Ouvrage Roche Lacroix
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Roche-la-Croix 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 infantry blocks, one artillery block and two observation blocks in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. An aerial tram was provided for better access. The position is located at the top of a sheer escarpment that dominates Meyronnes
and the valley of the Ubayette.
The ouvrage replaced an earlier fortification, the Redoute de Roche-la-Croix (or Fort Inférieure), built as part of the Séré de Rivières system
between1883 and 1889. The earlier fort's walls and ditches were kept on two sides of the ouvrage. The fort's pre-Maginot armament was six 138mm guns in casemates with a magazine excavated in the rock. Most of the fort apart from the ditch and caponers was obliterated by the Maginot construction.
A proposed gallery to connect the ouvrage to the nearby above-ground peacetime barracks was not pursued.
The Roche-la-Croix supérieure battery 44°27′52.78"N 06°47′59.46"E, or "Fort Supérieure", was built between 1884 and 1889 to protect the original Fort Roche-la-Croix (or Fort Inférieure). It continued in that role, equipped with two machine guns and an 81mm mortar. The Abri du Ancien Camp as well as the observation posts La Duyère and Les Calanches were associated with Roche-la-Croix. Additional fortifications on the opposite site of the valley form a barrier to an advance through the Ubayette valley. The battery and the original Redoute de Roche-la-Croix are closely associated with the system of fortifications centering on the Fort de Tournoux
3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to the west, built in the late 19th century.
Roche-la-Croix fired on an Italian patrol that crossed into French territory on 17 June 1940. As Italian troops of the Forli Division
advanced into France on 20 June, they were bombarded by Roche-la-Croix's 75mm gun turret, supported by fire from Saint Ours Haut
, stopping the advance. The turret fired four salvos the following day. On the 22nd, Roche-la-Croix's turret was used for counter-battery fire against Italian artillery, followed by fire on Italian forces advancing along the Col des Monges, supported by fire from Block 6 of the main ouvrage and Roche-la-Croix Supérieure. Additional fire was directed to support the defense of Ouvrage Plate Lombard
. On the 24th the turret and casemate fired at the Col Rémi and the Tête-Dure, as well as the Col de Larche. The armistice of 25 June brought action to an end. During this period Roche-la-Crox fired 1909 shots from the turret, 401 from the casemate and 128 shorts from the mortar battery.
After the 1940 armistice, Italian forces occupied the Alpine ouvrages and disarmed them. In August 1943, southern France was occupied by the German 19th Army
, which took over many of the Alpine positions that had been occupied by the Italians until Italy's withdrawal from the war in September 1943.
Free French forces assaulted Roche-la-Croix on 22 April 1945, with the German garrison surrendering after 17 hours. Immediately after the war, the Alpine region was regarded as an area of medium priority for restoration and reuse by the military. By the 1950s the positions in the Southeast of France were restored and operational again. However, by 1960, with France's acquisition of nuclear weapons, the cost and effectiveness of the Maginot system was called into question. Between 1964 and 1971 nearly all of the Maginot fortifications were deactivated.
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 infantry blocks, one artillery block and two observation blocks in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. An aerial tram was provided for better access. The position is located at the top of a sheer escarpment that dominates Meyronnes
Meyronnes
Meyronnes is a commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France.-Population:-See also:* Ouvrage Saint Ours Haut* Ubaye Valley* Communes of the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department-References:*...
and the valley of the Ubayette.
The ouvrage replaced an earlier fortification, the Redoute de Roche-la-Croix (or Fort Inférieure), built as part of the Séré de Rivières system
Séré de Rivières system
The Séré de Rivières system was an ensemble of fortifications built from 1874 and first used at the beginning of the First World War along the frontiers and coasts of France...
between1883 and 1889. The earlier fort's walls and ditches were kept on two sides of the ouvrage. The fort's pre-Maginot armament was six 138mm guns in casemates with a magazine excavated in the rock. Most of the fort apart from the ditch and caponers was obliterated by the Maginot construction.
Description
Construction began in March 1931. Costs amounted to 16.7 million francs, including 1.7 million francs for the aerial tram.- Block 1 (entry): one machine gun embrasure. The space around the entry block is very limited. The aerial tram entrance on the upper level was linked to the main ouvrage in 1937 via an avalanche-protected tunnel-like shelter constructed above grade and armored with rocks, using a counterweighted 60 cm rail system at a 50% slope.
- Block 2 (infantry): two machine gun embrasures and one grenade launcher embrasure. This block and Block 3 are effectively counterscarpCounterscarpA scarp and a counterscarp are the inner and outer sides of a ditch used in fortifications. In permanent fortifications the scarp and counterscarp may be encased in stone...
positions, covering the ditch of the old Séré de Rivières fort, and reached by galleries outside the enclosure of the old fort. - Block 3 (infantry): two machine gun embrasures and one grenade launcher embrasure.
- Block 4 (observation): one machine gun clocheVDP clocheThe 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 one observation clocheVDP clocheThe 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...
. - Block 5 (artillery): one twin 75mm gun turret, 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...
