Ouvrage Col des Banquettes

Ouvrage Col des Banquettes is a lesser work (petit ouvrage) of the Maginot Line's Alpine extension, the Alpine Line, also called the "Little Maginot Line". The ouvrage consists of two entry blocks and one infantry block facing Italy at the top of the Col des Banquettes, 2 km northwest of Saint-Agnès. The position controlled the pass of the same name and was covered by Ouvrage Sainte-Agnès and the positions at Pic-de-Garuche.

Ouvrage Col des Banquettes
Part of Maginot Line, Alpine Line
Southeast France
Site information
Controlled by	France
Condition	Unsecured
Location
Ouvrage Col des Banquettes
Coordinates	43.81599°N 7.44615°E / 43.81599; 7.44615
Site history
Built by	CORF
In use	Abandoned
Materials	Concrete, steel, rock excavation
Battles/wars	Italian invasion of France, Operation Dragoon

Ouvrage Col des Banquettes
Type of work:	Small artillery work (Petit ouvrage)
sector └─sub-sector	Fortified Sector of the Maritime Alps └─Corniches, Quartier Sainte-Agnès
Work number:	EO 7
Regiment:	86th BAF
Number of blocks:	3
Strength:	1 officer, 74 men

Description

The Ouvrage Col des Banquettes was manned in 1940 by 74 soldiers of the 86th Brigade Alpin de Forteresse (DBAF) under Lieutenant Vernet.^[1] The underground portion consists of one short gallery connecting all three blocks and a shorter parallel gallery at Block 2.^[2]

• Block 1 (entry): One machine gun embrasure.^[3]
• Block 2 (emergency exit): No armament.^[4]
• Block 3 (emergency exit): one machine gun turret and two twin machine gun embrasures.^[5]

See also

• List of Alpine Line ouvrages