The establishment is a joint effort by the Departmental Association of Deportees, Prisoners and Resistance Fighters, the Departmental Association of Patriotic Deportees, Prisoners and Resistance Fighters, and the town of Varilhes.

Decorated with the Cross of War on 11 November 1948, it was described as a "town that during the Occupation played an active part in the fight against the enemy.”

The great services provided by the population to the Resistance and the Allied cause provoked reprisals from the Occupier who carried out a huge number of deportations. Twenty-two of its sons gave their life for France. (Max Lejeune, Secretary of State for the War Armed Forces).

This tribute to history and remembrance gives an illustrated and comprehensive vision of the major steps of deportation and internment between 1933 and 1945.

Four tableau present the concentration camp system to visitors:

A first part is dedicated to the emergence of the Nazi concentration camps between 1933 and 1939.

A second part highlights the beginnings of the deportation of the Jews in France from 1940 to 1942 (the Vichy Regime, the exclusion of the Jews, the roundups and imprisonment, the repression of the opponents).

A third part explains the organisation of the Deportation between 1942 and 1944 (the turning point of 1942, the departure from France, the organisation of the concentration camps, the camp: a place of order without entitlement, omnipresent death, the final solution, the Resistance).

The last theme is the end of the camps and the period of the trials (evacuation and liberation of the camps, the homecoming to France, the trials).

Ariége Museum of Deportation and Internment

Hôtel de Ville de Varilhes

Tel: 05.61.60.73.24

Museum website

Opening times

The Museum is open Wednesdays and Saturdays (2-6 pm) 

Open to school groups on weekdays, please enquire

Tourist Information Office

3 avenue Louis-Siret - 09120 Varilhes

Tel: 05.61.60.55.54

Fax: +33 (0)5 61 60 55 54

Email: office-tourisme.varilhes@wanadoo.fr 

Gateway to the sites and museums preserving the memory of the last three wars in the Ardennes department, the Museum of War and Peace in the Ardennes is located at Novion-Porcien.

Built by Agence Trois Arches at the initiative of the Ardennes Departmental Council, this site was inaugurated in July 2003.

Occupying four thousand square metres in two complementary spaces on the ground floor and on the first floor or mezzanine, national and local military aspects of the wars of 1870, 1914-1918 and 1939-1945 are presented.

The visitor reaches the museum from the East through an enclosed, semi-underground space.

The ground floor lets you experience the main events of the conflicts through ten large scenes, each accompanied by an explanatory video. The tone is set with the charge of Prussian infantry, the best trained and best equipped army of the day when Napoleon III declared war on Bismarck and Wilhelm I’s Germany after the Ems Dispatch. Then comes the fighting at the house of the last cartridge in Bazeilles, a village 8 km from Sedan where commander Lambert’s group of seventy men stood up to 2,300 Germans in September 1870.

World War I is depicted through the life of German and French troops in the trenches. The soldiers had left home with "flowers in their gun barrels", but found themselves in a war of positions in which men on both sides dug underground to protect themselves, giving rise to the figure of the French “Poilu” who suffered the rigors of the seasons, shortages and bloody attacks, which in the end led to mutiny.

This visit through five tableaux gives an idea of the military aspects of the last war. Everyday life on the Maginot Line during the Phoney War between September 1939 and May 1940, a fortified underground system desired by the French Army staff headquarters who were convinced that the Ardennes could not be crossed. Then "Case Yellow" is presented, the plan for invading France following the principle of the Blitzkrieg, a joint attack by armoured units and aviation that led to the Allied rout at Dunkirk and the establishment of the Vichy government after the armistice was signed on 22 June 1940.

Everyday life: STO (Service du Travail Obligatoire – Compulsory Work Service), deportation and resistance fill the next scene dedicated to the Allied landing in June 1944. The ups and downs and the importance of the logistical resources deployed to win the Battle of Normandy and the re-conquest of Europe form the narrative framework for the display of Anglo-American equipment such as jeeps, Sherman tanks, amphibious trucks and movable bridges.

