Artilleria d'alta volada / Extreme artillery duel
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Aquesta muntanya és el Mont Chaberton, vist des del oest, des de San Sicario, a Italia. Des del 1947, el Chaberton es troba dins França, però fins aleshores la frontera estaba més al oest i tota la muntanya era dins Italia. Aquest canvi s'explica pel combat que s'hi va donar el 1940.
Entre 1898 i 1910, el cim del Mont Chaberton (3130 m.) fou aplanat i excavat per construir-hi la bateria d'artilleria a més alçada del món, la Batteria dello Chaberton, armada amb 8 canons de 149mm montats en torretes blindades. Aquestes estaben molt enlairades respecte el terreny per quedar lliures de la inmensa acumulació de neu que s'hi pot donar al hivern. Un teleferic permetia accedir al fort, subministar-li municions i també electricitat.
Durant la I Guerra Mundial el fort fou desarmat per abastir el front italo-austriac, però els canons retornaren als anys 30. Els francesos, preocupats per aquesta amenaça que dominava el pas de Montgenevre i fins a Briançon, feren plans ja als anys 30 per a contrarrestar-ho.
El 1940, just quan els panzers alemans rebentaren completament el gros del exèrcit francès al nord, Mussolini decidí que Italia n'havia de treure profit territorial i el 10 de juny declarà la guerra a França, tot i la poca preparació del exèrcit italià. De fet no fou fins el dia 18 que Chaberton no començà a disparar sobre diversos forts francesos, com Gondran, L'Olive o especialment Janus, on hi havia un ouvrage modern de la Linea Maginot.
Però els francesos estaven preparats, i havien situat quatre morters pesats Schneider de 280mm a la carena sud del Fort de l'Infernet, completament amagats dels italians. Per contra, els observadors francesos a L'Infernet i sobretot el Fort Janus podien veure perfectament el Chaberton... quan no hi havia nuvols, cosa força usual. El tir dels morters francesos era extrem. Havien de disparar a 10 km de distancia, el seu abast maxim, i contra un objectiu situat a 3130 m. d'alçada, ben be 2 km més que ells. Afortunadament, al ser morters, disparaven molt amunt, i els seus projectils pujaven fins a 5 km abans de caure sobre el Chaberton, ben bé un minut després.
El dia 21 de juny, per fi la visibilitat fou prou bona com per començar el tir i corretgir-lo. Els italians dispararen sobre els forts francesos però a cegues i sense fer quasi cap dany. De fet al Fort Janus hi ha un impacte de 149mm del Chaberton sobre una de les seves cupoles blindades, una rascada, més aviat. A les 5 de la tarda impactaren sobre la torreta 1, destruint-la. En la seguent hora, també foren rebentades cinc torretes més. Els italians es quedaren amb només 2 canons intactes i nou morts. El teleferic també estava destruit. El combat continuà intermitent fins el 24 de juny, en que es signà l'armistici. La derrota i humiliació italiana en aquest sector fou total.
El 1947, acabada la guerra, França exigí rectificar la frontera i quedar-se amb tota la muntanya del Chaberton.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Chaberton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortier_de_280_mod%C3%A8le_1914_Sch...
Videos del Fort Chaberton i la seva historia:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z74kY4RG42I
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSyowiJ-Zo&t=1968s
Sobre el Ouvrage de Janus:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=irdXkm2Klzo
==================================
This mountain is Mount Chaberton, seen from the west, from San Sicario, Italy. Since 1947, Chaberton has been in France, but until then the border was further west and the whole mountain was in Italy. This change is explained by the extraordinary combat that took place there in 1940.
Between 1898 and 1910, the summit of Mount Chaberton (3130 m.) was flattened and excavated by the Italian army to build the highest artillery battery in the world, the Batteria dello Chaberton, armed with eight 149mm guns mounted in armored turrets. These were very high off the ground to be free from the immense accumulation of snow that can occur there in winter. A cable car allowed access to the fort, supplying it with ammunition and also electricity.