, two 75mm gun embrasures and one 81mm mortar embrasure. - Block 6 (artillery): one observation 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...
and one grenade launcher embrasure.The position was called the observatoire de l'égout ("observatory of the sewer"), on a lower level, perched on a vertical cliff face. It was added in 1937-38 to provide additional flamking coverage to Saint-Ours.
A proposed gallery to connect the ouvrage to the nearby above-ground peacetime barracks was not pursued.
The Roche-la-Croix supérieure battery 44°27′52.78"N 06°47′59.46"E, or "Fort Supérieure", was built between 1884 and 1889 to protect the original Fort Roche-la-Croix (or Fort Inférieure). It continued in that role, equipped with two machine guns and an 81mm mortar. The Abri du Ancien Camp as well as the observation posts La Duyère and Les Calanches were associated with Roche-la-Croix. Additional fortifications on the opposite site of the valley form a barrier to an advance through the Ubayette valley. The battery and the original Redoute de Roche-la-Croix are closely associated with the system of fortifications centering on the Fort de Tournoux
Fort de Tournoux
The Fort de Tournoux is a fortification complex in the Ubaye Valley in the French Alps. It was built between 1843 and the early 20th century to defend France against invasion from Italy and Savoy. It was described as the "Military Versailles of the 19th century," resembling a Tibetan monastery on...
3.7 kilometres (2.3 mi) to the west, built in the late 19th century.
History
- See Fortified Sector of the DauphinéFortified Sector of the DauphinéThe Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné was the French military organization that in 1940 controlled the section of the Alpine Line portion of the Maginot Line facing Italy in the vicinity of Briançon...
for a broader discussion of the Dauphiné sector of the Alpine Line.
Roche-la-Croix fired on an Italian patrol that crossed into French territory on 17 June 1940. As Italian troops of the Forli Division
36 Mountain Infantry Division Forlì
The 36 Mountain Infantry Division Forlì was a Mountain Infantry Division of the Italian Army during World War II. The division was formed in October 1939 and in June 1940, was part of the First Army and took part in the Italian invasion of France. Afterwards it was moved to Albania for the...
advanced into France on 20 June, they were bombarded by Roche-la-Croix's 75mm gun turret, supported by fire from Saint Ours Haut
Ouvrage Saint Ours Haut
Ouvrage Saint Ours Haut 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 infantry block, one artillery block, two observation blocks and one combination block in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. It is located...
, stopping the advance. The turret fired four salvos the following day. On the 22nd, Roche-la-Croix's turret was used for counter-battery fire against Italian artillery, followed by fire on Italian forces advancing along the Col des Monges, supported by fire from Block 6 of the main ouvrage and Roche-la-Croix Supérieure. Additional fire was directed to support the defense of Ouvrage Plate Lombard
Ouvrage Plate Lombard
Ouvrage Plate Lombard is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks and one observation block. Unusually for an ouvrage, Plate-Lombard was built by MOM , which usually was responsible for lesser fortifications...
. On the 24th the turret and casemate fired at the Col Rémi and the Tête-Dure, as well as the Col de Larche. The armistice of 25 June brought action to an end. During this period Roche-la-Crox fired 1909 shots from the turret, 401 from the casemate and 128 shorts from the mortar battery.
After the 1940 armistice, Italian forces occupied the Alpine ouvrages and disarmed them. In August 1943, southern France was occupied by the German 19th Army
19th Army (Germany)
The 19th Army was a World War II field army of the German Army .-History:Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern France from Armeegruppe Felber The 19th Army (German: 19. Armee) was a World War II field army of the German Army (Wehrmacht Heer).-History:Formed in August 1943 in occupied southern...
, which took over many of the Alpine positions that had been occupied by the Italians until Italy's withdrawal from the war in September 1943.
Free French forces assaulted Roche-la-Croix on 22 April 1945, with the German garrison surrendering after 17 hours. Immediately after the war, the Alpine region was regarded as an area of medium priority for restoration and reuse by the military. By the 1950s the positions in the Southeast of France were restored and operational again. However, by 1960, with France's acquisition of nuclear weapons, the cost and effectiveness of the Maginot system was called into question. Between 1964 and 1971 nearly all of the Maginot fortifications were deactivated.
See also
- List of Alpine Line ouvrages
- Ouvrage Saint Ours HautOuvrage Saint Ours HautOuvrage Saint Ours Haut 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 infantry block, one artillery block, two observation blocks and one combination block in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. It is located...
, a gros ouvrage on the opposite side of the Ubayette valley - Ouvrage Saint Ours BasOuvrage Saint Ours BasOuvrage Saint Ours Bas is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block. The location is unusual on lacking the underground galleries typical of a Maginot fortification, making it more like a blockhouse than an ouvrage...
, a smaller position by the valley road
External links
- Roche-la-Croix website
- Roche-Lacroix (gros ouvrage de) at fortiff.be
- Roche-Lacroix (redoute de) at fortiff.be
- Roche-Lacroix (batterie supérieure de) at fortiff.be