Upstairs, the mezzanine lets you contemplate the scenes on the ground floor from a distance, but especially provides an initiation to the evolutions in warfare throughout history and the main progress made in weaponry. As before, information kiosks provide the scientific and technical explanations necessary for understanding each exhibit. The windows dedicated to changes in soldiers’ lives presents them in their uniforms, which trended toward keeping them invisible for the enemy, from red trousers to khaki outfits, not to mention the German feldgrau and the French bleu horizon, from the Pickelhaube (spiked helmet) and ceremonial uniforms to the Adrian helmet and the American M1 helmet, but also show their everyday life – packs and supplies, entertainment – and the progress made in health and hygiene – collective showers, toothpaste, shaving cream, etc.

The visit finishes with a look at the changes made in warfare through progress made in military techniques. Each main type is presented. You can take your time to delve into the revolution of rifled arms, cartridges, smokeless powder, shells, automatic arms and the machine gun (Maxim, Chauchat, M1 Garand), but also the continuity of ancestral battle techniques: knives, sabres, bayonets, and the headaches of cleaning out the trenches during World War I.

Museum of War and Peace in the Ardennes

Route Sery - 08270 Novion Porcien

Tel.: +33 (0)3.24.72.69.50

Fax: +33 (0)3.24.72.97.30

Motorway access, A4 to A34. Route de Sery.

Ardennes Departmental Council / General Directorate of Departmental Services /

Departmental Directorate of Tourism and Leisure Centres

Hôtel du Département

08011 Charleville-Mézières Cédex

Tel.: +33 (0)3.24.59.60.60

Fax: +33 (0)3.24.37.76.76 / +33 (0)3.24.52.48.02

Opening hours

The museum is open every day from June to September from 10 am to 7 pm

From 10 am to 12 pm and from 2 pm to 6 pm from October to May, every day except Tuesdays

Annual closing: 15 to 31 January, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December

Admission

Adults: €5 Under 18, military personnel, job seekers, veterans: €3 Families (2 adults and up to 3 children): €14 Groups (at least 20 people) Adults: €3.50 Schools: €2 Children under 6: free

Audioguide services available in French, English, German and Dutch.

Guided tours by reservation. The Museum is fully accessible to the disabled

Other resources – A temporary exhibition room is used to expand upon and round out the permanent exhibit – An auditorium can hold 70 people for conferences and projections – A leisure area

Ardennes Departmental Council

This small fort was constructed rather belatedly in 1898, to complete Seré de Rivières' "second generation" system. It controlled access to the Col des Banquettes between the Fort du Mont-Agel and the Fort du Barbonnet. It served as their lookout post. Its construction came about during a period of intense Franco-Italian confrontation, marked by Italy's entry into the Triple Alliance in 1882 and the tariff war of 1888-1898.

The small Fort du Mont-Ours belongs to a group of covering fortifications. The defensive organisation in effect consisted of a "holding" or "damning" fortification designed to save on armed forces: it was more powerful and also staggered across the terrain, with two sub-groups of covering fortifications. The first type consisted of blockhouses, high altitude army camps and batteries that could be manned quickly and hold out until reinforcements arrived, whilst the second comprised of blockhouses positioned on the main access routes and provided the link between the forts of the first group.
The construction of this relay building was as a result of a development in military tools. The first factor was technical and saw the improvement in armaments and the manufacture of a more powerful shell with a delayed detonation known as the "torpedo shell", which rendered obsolete Seré de Rivières' heavy defensive system (moats, open air structures etc.). The second was related to the dissolution, in 1888, of the Defence Committee established by Adolphe Thiers. This was succeeded by the Upper War Council, which was more politically involved and decided to limit the allotted funding. Most of the forts on the south east of the line thus remained built in stone, with concrete being used as a priority on the structures on the northern part of the line, which were geographically and militarily more exposed, especially in 1902 when France signed an agreement to neutralise potential Italian aggression. The military leaders preferred to increase the number of relay stations, high altitude stores and forces along the border. That is why the Army of the Alps was set up from 1887 onwards. It would gradually come to permanently occupy the military sites.
The fort consists of a single main building with two floors, with a surrounding wall that overhangs its immediate edges. Below there is a collection of walls sloping beneath a platform designed to support light artillery. A track leads to one of the blockhouses of the Maginot line. The site is currently occupied by the fire service.
The period between the wars was only to strengthen these strategic positions in the face of Mussolini's irredentism. In 1925, General Degoutte, the appointed commander of the Army of the Alps, drew the Upper War Council's attention to this threat. A Committee for the Defence of the Borders was formed. It was presided over by General Guillaumat. The first works on the southeastern Maginot line of the "redoubt programme for the defence of Nice" were started in 1927 under the impetus of General Degoutte. In 1930, funding for the construction of the Maginot line was approved and the execution of the work was assigned to the Committee for Organising the Fortified Regions (Commission d'Organisation des Régions Fortifiées or CORF).
The Committee for the Defence of the Borders suggested 75 forts of several types: "Sturdy" well armed and well equipped structures; intermediary forts of the main line of defence, whose armaments complement the former; artillery forts and, behind the line, "shelters" (3 types) where troops would be accommodated between battles. In April 1934, fortress troops, battalions of detached alpine fortress infantry regiments and alpine fortress battalions were set up. These troops were complemented by artillery and specialist units.
In 1937, in order to contain the Italian threat, the Caval plan hastened the reinforcement of the most exposed zones. In 1939, France could rely on an (incomplete) system of two lines of defence, consisting of 36 casemates in the southeast. The second fort at Mont-Ours is a result of this initiative. Like all the large forts in the area, the blockhouse was equipped with 81 mm and 75 mm mortars. Priority was given to underground transmissions, both radio and optical. Supplies and munitions arrived in small trucks.
Useful information Sospel Tourist centre: + 33 (0) 4 93 04 15 80 / + 33 (0) 6 85 96 72 88 Edelweiss Association Access By car via the col de Segra and the col des Banquettes Pedestrian access to the platform from the col du Castillon

