Ouvrage La Moutiere
Encyclopedia
Ouvrage La Moutière is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line
's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line
at an altitude of 2440 meters. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one observation block, with an unarmed exit block. The ouvrage supported the Ouvrage Restefond
on the crest of the pass, guarding its southern flank. It also covered the Col de la Barcelonnette to the north. The position was built between 1931 and 1935.
The underground section of the ouvrage consists of three parallel galleries linked by a smaller passage.
A fortified barracks for La Moutière's garrison was established at a lower altitude inside a semi-buried abri or shelter. The area around the position retains the vestiges of firing positions constructed of dry stone masonry pierced by embrasures for guns. The fortification saw no action in either 1940 or 1944.
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...
at an altitude of 2440 meters. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one observation block, with an unarmed exit block. The ouvrage supported the 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 crest of the pass, guarding its southern flank. It also covered the Col de la Barcelonnette to the north. The position was built between 1931 and 1935.
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): two machine gun embrasures. The block is equipped with a metal housing that functions as an access point when the winter snows cover the entrance.
- Block 2 (infantry block): one heavy twin machine gun embrasure.
- Block 3 (observation block): 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...
. - Block 4 (emergency exit/exhaust): no armament.
The underground section of the ouvrage consists of three parallel galleries linked by a smaller passage.
A fortified barracks for La Moutière's garrison was established at a lower altitude inside a semi-buried abri or shelter. The area around the position retains the vestiges of firing positions constructed of dry stone masonry pierced by embrasures for guns. The fortification saw no action in either 1940 or 1944.
