|
The Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné (''Secteur Fortifié du 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. By comparison with the integrated defenses of the main Maginot Line, or even of the Fortified Sector of the Maritime Alps to the south, the Dauphiné sector consisted of a series of distinct territories that covered two main invasion routes into France: the route from Turin over the Col de Montgenèvre to Briançon and Grenoble, and the route from Coni over the Col de Larche to Barcelonette and Gap. The sector was the scene of probing attacks by Italian forces during the Italian invasion of France in 1940, in which the French defenses successfully resisted Italian advances until the June 1940 armistice that granted Italy access to southeastern France. The sector was extensively subdivided into informal districts, sub-sectors and quarters or ''quartiers'', reflecting the fragmented nature of the Alpine landscape in which each valley was a distinct defensive entity. Small units were employed to patrol the border and to man individual posts ranging from observation bunkers to excavated mountaintop artillery ''ouvrages''. ==Concept and organization== The area around Briançon and the Ubaye Valley had already been extensively fortified by Vauban and Raymond Adolphe Séré de Rivières, culminating in the enormous Fort de Tournoux. The Italian Fort Chaberton presented a menace to the area with its heavy battery on a commanding peak just across the border, from Briançon. Measures were proposed in 1929 to counteract the threat by building four large ''ouvrages'' at Gondran, les Aittes, Janus and les Alberts. These major Alpine positions were to be built by the ''Commission pour l'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées'' (CORF), the primary organization dedicated to the planning and funding of the Maginot Line. Resources were soon diverted into fortifications for the SF Alpes-Maritimes to the south, and initial improvements were limited to a reconstruction of the old Fort du Janus.〔Mary, Tome 5, pp. 22–23〕 Other funds were provided to create border posts (''avants-postes'') close to the frontier. These projects were administered by the Military Works Administration (''Main d'Oeuvre Militaire (MOM)''), which built more economical but less secure and less strongly-armed versions of the CORF works. MOM ''avants-postes'' superficially resembled CORF ''ouvrages'', with underground gallery systems linking individual combat blocks, but lacked heavy armament and thick concrete shielding, as well as independent (or any) electric power supplies and underground troop accommodations. A number of the later CORF-proposed ''ouvrages'' were carried out by MOM, many of which were incomplete in 1940. These MOM-built positions covered secondary passes and mountain basins. The Col de Larche corridor was defended by the CORF-built ''gros ouvrage'' Roche-la-Croix, its upper battery and the Forts Tournoux and Viraysse, as well as a variety of CORF positions around Saint-Ours. The Montgenèvre corridor was covered by the extensive network of forts around Briançon, centering on the renovated and expanded fortifications at Janus. The Col de la Bonette received attention as well, despite its altitude, with the ''gros ouvrage'' Restefond and three subsidiary ''petits ouvrages''.〔 Troop units for these fortifications were extensively customized to deal with the fragmented nature of the military positions. Typical, somewhat confusingly-named units included: * Alpine Fortress Demi-Brigade (''Demi-Brigade Alpin de Forteresse'' (DBAF) ) * Alpine Cavalry Demi-Brigade (''Demi-Brigade des Chasseurs Alpins'' (DBCA) ) * Alpine Infantry Regiment (''Régiment d'Infanterie Alpin'' (RIA) ) * Alpine Fortress Battalion (''Battaillon Alpin de Forteresse'' (BAF) ) * Alpine Cavalry Battalion (''Bataillon des Chasseurs Alpins'' (BCA) ) These formations were supplemented by Position Artillery Regiments (''Régiments d'Artillerie de Position'') (RAP) ), which provided mobile artillery support. A demi-brigade was similar to a large regiment, with three demi-brigades equivalent to four regiments.〔Mary, Tome 4, pp. 108–109〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Fortified Sector of the Dauphiné」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|