The fort des Mille-Fourches was constructed between 1887 and 1890. It operated in conjunction with the fort de la Forca, of which it is a copy. The Redoubt of les Trois Communes, built later, protects them both.

Its construction was brought about as a result of the Treaty of Turin of 1860. The Savoie and Nice had become part of France once more. The Valley of the Roya, a communications route running north to south in the heart of the Alpine mountain range, was shared between France and Italy. Sealing off the new border had thus become a strategic matter of utmost importance. The military defeat of 1870 forced the complete reorganisation of national defences: reforms within the system of command, the general staff and the armed services and the redefining of the military constituencies into eighteen military regions. All these initiatives were designed to help in preparing to reverse territorial losses and avenge the insult of losing the Alsace-Lorraine. The northeastern border was the subject of all the attention. However, General Seré de Rivières was aware of developments in Franco-Italian relations.
The redoubt of les Trois Communes, built later, protected them. It reflected the rise in tensions between France and Italy and technological developments in particular, such as the "torpedo shell crisis", which rendered some of the Séré de Rivières system obsolete. New projectiles came in the form of cylindrical warheads, which exploded in the open air, with steel replacing cast iron; the new mixes of explosives were more powerful and no longer created smoke; canons (Bange 155 mm and 220 mm) could fire further. Armour plating and surface stonework could therefore be pierced and obstacles on the ground (moats and parapets, caponniers etc.) shattered. The fort des Mille-Fourches belongs to the first generation of the Séré de Rivières system. A belt of forts, built upon natural obstacles at a distance of a few kilometres, provided a range of artillery cover to protect a town (or central nucleus) from 6 kilometres to the rear from enemy bombardment. Le Mille-Fourches is a small fort with a façade with very few openings. It is surrounded by a moat and flanked by concrete caponniers. The internal courtyard was replaced by a vaulted chamber.
With Mussolini's rise to power and the deterioration of Franco-Italian relations, the Authion became a fortified mountain range. The construction in 1929 of a cable car linking the road from Moulinet to Turini and the camp at Cabanes Vieilles made it easier to get supplies to troops all year round. As part of Maginot's programme, the forts of Plan Caval, Raus, la Béole and la Déa were under construction from 1933 onwards. The group was part of the fortified section of the Alpes-Maritimes département (secteur fortifié des Alpes-Maritimes or S.F.A.M.). On the 10th June 1940, Italy declared war on France (Mussolini was hoping to annex Nice and the Savoie). The Italian offensive took place from the 20th to the 25th June. On the 25th June, the armistice was signed. The Alpes-Maritimes was part of the free zone, with the exception of Menton and part of the towns of Isola and Fontan.
In 1942, following the allied landings in North Africa, the Alpes-Maritimes was occupied by the Italians. They were replaced by the Germans in 1943. After the allied landings of the 15th August 1944 at Dramont in the Var, most of the département was liberated on the 6th September, although the high valley of la Roya and the Authion mountain range were still occupied by the Germans who rebuilt the fortifications. General de Gaulle wanted Tende and La Brigue to become part of France again. He hoped to force the hands of the Allies who were quite hostile to any changes to the borders. So, in Nice on the 9th April 1945, he announced the offensive on the Authion and la Roya. Operation "Canard" (Duck) began on the 10th April. On the 12th April, the French took the Authion. French sovereignty over these former Italian territories was recognised by the Treaty of Paris.
Belvédère Tourist Information office: + 33 (0) 4 93 03 41 23 Saint-Martin de la Vésubie Tourist centre: + 33 (0) 4 93 03 21 28 Access The D 2566 via the Turini pass, towards the resort of Camp d'argent and then Authion. Car park in les Trois Communes On foot from les Trois Communes car park

