Ouvrage Granges Communes
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage Granges Communes is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line
. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block facing Italy
. Additional blocks were planned but not built. Granges Communes is located about four kilometers northeast of Ouvrage Restefond
on the Col de Raspaillon (or the Col de Granges Communes) at an altitude of 2525 metres (8,284.1 ft).
The position was placed to control the Col de Raspaillon road descending from the Camp des Fourches toward Bousiéyas. Construction began in 1931 and proceeded slowly due to design changes. By 1940 the entrance block remained uncompleted. The entrance block that presently exists was built in 1956 as part of a NATO policy of upgrading certain fortifications to block an advance by Warsaw Pact
forces through northern Italy.
Additional blocks were planned but not built. The underground portions of the ouvrage consist of two parallel galleries containing the garrison's living quarters, magazine and supporting utilities. The fortifications are presently abandoned and open to the elements.
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...
. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block facing Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Additional blocks were planned but not built. Granges Communes is located about four kilometers northeast of Ouvrage Restefond
Ouvrage Restefond
Ouvrage Restefond is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one artillery block and three observation blocks at the summit of the Col de la Bonnette. The entry block and an artillery block were not completed, and a further block was never built...
on the Col de Raspaillon (or the Col de Granges Communes) at an altitude of 2525 metres (8,284.1 ft).
The position was placed to control the Col de Raspaillon road descending from the Camp des Fourches toward Bousiéyas. Construction began in 1931 and proceeded slowly due to design changes. By 1940 the entrance block remained uncompleted. The entrance block that presently exists was built in 1956 as part of a NATO policy of upgrading certain fortifications to block an advance by Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces through northern Italy.
Description
- 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.- Block 1 (entry): one machine gun port, planned block largely unbuilt.
- Block 2 (infantry block): two machine gun clochesGFM 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...
, two heavy 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...
and two machine gun embrasures.
Additional blocks were planned but not built. The underground portions of the ouvrage consist of two parallel galleries containing the garrison's living quarters, magazine and supporting utilities. The fortifications are presently abandoned and open to the elements.
External links
- Granges Communes (petit ouvrage des) at fortiff.be