Open to
the public Yes Built by CORF | Condition Preserved Controlled by France | |
 | ||
Materials Concrete, steel, rock excavation Battles/wars Italian invasion of France, Operation Dragoon Similar Ouvrage Barbonnet, Ouvrage Castillon, Ouvrage Sainte‑Agnès, Ouvrage Col du Granon, Ouvrage Col de Restefond | ||
Ouvrage Saint-Roch is a work (gros ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also known as the Little Maginot Line. Small for a gros ouvrages, the ouvrage consists of one entry block, one artillery block and two observation blocks overlooking Sospel at an altitude of 426 metres (1,398 ft). The position is located just to the southwest of Sospel, its entrance block in a narrow valley and the artillery block on the other side of the ridge overlooking Sospel. The ouvrage is laid out along a single line, with the entry block to the rear, immediately followed by the usine, with barracks farther along and Blocks 2 and 3 at intervals. The position's main armament is concentrated in Block 4, a massive blockhouse designed to protect against rockfalls from higher up the mountain.
Description
Ouvrage Saint-Roch was built between November 1930 and June 1932, starting with a contractor named Marting and finishing with Roussel. The cost was 12.7 million francs, of which the armament cost 2,128,000 francs
A fifth block on the crest of the mountain was proposed but not built, to house a GFM cloche. Two observation posts were associated with Saint-Roch, including Campoast, armed with one machine gun and twin automatic rifle positions.
Saint-Roch and an associated museum are open for visitation year-round. The facilities are operated by the Association de l'Armée des Alpes,