Ouvrage Flaut is a work of the Maginot Line

Maginot Line

The Maginot Line , named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, was a line of concrete fortifications, tank obstacles, artillery casemates, machine gun posts, and other defences, which France constructed along its borders with Germany and Italy, in light of its experience in World War I,...

's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line

Alpine Line

The Alpine Line or Little Maginot Line was the component of the Maginot Line that defended the southeastern portion of France...

, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one artillery block at an altitude of 771 metres (2,529.5 ft). The position was intended, acting with Ouvrage Gordolon

Ouvrage Gordolon

Ouvrage Gordolon is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one and two infantry blocks at an altitude of . Gordolon was built by Borie contractors at a cost of 21.4 million francs...

, to stop an approach by Italian forces from the north towards Nice

Nice

Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...

 through the Vésibie Valley.

Description

Flaut was built between November 1931 and March 1935, by a contractor named Borie. The cost was 23.5 million francs. The ouvrage is laid out in the shape of a T, with a gallery running straight into the hillside to block 3 with the barracks, ammunition magazine and usine in galleries to either side. Halfway to Block 3 a long gallery extends to the left, connecting to blocks 4 and 5.

• Block 1 (entry): one machine gun cloche
  GFM cloche
  The GFM cloche was one of the most common defensive armaments on the Maginot Line. A cloche was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant...
  
  , one grenade launcher cloche
  LG cloche
  The LG cloche was a defensive element common to many Maginot Line ouvrages. The fixed cupola was deeply embedded into the concrete on top of a combat block, with only the top surface visible. The opening permitted the ejection of grenades from the interior of the cloche, providing a means of...
  
   and one machine gun/47mm anti-tank gun embrasure.
• Block 2 (artillery): one machine gun cloche and two 81mm mortar embrasures.
• Block 3 (artillery): one machine gun cloche, two heavy twin machine gun cloches
  JM cloche
  The JM cloche is an element of the Maginot Line. It is a non-retractable non-rotating cupola of steel alloy like GFM cloches, but are armed with twin heavy machine guns, as opposed to the lighter automatic rifles associated with the GFM. There are 179 JM cloches on the Maginot Line.JM is an acronym...
  
  , one observation cloche
  VDP cloche
  The VDP cloche was an element of the Maginot Line fortifications. A cloche was a fixed and non-retractable firing position made of a thick iron casting which shielded its occupant. By comparison, turrets could be rotated and sometimes lowered so that only the top shell was exposed. VDP cloches...
  
  and two 76mm gun embrasures.
• Block 4 (artillery): one machine gun cloche, one heavy twin machine gun cloche, one observation cloche, one heavy twin machine gun embrasure and two 81mm mortar embrasures.
• Block 5 (infantry): one machine gun cloche, one observation cloche and one heavy twin machine gun embrasure.

A sixth block was proposed with a 75mm gun turret but not built. Five observation posts reported to Flaut, including Caire-Saint-Saveur, Tête Saint-Saveur, and Castel-Viel.

History

During 1940 the artillery of Flaut was heavily involved in firing against III Italian Corps.

External links

• Flaut (gros ouvrage de) at fortiff.be