Ouvrage Les Rochilles is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, in the high Alps about 20 kilometres (12 mi) southwest of Modane. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks and one observation block. Unusually, it was built by the Main d'Oeuvre Militaire (MOM), rather than CORF (Commission pour l'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées), which built most of the larger positions. The design was by CORF.[1][2]
| Ouvrage Les Rochilles | |
|---|---|
| Part of Maginot Line, Alpine Line | |
| Southeast France | |
 | |
  Ouvrage Les Rochilles | |
| Coordinates | 45°05′07″N 6°28′11″E / 45.08525°N 6.4698°E |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | France |
| Site history | |
| Built by | MOM |
| In use | Abandoned |
| Materials | Concrete, steel, rock excavation |
| Battles/wars | Battle of France |
| Ouvrage Les Rochilles | |
|---|---|
| Type of work: | Small artillery work (Petit ouvrage) |
| sector └─sub-sector | Fortified Sector of Savoy └─Basse-Maurienne, Quartier de Valloire |
| Regiment: | 91st Batailllon Alpin de Fortresse |
| Number of blocks: | 4 |
| Strength: | 1 officer, 54 men |
Work began in 1931, but was not completed by 1940, when it was commanded by Lieutenant Curbaille.
Description
edit- Block 1 (observation): One observation cloche[1]
- Block 2 (infantry): one heavy twin machine gun embrasures covering the Col du Fréjus.[1]
- Block 3 (infantry): one heavy twin machine gun embrasures covering the Col du Fréjus.[1]
- Entry: one machine gun embrasure.[1]
- Emergency exit: one machine gun embrasure.[1]
The Camp des Rochilles is located nearby. Constructed 1902–1907, it is at an altitude of 2,420 metres (7,940 ft).[3] The barracks complex was connected to Plan-Lachat by an aerial tram. The advanced post of Aiguille Noire is a short distance to the south, with four machine gun embrasures.[1]
Les Rochilles saw no significant action in 1940 or 1944.[4][5]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Mary, Tome 5, pp. 18–19
- ^ Puelinckx, Jean; Aublet, Jean-Louis; Mainguin, Sylvie (2010). "Les Rochilles (petit ouvrage des)". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ^ Puelinckx, Jean; et al. (2010). "Les Rochilles (baraquement des)". Index de la Ligne Maginot (in French). fortiff.be. Retrieved 27 February 2010.
- ^ Mary, Tome 5, pp.98-99
- ^ Mary, Tome 5, p.147
Wikimaginot.eu - Localisation sur carte, informations, documents et photos sur l'ouvrage des Rochilles Archived 2013-12-11 at the Wayback Machine
Bibliography
edit- Allcorn, William. The Maginot Line 1928-45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2003. ISBN 1-84176-646-1
- Kaufmann, J.E. and Kaufmann, H.W. Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II, Stackpole Books, 2006. ISBN 0-275-98345-5
- Kaufmann, J.E., Kaufmann, H.W., Jancovič-Potočnik, A. and Lang, P. The Maginot Line: History and Guide, Pen and Sword, 2011. ISBN 978-1-84884-068-3
- Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 1. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2001. ISBN 2-908182-88-2 (in French)
- Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 4 - La fortification alpine. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009. ISBN 978-2-915239-46-1 (in French)
- Mary, Jean-Yves; Hohnadel, Alain; Sicard, Jacques. Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5. Paris, Histoire & Collections, 2009. ISBN 978-2-35250-127-5 (in French)
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