Ouvrage Castillon
| Ouvrage Castillon | |
|---|---|
| Part of Maginot Line, Alpine Line | |
| Southeast France | |
 Ouvrage Castillon
|
|
| Coordinates | 43°50′15″N 7°27′30″E / 43.83743°N 7.45828°E |
| Site information | |
| Controlled by | France |
| Open to the public |
No |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1931 |
| Built by | CORF |
| In use | Abandoned |
| Materials | Concrete, steel, rock excavation |
| Battles/wars | Italian invasion of France, Operation Dragoon |
| Ouvrage Castillon | |
|---|---|
| Type of work: | Large artillery work (Gros ouvrage) |
|
sector └─sub-sector |
Fortified Sector of the Maritime Alps └─Corniches, Quartier Castillon |
| Work number: | EO 8 |
| Regiment: | 58th DBAF, 157th RAP |
| Number of blocks: | 5 |
| Strength: | 7 officers, 337 men |
Ouvrage Castillon is a work (gros ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the Little Maginot Line. The ouvrage consists of one entry block, two infantry blocks, and two artillery blocks in a narrow ridge just to the west of Castillon, Alpes-Maritimes. It was built on the original site of Castillon, destroyed by an earthquake in 1887. It is the next gros ouvrage in the line to the north of Ouvrage Sainte-Agnès, and is within firing range of the Mediterranean coastline.
Ouvrage Castillon was built by a contractor named Borie from November 1931 to October 1934 at a cost of 15.6 million francs. Castillon was manned in 1940 by 344 men under the command of Captain Finton.
Castillon was arranged on multiple levels, with the combat blocks significantly higher than the entry block, which is directly off paved road. However, because of the vulnerability of its supply line, Castillon was provided with two levels of utility, supply and magazine space, capable of holding four times the usual quantities of supplies and munitions.
Castillon was associated with two avants-postes located about halfway between the ouvrage and the Italian frontier. These posts were built by MOM (Main d’Œuvre Militaire) in 1930 to a lesser standard than the CORF (Commission d'organisation des régions fortifiées)-built main line ouvrage. The avant-poste Baisse-de-Scuvion 43°51′01.9″N 07°28′24.18″E / 43.850528°N 7.4733833°E at an altitude of 1,018 metres (3,340 ft) controlled Mont-Mulcier and the Col de Cuore, with 32 men assigned. The post consistend of one entry block, one observation block with an observation cloche, and one block with a machine gun port, connected by a gallery with limited accommodations. The avant-poste Pierre-Pontue 43°50′34.33″N 07°28′52.82″E / 43.8428694°N 7.4813389°E to the south at an altitude of 1,122 metres (3,681 ft) was larger, although it too was assigned 32 men. Pierre-Pontue comprised two entry blocks, one observation block with an observation cloche, and two casemates with machine gun ports. A modest set of galleries connected the blocks.
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Wikipedia