Ouvrage Chatelard is a lesser work (''petit ouvrage'') of the
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 the ...
's Alpine extension, the
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 Fra ...
, also known as the Little Maginot Line. Begun in 1938, the ouvrage consists of one infantry block about one kilometer northeast of
Bourg St. Maurice, in the village of Le Chatelard. A short gallery with cross galleries extends into the rock, with an emergency exit and ventilation shaft halfway back. The ''ouvrage'' was incomplete in 1940, under the command of Sub-Lieutenant Bochaton.
Chatelard, along with
Ouvrage Cave-à-Canon and several pre-1914 forts on the heights around Bourg-Saint-Maurice, were placed to block an advance over the
Little St Bernard Pass
The Little St Bernard Pass (French: ''Col du Petit Saint-Bernard'', Italian: ''Colle del Piccolo San Bernardo'') is a mountain pass in the Alps on the France–Italy border. Its saddle is at 2188 metres above sea level. It is located between S ...
toward
Albertville
Albertville (; Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a subprefecture of the Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Southeastern France.
It is best known for hosting the 1992 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. In 2018, the commune had ...
.
[Mary, Tome 5, pp. 9–12]
Description
*Block 1 (combination): one
machine gun turret planned and two machine gun embrasures, three heavy twin machine gun embrasures and one 47mm anti-tank gun embrasure.
An additional block was planned with a machine gun turret, not completed.
The position presently serves as a dog shelter.
Blockhaus de Versoyen
The Blockhaus de Versoyen is just to the east of Chatelard, positioned to block a bridge and RN90. It was provided with an anti-tank ditch. The position was held by 13 men and was armed with one heavy twin machine gun/47mm anti-tank gun combination covering the road, and one heavy machine gun/25mm anti-tank gun combination covering the valley.
On 23 June 1940 an Italian patrol approached the Versoyen blockhouse and was fired upon by Chatelard. On 25 June another patrol approached and opened fire. The blockhouse returned fire, killing or wounding three Italians.
The Tarentaise region was liberated by Allied forces in March and April 1945.
[Mary, Tome 5, p.145]
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.
*Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. ''Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II'', Stackpole Books, 2006.
*Kaufmann, J.E., Kaufmann, H.W., Jancovič-Potočnik, A. and Lang, P. ''The Maginot Line: History and Guide'', Pen and Sword, 2011.
*Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 4 - La fortification alpine.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009.
*Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. ''Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009.
External links
Chatelard (petit ouvrage de)at fortiff.be
at lignemaginot.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatelard, Ouvrage
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Maginot Line
Alpine Line