The first fort in the Alps to be built of reinforced concrete, the Redoubt of Les Trois Communes is part of the system for securing the countryside around Nice developed by Seré de Rivières. Constructed in 1897 on the site of a former Sardinian battery, the Redoubt of Les Trois Communes occupies one of the Authion's strategic positions and controls the La Roya and Vésubie valley. It watches over the crest of the Ortiguié which leads to the Raus pass and the former border. It is the highest point in the Authion range at an altitude of 2080 metres.

The limestone valley of La Roya marks the easternmost edge of the Nice hinterland. Belonging first of all to Provence in the 13th century and then to the Savoie at the end of the 14th century, it is a transit zone for goods from the coast towards Piedmont. Controlled in turn by the Sardinians, Spanish, Austrians and French, in the 18th century it was the setting for many confrontations, most notably around Sospel, between Sardinian anti-revolutionary troops and republicans. The lower valley of La Roya became French during the reattachment of the county of Nice to France in 1860. The upper valley was retained by Italy, giving more weight to the strategic role of the forts. The aim of the redoubt was to protect two other forts built on the Authion: Forca and Mille Fourches. It thus played its part in securing the valley.
Small in size, built on high ground and surrounded by a moat, the fort was one of the first to be built from reinforced concrete at the end of the 19th century and the first fort in the Alpes-Maritimes to use both stone work and reinforced concrete. It was thus a "prototype" that demonstrates the development of fortification techniques. It is of note that, to save money, only the sides exposed to Italian fire were reinforced with concrete. During the construction of the Alps Maginot line, protection was provided by Fort Saint-Roch. Violent battles took place there in 1945. Preserved as it was, the fort bears witness to the violence of the fighting of April 1945 that allowed the 1st DFL to take back the Authion range from the Germans.
Tours from June to October Belvédère Tourist Information Office: +33 (0) 4 93 03 41 23 Saint-Martin de la Vésubie Tourist centre: +33 (0) 4 93 03 21 28 Access Via the col de Turini on the D 2566, towards the resort of Camp d'argent and then Authion. Car park in Les Trois Communes

Built by the Germans (Organisation TODT) in 1943, the Eperlecques bunker was the first base for launching V2 missiles built in France.

At the same time, in the same forest, a V1 launchpad was under construction. It is 20 km from the coast, between Dunkirk, Calais, Boulogne and St-Omer.

From March to 27 August 1943, construction of the Eperlecques bunker was making good progress. On 27 August, the site was bombarded by the Allies. Work began again and the deported and prisoners began to arrive in November. The initial project was altered to install a liquid oxygen production plant (combustive fuel for V2).

Visitors walk around a park set out with diorama and military equipment, following a marked route with sound in several languages, as follows: A page in history

•         Comparison of V1 and V2;

•         Development of the Eperlecques bunker;

•         Construction of this concrete giant;

•         The bombings;

•         Modifications to plans after the bombings;

•         The result of an artificial earthquake.

Visitors then enter the building, where the visit continues. Inside the bunker, an audio-visual projection plunges visitors into cold and darkness.

On leaving the bunker, visitors listen to conclusions relating the past to modern day, such as the fact that the V2 was the ancestor of space conquest. The final message emphasises the necessity to work for peace.

