Ouvrage L'Agaisen
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage L'Agaisen is a work (gros ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line
, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two artillery blocks and one observation block above Sospel
. Additional blocks were planned but not built. The ouvrage is located at an altitude of 663 metres (2,175.2 ft) on the Agaisen massif overlooking Sospel from the north. The position fired 1821 shots from Block 3's 75mm gun turret in 1940. It has an unusual 75mm gun turret in Block 3.
The ouvrage was built between 1930 and 1935, and was equipped from 1935 to 1937. L'Agaisen possesses an instruction casemate that was used to allow soldiers to practice attack and defense skills.
A fifth block with four 81mm mortars was never built.Three observation posts ere associated with l'Agaisen, including the petit ouvrage Champ de Tir de l'Agaisen
.
in June 1940 the 75mm turret fired more than 1800 shots in support of French forces. The heavy machine gun cloche in Block 2 fired on Italian forces in the area of the advanced post at Castes-Ruines. The ouvrage took fire from Italian 305mm artillery without significant damage. A crater caused by an Italian bomb existed until the 1990s.
Some of the fort's armament was removed under the terms of the 25 June 1940 armistice, but the ouvrage was maintained by French forces through the war, albeit in a militarily decommissioned capacity. l"Agaisen was occupied by German forces after their withdrawal from the war in 1943, remaining until the allied invasion of Southern France
in 1944. The Germans fired on advancing American forces with the 75mm turret in October, abandoning the position on October 28, 1944 after sabotaging some of the equipment. The American 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed of mostly Japanese-American soldiers, occupied the site in November 1944. During fighting around Authion in April 1945 the 75mm turrets of l'Agaisen and Monte Grosso
were used in support of American and French forces in the area. An abundance of French 75mm ammunition, incompatible with American 76mm guns, encouraged the reconditioning and used of the turret guns.
After the war l'Agaisen was reconditioned using equipment from Barbonnet
and Castillon
. Equipment was upgraded through the 1950s and new mortars were delivered in 1962. Through the 1980s the position was kept under care of the Army with a view to preservation. In 1992 the Groupe Technique Agaisen (GTA) was formed to collaborate on preservation and restoration. L'Agaisen was transferred to the ownership of the town of Sospel
in 2007.
L'Agaisen may be visited during open days or by prior arrangement.Kaufmann 2011, pp. 272-274
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 known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two artillery blocks and one observation block above Sospel
Sospel
Sospel is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo.-History:...
. Additional blocks were planned but not built. The ouvrage is located at an altitude of 663 metres (2,175.2 ft) on the Agaisen massif overlooking Sospel from the north. The position fired 1821 shots from Block 3's 75mm gun turret in 1940. It has an unusual 75mm gun turret in Block 3.
The ouvrage was built between 1930 and 1935, and was equipped from 1935 to 1937. L'Agaisen possesses an instruction casemate that was used to allow soldiers to practice attack and defense skills.
Description
Ouvrage l'Agaisen was built between November 1930 and December 1934, beginning with a contractor named Marting and completed by Roussel. The construction cost was 24.6 million francs, of which 2.7 million francs were for the access road. The underground galleries run parallel with the ridge, the barracks under the summit. Block 4, an observation block, is at the extreme east end of the ridge.- Block 1 (entry): one machine gun clocheGFM clocheThe 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 clocheLG clocheThe 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 two machine gun embrasures. - Block 2 (artillery): one machine gun cloche, one grenade launcher cloche, one twin machine gun clocheJM clocheThe 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 twin machine gun embrasure, two 75mm/31cal gun embrasures and two 81mm mortar embrasures, firing to the southwest. - Block 3 (artillery): one machine gun cloche, one twin machine gun cloche, one twin 76mm/31cal retractable gun turret and one twin machine gun embrasure. The turret has a 360-degree field of fire from the summit.
- Block 4 (observation): one observation cloche, two machine gun embrasures.
A fifth block with four 81mm mortars was never built.Three observation posts ere associated with l'Agaisen, including the petit ouvrage Champ de Tir de l'Agaisen
Ouvrage Champ de Tir
Ouvrage Champ de Tir, also known as Champ de Tir de l'Agaisen is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. It is located at an altitude of , less than 1 kilometer to the northwest of Ouvrage l'Agaisen...
.
History
During the Italian invasion of FranceItalian invasion of France
The Italian invasion of France in June 1940 was a small-scale invasion that started near the end of the Battle of France during World War II. The goal of the Italian offensive was to take control of the Alps mountain range and the region around Nice, and to win the colonies in North Africa...
in June 1940 the 75mm turret fired more than 1800 shots in support of French forces. The heavy machine gun cloche in Block 2 fired on Italian forces in the area of the advanced post at Castes-Ruines. The ouvrage took fire from Italian 305mm artillery without significant damage. A crater caused by an Italian bomb existed until the 1990s.
Some of the fort's armament was removed under the terms of the 25 June 1940 armistice, but the ouvrage was maintained by French forces through the war, albeit in a militarily decommissioned capacity. l"Agaisen was occupied by German forces after their withdrawal from the war in 1943, remaining until the allied invasion of Southern France
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
in 1944. The Germans fired on advancing American forces with the 75mm turret in October, abandoning the position on October 28, 1944 after sabotaging some of the equipment. The American 442nd Infantry Regiment, composed of mostly Japanese-American soldiers, occupied the site in November 1944. During fighting around Authion in April 1945 the 75mm turrets of l'Agaisen and Monte Grosso
Ouvrage Monte Grosso
Ouvrage Monte Grosso 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 entry block, four artillery blocks and two observation blocks facing Italy...
were used in support of American and French forces in the area. An abundance of French 75mm ammunition, incompatible with American 76mm guns, encouraged the reconditioning and used of the turret guns.
After the war l'Agaisen was reconditioned using equipment from Barbonnet
Ouvrage Barbonnet
Ouvrage Barbonnet is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block and one infantry block facing Italy...
and Castillon
Ouvrage Castillon
Ouvrage Castillon is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks and two artillery blocks in a narrow ridge just to the west of Castillon, Alpes-Maritimes. It was built on the...
. Equipment was upgraded through the 1950s and new mortars were delivered in 1962. Through the 1980s the position was kept under care of the Army with a view to preservation. In 1992 the Groupe Technique Agaisen (GTA) was formed to collaborate on preservation and restoration. L'Agaisen was transferred to the ownership of the town of Sospel
Sospel
Sospel is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France near the Italian border and not far from Monte Carlo.-History:...
in 2007.
L'Agaisen may be visited during open days or by prior arrangement.Kaufmann 2011, pp. 272-274
External links
- Mount Agaisen Fortress website in English
- Mont Agaisen website in French (with more detail)
- Ouvrage de l'Agaisen at Les Sentinelles des Alpes
- Agaisen (gros ouvrage) at fortiff.be