During World War I the fort was disarmed to supply the Italian-Austrian front, but the cannons returned in the 1930s. The French, worried about this threat that dominated the Montgenevre pass and up to Briançon, making plans already in the 1930s to to counteract it with heavy artillery.
In 1940, just when the German panzers completely smashed the French army in the north, Mussolini decided that Italy had to take territorial advantage and on June 10th he declared war on France, despite the lack of preparation of the Italian army. In fact, it wasn't until the 18th that Fort Chaberton started firing on several French forts, such as Gondran, L'Olive or especially Janus, where there was a modern work of the Maginot Line.
But the French were prepared, and had placed four heavy 280mm Schneider mortars on the southern ridge of Fort de l'Infernet, completely hidden from the Italians. On the other side, French observers at L'Infernet peak and especially Fort Janus could see the Chaberton perfectly... when there were no clouds, which were quite usual and stubborn. The fire from the French mortars was extreme. They had to fire at a distance of 10 km, their maximum range, and against a target located at 3130 m. above sea level, well over 2 km more than them. Fortunately, being mortars, they fired very high, and their projectiles went up to 5 km before falling on the Chaberton, well over a minute later.
On June 21, the visibility was finally good enough to start shoting and correcting fire. The Italians fired on the French forts but blindly and without doing almost any damage. In fact at Fort Janus there is a 149mm impact from the Chaberton on one of its armored domes, just a scratch. At 5 pm the French shells hit turret 1 in Fort Chaberton, destroying it. In the next hour, five more turrets were also blown up. The Italians were left with only 2 guns intact and nine dead. The cable car was also destroyed. The fighting continued intermittently but without more remarcable changes until June 24th, when the armistice was signed. The Italian defeat and humiliation in this sector was total.
In 1947, after the war, France demanded that the border be rectified and that they keep the entire Chaberton mountain.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Chaberton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortier_de_280_mod%C3%A8le_1914_Sch...
Videos of Fort Chaberton and its history:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z74kY4RG42I
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSyowiJ-Zo&t=1968s
About the Ouvrage de Janus:
Artilleria d'alta volada / Extreme artillery duel
IN ENGLISH BELOW THE LINE
Aquesta muntanya és el Mont Chaberton, vist des del oest, des de San Sicario, a Italia. Des del 1947, el Chaberton es troba dins França, però fins aleshores la frontera estaba més al oest i tota la muntanya era dins Italia. Aquest canvi s'explica pel combat que s'hi va donar el 1940.
Entre 1898 i 1910, el cim del Mont Chaberton (3130 m.) fou aplanat i excavat per construir-hi la bateria d'artilleria a més alçada del món, la Batteria dello Chaberton, armada amb 8 canons de 149mm montats en torretes blindades. Aquestes estaben molt enlairades respecte el terreny per quedar lliures de la inmensa acumulació de neu que s'hi pot donar al hivern. Un teleferic permetia accedir al fort, subministar-li municions i també electricitat.
Durant la I Guerra Mundial el fort fou desarmat per abastir el front italo-austriac, però els canons retornaren als anys 30. Els francesos, preocupats per aquesta amenaça que dominava el pas de Montgenevre i fins a Briançon, feren plans ja als anys 30 per a contrarrestar-ho.
El 1940, just quan els panzers alemans rebentaren completament el gros del exèrcit francès al nord, Mussolini decidí que Italia n'havia de treure profit territorial i el 10 de juny declarà la guerra a França, tot i la poca preparació del exèrcit italià. De fet no fou fins el dia 18 que Chaberton no començà a disparar sobre diversos forts francesos, com Gondran, L'Olive o especialment Janus, on hi havia un ouvrage modern de la Linea Maginot.
Però els francesos estaven preparats, i havien situat quatre morters pesats Schneider de 280mm a la carena sud del Fort de l'Infernet, completament amagats dels italians. Per contra, els observadors francesos a L'Infernet i sobretot el Fort Janus podien veure perfectament el Chaberton... quan no hi havia nuvols, cosa força usual. El tir dels morters francesos era extrem. Havien de disparar a 10 km de distancia, el seu abast maxim, i contra un objectiu situat a 3130 m. d'alçada, ben be 2 km més que ells. Afortunadament, al ser morters, disparaven molt amunt, i els seus projectils pujaven fins a 5 km abans de caure sobre el Chaberton, ben bé un minut després.
