Ouvrage Les Rochilles 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 ...
, in the high Alps about southwest of
Modane
Modane (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in southeastern France.
The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it also belongs to the Vanoise ...
. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks and one observation block. Unusually, it was built by the ''Main d'Oeuvre Militaire'' (MOM), rather than CORF (''Commission pour l'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées''), which built most of the larger positions. The design was by CORF.
[Mary, Tome 5, pp. 18–19]
Work began in 1931, but was not completed by 1940, when it was commanded by Lieutenant Curbaille.
Description
*Block 1 (observation): One
observation cloche
*Block 2 (infantry): one heavy twin machine gun embrasures covering the
Col du Fréjus.
*Block 3 (infantry): one heavy twin machine gun embrasures covering the Col du Fréjus.
*Entry: one machine gun embrasure.
*Emergency exit: one machine gun embrasure.
The ''Camp des Rochilles'' is located nearby. Constructed 1902–1907, it is at an altitude of .
The barracks complex was connected to Plan-Lachat by an
aerial tram
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 ...
. The advanced post of Aiguille Noire is a short distance to the south, with four machine gun embrasures.
Les Rochilles saw no significant action in 1940 or 1944.
[Mary, Tome 5, p.147]
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
Wikimaginot.eu - Localisation sur carte, informations, documents et photos sur l'ouvrage des Rochilles
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.
LERO
Lero is an obscure Celtic god, invoked alongside the goddess Lerina as the eponymous spirit of Lérins in Provence.''L'Arbre Celtique.'Lérins/ref> Nothing is known about these gods apart from these epigraphic dedications.
References
Furth ...
Maginot Line
Alpine Line
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