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The Fortified Sector of the Maritime Alps (Secteur Fortifié des Alpes-Maritimes) 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 Nice.

Concept and organization

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Command

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The Alpes-Maritimes sector was under the overall command of the French Army of the Alps, headquartered at Valence, under the command of General Olry. Subordinate to the Army of the Alps was the 15th Army Corps under General Montagne. The SF Alpes-Maritimes itself was commanded by General Magnien at Nice. The interval troops, the army formations that were to provide the mobile defense for the sector, to support and be supported by the fixed defenses, were the 65th Infantry Division, having succeeded the 29th Infantry Division in October 1939. Artillery support for the sector was provided by the 157th, 158th and 167th Position Artillery Regiments (Régiment d'Artillerie de Position (RAP)), which controlled both fixed and mobile artillery, commanded by Lt. Colonel Charnasson, Lt. Colonel Fournial and Colonel Carrour, respectively. The 29nd ID was made up of Class B reservists, not suited for sustained combat.[1]

Description

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The sector includes, in order from west to east, the following major fortified positions, together with the most significant casemates and infantry shelters in each sub-sector:[nb 1]

The following subsectors were under the command of the 65th Infantry Division, General de Saint Julien, commander at Levens, and were considered an autonomous part of the Alpes-Maritimes sector.

Sub-Sector Mounier

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Quartier Haut-Var

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64th Alpine Fortress Batallion (64e Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse (BAF))

  • Ouvrage Col de Crous (C), incomplete petit ouvrage of four blocks
  • Avant-poste de Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage (SD), five connected blocks

CORF fortifications were planned but not built at the Col de Jallourges and the Col de Pal. The abri Peira-Grossa is located near the Col de Crous.[1]

Quartier Beuil

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Sub-sector Tinée-Vésubie

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61st Alpine Fortress Demi-Brigade (61e Demi-Brigade Alpin de Forteresse (DBAF)), Lt. Colonel Marquilly, command post at Levens Sainte-Claire

Quartier Gaudissart

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84th Alpine Fortress Batallion (84e Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse (BAF)),

  • Ouvrage Fressinéa (FA), petit ouvrage of three blocks
  • Ouvrage Rimplas (RS), gros ouvrage of five blocks and an entry block
  • Ouvrage Valdeblore (VE), petit ouvrage of three blocks
  • Avant-poste de Valbres Nord (VP), two connected blocks
  • Avant-poste de Valabres Sud (VA), one block
  • Casemate de Abelièra (O40)

Peacetime barracks and support:

  • Caserne Caussade
  • Caserne Leblanc

Additional positions include a casemate in the valley of the Tinée.

Quartier Tournairet-Vésubie

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94th Alpine Fortress Batallion (94e Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse (BAF)),

  • Avant-poste de Conchetas (OC), seven connected blocks
  • Avant-poste du Castel-Vieil (CV), four connected blocks
  • Avant-poste du Planet (LP), six connected blocks
  • Casemate de la Bollène Ouest (O33)
  • Casemate de la Bollène Est (O34)
  • Casemate de Chapelle Saint-Sauveur (O35)
  • Casemate de la Bolinette (O39)
  • Casemate de la Colletta Nord (O41)
  • Casemate de la Colletta Sud (O42)
  • Casemate de Berghin (O43)
  • Casemate du Collet (O44)

Peacetime barracks and support:

  • Casernement de Lantosque
  • Baraquement des Granges de la Brasque

Ouvrage Bas de Gordolon was planned but not built.

The following subsectors were considered the Alpes-Maritimes sector, proper, General Magnien, commander at Nice.

Sub-Sector Authion

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75th Alpine Fortress Brigade (75e Demi-Brigade Alpin de Forteresse (DBAF)), Lt. Colonel Brun, command post at Peira-Cava

Quartier Forca

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  • Ouvrage Baisse de Saint-Véran (BSV), petit ouvrage of three blocks, mostly incomplete
  • Avant-poste du Col-de-Raus (LP), five connected blocks
  • Blockhaus de la Pointe-des-Trois-Communes (PTC)

Blockhouses at La Forca and Mille-Fourches were never started.

Quartier Cabanes-Vielles

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  • Ouvrage Plan Caval (PCV), petit ouvrage of five blocks and an entry, mostly incomplete
  • Ouvrage La Béole (BE), petit ouvrage of three blocks
  • Ouvrage La Déa (D), petit ouvrage of four blocks
  • Ouvrage Col d'Agnon (CA), petit ouvrage of four blocks
  • Casemate de la Baisse de Fighieras (O30)
  • Casemate de la Béole Est (O31)
  • Casemate de la Béole Ouest (O32)

Peacetime barracks and support:

  • Casernement de Peira-Cava (Caserne Crénant)
  • Baraquement du Camp d'Argent
  • Baraquement des Cabanes-Vielles
  • Baraquement du Plan-Caval
  • Baraquement de la Tête de l'Authion

Ouvrage Arbion was planned but not built.