El dia 21 de juny, per fi la visibilitat fou prou bona com per començar el tir i corretgir-lo. Els italians dispararen sobre els forts francesos però a cegues i sense fer quasi cap dany. De fet al Fort Janus hi ha un impacte de 149mm del Chaberton sobre una de les seves cupoles blindades, una rascada, més aviat. A les 5 de la tarda impactaren sobre la torreta 1, destruint-la. En la seguent hora, també foren rebentades cinc torretes més. Els italians es quedaren amb només 2 canons intactes i nou morts. El teleferic també estava destruit. El combat continuà intermitent fins el 24 de juny, en que es signà l'armistici. La derrota i humiliació italiana en aquest sector fou total.
El 1947, acabada la guerra, França exigí rectificar la frontera i quedar-se amb tota la muntanya del Chaberton.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Chaberton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortier_de_280_mod%C3%A8le_1914_Sch...
Videos del Fort Chaberton i la seva historia:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z74kY4RG42I
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSyowiJ-Zo&t=1968s
Sobre el Ouvrage de Janus:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=irdXkm2Klzo
==================================
This mountain is Mount Chaberton, seen from the west, from San Sicario, Italy. Since 1947, Chaberton has been in France, but until then the border was further west and the whole mountain was in Italy. This change is explained by the extraordinary combat that took place there in 1940.
Between 1898 and 1910, the summit of Mount Chaberton (3130 m.) was flattened and excavated by the Italian army to build the highest artillery battery in the world, the Batteria dello Chaberton, armed with eight 149mm guns mounted in armored turrets. These were very high off the ground to be free from the immense accumulation of snow that can occur there in winter. A cable car allowed access to the fort, supplying it with ammunition and also electricity.
During World War I the fort was disarmed to supply the Italian-Austrian front, but the cannons returned in the 1930s. The French, worried about this threat that dominated the Montgenevre pass and up to Briançon, making plans already in the 1930s to to counteract it with heavy artillery.
In 1940, just when the German panzers completely smashed the French army in the north, Mussolini decided that Italy had to take territorial advantage and on June 10th he declared war on France, despite the lack of preparation of the Italian army. In fact, it wasn't until the 18th that Fort Chaberton started firing on several French forts, such as Gondran, L'Olive or especially Janus, where there was a modern work of the Maginot Line.
But the French were prepared, and had placed four heavy 280mm Schneider mortars on the southern ridge of Fort de l'Infernet, completely hidden from the Italians. On the other side, French observers at L'Infernet peak and especially Fort Janus could see the Chaberton perfectly... when there were no clouds, which were quite usual and stubborn. The fire from the French mortars was extreme. They had to fire at a distance of 10 km, their maximum range, and against a target located at 3130 m. above sea level, well over 2 km more than them. Fortunately, being mortars, they fired very high, and their projectiles went up to 5 km before falling on the Chaberton, well over a minute later.
On June 21, the visibility was finally good enough to start shoting and correcting fire. The Italians fired on the French forts but blindly and without doing almost any damage. In fact at Fort Janus there is a 149mm impact from the Chaberton on one of its armored domes, just a scratch. At 5 pm the French shells hit turret 1 in Fort Chaberton, destroying it. In the next hour, five more turrets were also blown up. The Italians were left with only 2 guns intact and nine dead. The cable car was also destroyed. The fighting continued intermittently but without more remarcable changes until June 24th, when the armistice was signed. The Italian defeat and humiliation in this sector was total.
In 1947, after the war, France demanded that the border be rectified and that they keep the entire Chaberton mountain.
fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Chaberton
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortier_de_280_mod%C3%A8le_1914_Sch...
Videos of Fort Chaberton and its history:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z74kY4RG42I
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFSyowiJ-Zo&t=1968s
About the Ouvrage de Janus: