Ouvrage Sapey | |
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Part of Maginot Line, Alpine Line, Séré de Rivières system | |
Southeast France | |
Coordinates | 45°12′11″N6°38′59″E / 45.20307°N 6.64967°E |
Site information | |
Controlled by | France |
Site history | |
Built | 1931 |
Built by | CORF |
In use | Abandoned |
Materials | Concrete, steel, rock excavation |
Battles/wars | Battle of France |
Ouvrage Sapey | |
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Type of work: | Large artillery work (Gros ouvrage) |
sector └─sub-sector | Fortified Sector of Savoy └─Moyenne-Maurienne, Quartier de l'Arc |
Regiment: | 71st Batailllon Alpin de Fortresse, 164th Régiment d'Artillerie de Position |
Number of blocks: | 4 + entry |
Strength: | 5 officers, 144 men |
Ouvrage Sapey is a work (gros ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, three artillery blocks and one observation block two kilometers west of Modane. The ouvrage was built beneath the older Fort du Sapey. The new work cost 12.8 million francs. [1]
The ouvrage and fort were accessed by an aerial tram built in 1908, which also connected to Fort du Replaton, located down the slope from Sapey. [2]
The Fort du Sapey is the center of an ensemble of fortifications designed to protect Modane, the valley of the Arc and the terminus of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel to Italy, which was completed in 1871. The fort was built 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) to the west of Modane at an altitude of about 1,700 metres (5,600 ft), on a hill that dominates the entire valley. The principal fort was built between 1884 and 1892 as part of the Séré de Rivières system. Construction was initially of stone, but concrete was added after the invention of high explosive made masonry construction untenable in fortifications. Additional work was undertaken in 1913, continuing until work stopped in 1916. The work reinforced magazines, batteries and shelters and excavated galleries for further shelters into the rock. A special battery was built and excavated into the rock to directly cover the end of the Fréjus tunnel. The entire ensemble was surrounded by a wall. [3]
The position received a disproportionate amount of resources, considering the limited possibilities for enemy attack through the tunnel or over the Mont Cenis pass. [3]
The battery covering the end of the rail tunnel was completed between 1913 and 1916, mounting six 155mm guns. It was renovated in the 1930s, but unaltered. The position remained military property into the 2000s, and is presently abandoned. It is owned by the commune of Modane. Access is forbidden. [4]
The barracks were built in 1898 and partly modernized between 1913 and 1916. The barracks were provided with a large underground shelter or abri-caverne capable of housing 500. A number of access galleries exist and connect to the later Maginot ouvrages. The barracks are community property. [5]
The principal redoubt of Sapey was built between 1885 and 1892. Manned by 36 soldiers under 4 officers, it mounted ten de Bange 120 mm guns, six in the main fortification and four in an annex. The redoubt was provided with a drawbridge and impressive walls. The casemates were cut from rock and accessed by underground galleries. Renovations in the 1930s provided concrete reinforcement. The redoubt was kept as military property until the 21st century, but has suffered considerable deterioration. It is now community property and may not be accessed. [6]
The Maginot ouvrage extended under the barracks and redoubt of Fort Sapey. Entered from the west, the galleries connected to the old abris of the barracks, emerging at combat blocks under the walls for the redoubt on the east side. The proposed 145mm turret was to be built in the area of the barracks, near the underground utility plant. [7]
A 145mm gun turret was planned but never installed. [7]
The 75mm guns of Sapey Fréjus battery fired on Italian troops in the vicinity La Roue on 20 June 1940. The next day the battery fired on the Vallée-Étroite. Fréjus was joined by Battery Maurienne on the 22nd, firing on Italian forces in the vicinity of Bramans. The next day the ouvrage fired toward Planey. Further bombardments followed on the 24th and 25th, ceasing with the armistice of the 25th. Fire direction as provided by Ouvrage Saint-Antoine. A total of 1428 shots were fired by Maurienne and 981 by Fréjus. [13]
After the 1940 armistice, Italian forces occupied the Alpine ouvrages and disarmed them. In August 1943, southern France was occupied by the German 19th Army, which took over many of the Alpine positions that had been occupied by the Italians until Italy's withdrawal from the war in September 1943.
In 1944, Sapey was recaptured relatively easily on 13 September. [14] Sapey had suffered little damage during the war, apart from the destruction of its aerial tram, and by the end of 1944 was partly repaired and placed into service. Immediately after the war, the Maurienne region was regarded as an area of medium priority for restoration and reuse by the military. By the 1950s the positions in the Southeast of France were restored and operational again. However, by 1960, with France's acquisition of nuclear weapons, the cost and effectiveness of the Maginot system was called into question. Between 1964 and 1971 nearly all of the Maginot fortifications were deactivated. [15]
Ouvrage du Kobenbusch is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Thionville in the Cattenom Forest. It possesses seven combat blocks and two entrance blocks, one for ammunition and the other for men. It is located between petit ouvrage Bois-Karre and petit ouvrage Oberheid, and was named for the surrounding Kobenbusch Forest.
Ouvrage Hochwald is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, one of the largest fortifications in the Line. Located on the Hochwald ridge in the Fortified Sector of Haguenau in the community of Drachenbronn-Birlenbach in the Bas-Rhin department of northeastern France, it was designed to protect the northern Vosges region of France. Ouvrage Hochwald is sometimes considered as two ouvrages because of its separation of the western and the eastern portions of the ouvrage. Uniquely, the original plans for the position included an elevated battery to the rear with long-range 145 mm or 155 mm gun turrets of a new kind. Hochwald is used by the French Air Force as an armoured air defense coordination center.
Ouvrage Hackenberg, one of the largest of the Maginot Line fortifications, is part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It is situated twenty kilometres east of Thionville, in the Moselle département, near the village of Veckring, on the Hackenberg. It is located between gros ouvrage Billig and petit ouvrage Coucou, facing Germany. The fort occupies the wooded Hackenberg ridge. Before World War II it was considered a showpiece of French fortification technology, and was visited by British King George VI.
Ouvrage Mont des Welches, a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line fortifications, is part of the Fortified Sector of Boulay. It comprises two entrance blocks, one infantry block, one artillery block, one observation block and two combination blocks. It is located between petit ouvrage Coucou and gros ouvrage Michelsberg, facing Germany. Relatively small for a gros ouvrage, Mont des Welches saw a brief period of sharp action in June 1940, when German forces moving along the rear of the Maginot Line engaged the position without success. After modest renovations in the 1950s, Mont des Welches was abandoned in the 1970s.
Ouvrage Métrich located in the village of Kœnigsmacker in Moselle, comprises part of the Elzange portion of the Fortified Sector of Thionville of the Maginot Line. A gros ouvrage, it is the third largest of the Line, after Hackenberg and Hochwald. It lies between petit ouvrage Sentzich and gros ouvrage Billig, facing Germany. Located to the east of the Moselle, it cooperated with Ouvrage Galgenberg to control the river valley.
Ouvrage Molvange is a large work, or gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line. The fortification complex faces the France-Luxembourg border from a height near Entrange in the Moselle department. The complex, armed and occupied in 1935, is located on the heights of Entrange, at an altitude of about 400 metres (1,300 ft). Molvange is flanked by the even larger Ouvrage Rochonvillers to the west and smaller petit ouvrage Immerhof to the east, part of the Fortified Sector of Thionville. Molvange was not involved in significant combat during World War II, but due to its size it was repaired and retained in service after the war. During the Cold War, Molvange's underground barracks and former ammunition magazine became a hardened military command centre.
Ouvrage Welschhof is a lesser work of the Maginot Line, located near Rohrbach-lès-Bitche in the Moselle department of northeastern France. Located in the Fortified Sector of Rohrbach, the ouvrage consists of three infantry blocks, and is located between petit ouvrage Haut-Poirier and gros ouvrage Simserhof, facing Germany. Welschhof was attacked by German forces during the Battle of France on 21 June 1940 and was forced to surrender after a heavy artillery bombardment. It was re-equipped after the war, but was abandoned in the 1970s.
Ouvrage Saint-Gobain is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block, one artillery block, one observation block and one combination block. Located in Modane, France, it is just across the valley of the Arc from Ouvrage Saint-Antoine and somewhat to the east of Ouvrage Sapey.
Ouvrage Saint-Antoine is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one artillery block overlooking Modane on the way to the Col du Mont Cenis. Ouvrage Saint-Gobain is just to the north, across the mountain valley. Saint-Antoine overlooks the approaches to the Fréjus Rail Tunnel and was part of an ensemble of forts, including Saint-Gobain, Ouvrage Sapey and Fort du Replaton that guarded the French end of the tunnel and the descent from the Mont Cenis pass.
Ouvrage Le Lavoir Is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks, one infantry block, three artillery blocks and one observation block 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of Modane, France, guarding the Col de Fréjus. The surface barracks at Le Lavoir were connected to Charmaix by an aerial tram.
Ouvrage Pas du Roc is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry blocks, one infantry block, two artillery blocks and one observation block 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) south of Modane and 1.6 kilometres (0.99 mi) east of Ouvrage Le Lavoir in the vicinity of the Col de Fréjus. The position was incomplete at the outbreak of war in 1940.
Ouvrage Arrondaz is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block, and one observation block fin the vicinity of the Col de Fréjus to the south of Modane at an altitude of 2,500 metres (8,200 ft). All but one of the blocks are presently buried by later construction.
Ouvrage Les Rochilles is a lesser work 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, which built most of the larger positions. The design was by CORF.
Ouvrage Janus is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, located to the east of Briançon on near the Col de Montgenèvre. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks, two artillery blocks, two observation blocks and one combination block at an altitude of 2,540 metres (8,330 ft), the second highest fortification on the Alps in 1940. Built on the site of the old Fort Janus, it retained the old fort's 95mm naval guns and added two 75mm guns
Ouvrage Gondran is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, one infantry block and one observation block. Gondran was commenced in June 1933, and was intended to cover the gap between Janus and Les Aittes. The site is close to two older forts, designated Gondran C and Gondran D. The Maginot fortification became known as Gondran E.
Ouvrage Roche-la-Croix is a work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks, one artillery block and two observation blocks in the vicinity of the Col de Larche. An aerial tram was provided for better access. The position is located at the top of a sheer escarpment that dominates Meyronnes and the valley of the Ubayette.
Ouvrage Col du Fort is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line. The ouvrage consists of one infantry block and one observation block at an elevation of 1,717 metres (5,633 ft). An additional block was planned but not built.
Ouvrage Plan Caval is a lesser work of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of two infantry blocks and one observation block facing Italy. The ouvrage is located on the heights of L'Authion, surrounded by older fortifications. Three additional blocks were planned to make it a gros ouvrage but were not built. Cost for the full ensemble was estimated at 23 million francs.
The Fort du Replaton is a fortification of the Séré de Rivières system in Modane, France. The fort was built to provide artillery cover for the French end of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel 800 metres (2,600 ft) away horizontally. It is connected to Modane by an aerial tram, which continues on from Replaton to the Fort du Sapey on a much higher eminence.
Ouvrage Chesnois, also known as Ouvrage Chênois, is a gros ouvrage of the Maginot Line, located in the Fortified Sector of Montmédy, facing Belgium. The ouvrage lies between the towns of Montlibert and Thonne-le-Thil. It possesses six combat blocks. It is located between gros ouvrage Thonnelle and petit ouvrage La Ferté. The position was sabotaged and abandoned by French forces that were ordered to retreat from the exposed position in June 1940 during the Battle of France. The ouvrage is now abandoned and sealed.