Sub-sector of Sospel

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40th Alpine Fortress Demi-Brigade (40e Régiment d'Infanterie de Forteresse (DBAF)), Lt. Colonel Sauvajon, command post at the Col de Braus

Quartier Brouis

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Quartier Braus

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  • Ouvrage L'Agaisen, gros ouvrage (AN) EO3 of three combat blocks
  • Ouvrage Champ de Tir, petit ouvrage (CT) EO4
  • Ouvrage Saint-Roch, gros ouvrage (SRH) EO5 of three combat blocks and an entry
  • Ouvrage Barbonnet, gros ouvrage (BT) EO6 of nineteen combat blocks
  • Avant-poste des Castes-Ruines (CR), five connected blocks
  • Casemate du Golf-de-Sospel (GS)
  • Casemate de Barbonnet Sud (O20)
  • Casemate de Campaost (O21)
  • Casemate de Bévéra (O22)
  • Casemate de la Place Gianotti (O23)
  • Casemate de Saint-Christophe Sud (O24)
  • Casemate de Saint-Christophe Nord (O25)
  • Casemate d'Oréglia (O52)

The Ouvrage du Vallon de la Nieva was proposed but not built. Casemates Nieya Sud (O28), Cantamerle Nord (O27), Cantamerle Sud (O26) and La Lavina (O19) were not built..

Sub-sector of Corniches

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40th Alpine Fortress Demi-Brigade (40e Demi-Brigade Alpin de Forteresse (DBAF)), Lt. Colonel Mercier de Sainte-Croix, command post at La Turbie

Quartier Castillon

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76th Alpine Fortress Battallion (76e Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse (BAF))

  • Ouvrage Castillon, gros ouvrage (CN) EO8 of four combat blocks and an entry
  • Observatoire du Pic-de-Garuche (PG), two blocks
  • Avant-poste Baisse-de-Scuvion (BS), three blocks
  • Avant-poste de Pierre-Pontue (PP), five blocks
  • Casemate de Saint-Ouen Sud, O16
  • Casemate de Pistola Sud, O17
  • Casemate de Pistola Nord, O18
  • Casemate du Cote 942 Nord, O49
  • Casemate d'Avellan Sud, O50

[1]

The Ouvrage Cote 902 was planned but not built to the eat of Pic-de-Garuche. A command post was established there instead.

Quartier Sainte-Agnès

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86th Alpine Fortress Battalion (86e Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse (BAF))

  • Casemate de Gorbio Sud, O12
  • Casemate de Gorbio Nord, O13
  • Casemate de Madone de Gorbio Sud, O45
  • Casemate de Madone de Gorbio Nord, O46
  • Observatoire Est de Mont-Agel
  • Point d'appui de Castellar

[1]

Quartier Menton

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96th Alpine Fortress Battallion (96e Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse (BAF))

[1]

History

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Battle of France

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[4]

Present status

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Several ouvrages in the sector have been preserved. Cap Martin,[5] Sainte-Agnès,[6] Barbonnet,[7] Saint-Roch,[7] L'Agaisen,[8] Fressinéa[9] and Rimplas[10] may all be visited or are in the process of preservation. The avant-post at Pont Saint Louis is open as well.[5] Ouvrage Mont Agel is part of Nice Air Base, which provides military air traffic control and surveillance for southern France.[11]

Notes

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  1. ^ English-language sources use the French term ouvrage as the preferred term for the Maginot positions, in preference to "fort", a term usually reserved for older fortifications with passive defenses in the form of walls and ditches.[2] The literal translation of ouvrage in the sense of a fortification in English is "work." A gros ouvrage is a large fortification with a significant artillery component, while a petit ouvrage is smaller, with lighter arms. [3]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e Mary, Tome 5, pp. 45-46
  2. ^ Kauffmann, J.E. (2006). Fortress France: The Maginot Line and French Defenses in World War II. Westport, CT: Praeger Security International. p. 13. ISBN 0-275-98345-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Kauffmann, p.20
  4. ^ Mary, Jean-Yves (2009). Hommes et Ouvrages de la Ligne Maginot, Tome 5 (in French). Histoire & Collections. pp. 136–137. ISBN 978-2-35250-127-5. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ a b "Ouvrage du Cap-Martin" (in French). Amicorf. 18 December 2006. Retrieved 14 July 2010. Cite error: The named reference "amicorf3" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Fort de Sainte-Agnès (06)" (in French). Chemins de mèmoire. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b "Fort du Barbonnet" (in French). Sospel Tourisme. 2006. Retrieved 26 January 2010. Cite error: The named reference "sospel1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Visit". Mount Agaisen Fortress. Jean-Christian Aime. 2003. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  9. ^ "Ouvrage de la Frassinea". Les Sentinelles des Alpes (in French). Association Grande Traversée des Alpes. 2008. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  10. ^ "Fermeture au Public" (in French). Les Amis de l'Ouvrage Maginot de la Madeleine. 2009. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
  11. ^ "Le Centre de Detection et de Controle 05.943: Missions" (in French). French Ministry of Defense. 2 April 2008. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
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