Ouvrage Col de Garde 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 called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks, one infantry block and one observation block, slightly more than 1 km south of
Sainte-Agnès.
The ''ouvrage'' comprises four combat blocks at an altitude of , and was manned in 1940 by 115 men under the command of Lieutenant Juffet.
Col de Garde was sited to control the Col de Garde road between
Saint-Agnès and
Menton, as well as protecting the southern flank of the Ouvrage Sainte-Agnès. The ''ouvrage'' is closed and locked and in a good state of repair, although covered by vegetation.
The position overlooks
Autoroute A8 at the Col de Garde tunnel.
Description
Col de Garde is a compact site with two entries and a short set of rock-cut galleries with short branches for ammunition magazines, barracks and the ''usine''.
*Block 1 (south entry): One machine gun port.
*Block 2 (north entry): One machine gun port.
*Block 3 (observation block): one
machine gun turret.
*Block 4 (infantry block): one37mm anti-tank gun port and one twin machine gun port.
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 1.'' Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2001.
*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
Col de Garde (petit ouvrage)at fortiff.be
Col de Garde (petit ouvrage) at wikimaginot.eu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Col De Garde, Ouvrage
COLG
Maginot Line
Alpine Line