Fort de l'Olive is a fortification in the vicinity of
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 a ...
in the Dauphiné region of southeastern
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, Pac ...
. Built in 1881 it was originally called the ''Ouvrage du Bois des Gasquets'', it was the third and final fort built near Briançon as part of the
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 ...
of fortifications in the 1870s and 1880s.
Location
Located at an altitude of , the Fort de l'Olive overlooked the valley of the Clarée above the village of
Plampinet from a height of with a view of the Italian frontier. It specifically controlled the
Col de l'Echelle
In geomorphology, a col is the lowest point on a mountain ridge between two peaks.Whittow, John (1984). ''Dictionary of Physical Geography''. London: Penguin, 1984, p. 103. . It may also be called a gap. Particularly rugged and forbidding col ...
, the
Col des Thures and the
Col des Acles. The rectangular walled fort extends over an area of about .
History
The Fort de l'Olive was armed in the 1880s with fourteen 120mm guns. It was initially linked to the
Fort de l'Infernet by optical telegraph, and later by telephone. A cableway provided a means of resupply from the valley below, particularly in the winter when road access was difficult. The Batterie du Lenlon was a subsidiary position, as was the Batterie du Sapey.
The fort was modernized in the 1930s with an infantry shelter or ''abri'', known derisively as the Fort des Nuages (fort of the clouds), which was equipped with two casemates for guns. While being fired on by Chaberton in June 1940, the Fort de l'Olive in turn fired on the Italian fort Jaffereau in
Bardonecchia
Bardonecchia (; french: Bardonèche or ; pms, Bardonecia ; oc, Bardonescha ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' located in the Metropolitan City of Turin, in the Piedmont region, in the western part of Susa Valley. It grew out of a small village ...
.
The construction of
Fort Chaberton on an even higher peak on the Italian side of the frontier rendered the Fort de l'Olive vulnerable to artillery from Chaberton, which was higher. 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 Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné (''Secteur Fortifié du Dauphiné'') was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Alpine Line portion of the Maginot Line facing Italy in the vicinity of Briançon. By compar ...
. The fort took artillery fire from Chaberton during the
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 sc ...
in 1940.
The site is abandoned but in good condition, and is freely accessible.
References
External links
Le fort de l'Olive http://fortiffsere.fr/briancon/index_fichiers/Page358.htm
Fort de l'Oliveat fortiff.be
{{DEFAULTSORT:Olive, Fort De L'
OLIV
Alpine Line
Fortifications of Briançon
Séré de Rivières system