Ouvrage Monte Grosso
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Ouvrage Monte Grosso is a work (''gros 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. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, four artillery blocks and two observation blocks facing
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. It was the largest ''ouvrage'' in the
Alps The Alps () ; german: Alpen ; it, Alpi ; rm, Alps ; sl, Alpe . are the highest and most extensive mountain range system that lies entirely in Europe, stretching approximately across seven Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Sw ...
Kaufmann 2006, p. 17 It is part of the fortifications surrounding
Sospel Sospel (; Mentonasc: Sospèl, Italian Sospello) is a commune (municipality) and former schismatic episcopal seat (1381-1418) in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo. Hist ...
, which protect the approaches to Nice from the north.


Description

Monte Grosso, like L'Agaisen to the southeast, features gun turrets on a commanding height, at 967 meters. Monte Grosso possesses two turrets, one of 75mm and a unique 135mm turret, both retractable. Monte Grosso was built between November 1931 and June 1935, by a contractor named Borie. The cost was 40.4 million francs, of which 4.6 million francs were for the access road.Mary, Tome 4, p. 29 *Block 1 (entry): one machine gun cloche, one grenade launcher cloche and three machine gun embrasures. *Block 2 (artillery): one machine gun cloche, one twin machine gun embrasure, two 75mm/29cal gun embrasures and two machine gun embrasures. *Block 3 (mortar): one machine gun cloche and four 81mm mortar embrasures. *Block 4 (artillery): one machine gun cloche and one twin 75mm/33cal gun turret. *Block 5 (artillery): one grenade launcher cloche and one twin 135mm howitzer turret. *Block 6 (infantry): one observation cloche, one machine gun cloche and two twin machine gun embrasures. *Block 7 (infantry): one observation cloche, one machine gun cloche and twin machine gun embrasure. An additional block near the entrance with a GFM cloche and two 75mm mortars was never built. The galleries extend along the length of the Monte Grosso ridge.Mary, Tome 5, p. 56–57


History

On 15 June 1940, as Italian troops advanced into France, Monte Grosso fired on Italian mortar positions. On the 20th, it received fire from Italian 149mm guns, with a hit on its 75mm turret. The gun remained in operation


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


Monte Grosso (gros ouvrage)
at fortiff.be
Infos, localisation on map , documents and pictures about Monte Grosso
at wikimaginot.eu {{DEFAULTSORT:Monte Grosso, Ouvrage MOGR Maginot Line Alpine Line