Ouvrage Saint Roch
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Saint-Roch is a work (gros ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line
, also known as the Little Maginot Line. Small for a gros ouvrages, the ouvrage consists of one entry block, one artillery block and two observation blocks overlooking Sospel
at an altitude of 426 metres (1,397.6 ft). The position is located just to the southwest of Sospel, its entrance block in a narrow valley and the artillery block on the other side of the ridge overlooking Sospel. The ouvrage is laid out along a single line, with the entry block to the rear, immediately followed by the usine, with barracks farther along and Blocks 2 and 3 at intervals. The position's main armament is concentrated in Block 4, a massive blockhouse designed to protect against rockfalls from higher up the mountain.
A fifth block on the crest of the mountain was proposed but not built, to house a GFM cloche. Two observation posts were associated with Saint-Roch, including Campoast, armed with one machine gun and twin automatic rifle positions.
Saint-Roch and an associated museum are open for visitation year-round. The facilities are operated by the Association de l'Armée des Alpes,
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. Small for a gros ouvrages, the ouvrage consists of one entry block, one artillery block and two observation blocks overlooking 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:...
at an altitude of 426 metres (1,397.6 ft). The position is located just to the southwest of Sospel, its entrance block in a narrow valley and the artillery block on the other side of the ridge overlooking Sospel. The ouvrage is laid out along a single line, with the entry block to the rear, immediately followed by the usine, with barracks farther along and Blocks 2 and 3 at intervals. The position's main armament is concentrated in Block 4, a massive blockhouse designed to protect against rockfalls from higher up the mountain.
Description
Ouvrage Saint-Roch was built between November 1930 and June 1932, starting with a contractor named Marting and finishing with Roussel. The cost was 12.7 million francs, of which the armament cost 2,128,000 francs- 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...
and two machine gun embrasures. - Block 2 (observation): one machine gun/observation cloche.
- Block 3 (infantry): one machine gun cloche and one G cloche|grenade launcher cloche.
- Block 4 (artillery): three twin machine gun clochesJM 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...
, two twin machine gun embrasures, one 75mm/29cal gun embrasure, and four 81mm mortar embrasures.
A fifth block on the crest of the mountain was proposed but not built, to house a GFM cloche. Two observation posts were associated with Saint-Roch, including Campoast, armed with one machine gun and twin automatic rifle positions.
Saint-Roch and an associated museum are open for visitation year-round. The facilities are operated by the Association de l'Armée des Alpes,
External links
- Musée des fortifications alpines Fort Saint Roch
- Saint-Roch (gros ouvrage) at fortiff.be
- Fort Saint Roch at Les Sentinelles des Alpes