Eperlecques Bunker
Rue du Sart 62910 Eperlecques
Tel.: +33 (0)3.21.88.44.22
Fax: +33 (0)3.21.88.44.84

Open in March from 11am to 5pm. In April and October from 10am to 6pm. In May, June, July, August and September from 10am to 7pm. In November from 2.15pm to 5pm.
 

Eperlecques Bunker
 

Quiz: Forts and citadels

This museum, in Camaret near Brest, has been installed in the bunkers of the Kerbonn battery in Pointe de Penhir. These old bunkers on the Atlantic Wall were built on the ruins of a Third Republic-style fort, itself constructed on fortifications built by Vauban. Geographically this place was made for fortresses!

The superb site overlooks the sea from atop a vertiginous cliff.

Nearby off the coast, a large granite riprap, the Lion of Toulinguet, faces Pointe Saint-Mathieu and marks the north entrance of the Brest bottleneck. To the far west of Point de Penhir was erected, on the request of General De Gaulle, a Cross of Lorraine-shaped monument that commemorates the Breton sailors, the first men to join the France Libre resistance organisation.

The museum is the only one in continental Europe dedicated to the Battle of the Atlantic. If it had been won by the Germany navy, the United Kingdom could not have been used as a base that served to help liberate western Europe. It also pays tribute to all the sailors, whose average age was 20, lost at sea.

Maps allow visitors to track the losses incurred by the merchant navy and German submarines geographically and chronologically.

In its small space, the museum presents photos, maps and models to show a complete overview of everything the Battle of the Atlantic represented. Although this museum is the work of passionate patriots, the historical balance between the two sides has been thoughtfully respected. The museum celebrates, amongst other subjects, the memory of the Free French Navy Forces whose flag is on display. The majority of the men fighting for the Free French Navy Forces came from Brittany. The memory of the sea fishermen from the Ile de Sein who collectively rallied to the support of France Libre is kept alive today.

Special attention is given to the crews working on the merchant ships. These men are the great forgotten participants in the victory. If their ship was torpedoed, they had a fifty percent chance of survival. This probability was reduced to almost zero for crews on oil tankers, vessels carrying munitions or Arctic convoys.

Memorial Museum to the Battle of the Atlantic in Camaret

Fort de Kerbornn B.P. 44 29570 Camaret

Tel: +33 (0)2 98 27 92 58

Opening dates and times: 

Every day during school holidays from 10 am to 7 pm.

By appointment for groups.

Parking for around 50 cars.

Getting there:

From Crozon follow the signs for Camaret then Pointe de Penhir.

Admission:

Adults: 3 €

Children: 2 €

Family ticket for two adults and two children or more

Free for war veterans, military, school, holiday camps and students.

Tourist Information Office

15, Quai Kleber B.P. 16 29570 Camaret-sur-Mer

Tel: +33 (0)2 98 27 93 60

Fax: +33 (0)2 98 27 87 22

Email: ot.camaret@wanadoo.fr

Quiz: Fortifications

Source: MINDEF/SGA/DMPA

It was from Brest that squadrons departed to support the Americans in the War of Independence.

Louis XVI, who wanted to turn the port into an impenetrable fortress, decided to complete Vauban's fortifications with the construction of a line of defence to the west of the town. It consisted of five independent forts.

The largest, Fort Montbarey, was designed to withstand a siege lasting three weeks with 500 to 600 soldiers. Its construction lasted from 1777 until 1784.

Completed after the American War of Independence, it only ever had a role as a deterrent.

The French Navy made it available to the Memorial Association in 1984 in order that it could be used to tell the history of Finistère during the Second World War.

The museum occupies some of the 3 hectares and consist of:

5 main rooms: Cell I : Accommodation for 100 soldiers. Screening room for the video "Brest at war during the Second World War". Cell II : Artillery workshop also used as accommodation for 50 soldiers in the garret. The exhibition "Old boats in the turmoil" recounts the departure of boats to Great Britain following the appeal of 18th June 1940. Cell III: Hall of honour: Maps tracing the development of the conflict of 1933 to 1945. Finistère's decorations and towns awarded medals. Model of the Fort as it was designed. Churchill's tank. Map tracing the American advance on Brest. Crypt of Remembrance. Gallery for the people of Finistère who "died for France" and the Allies who died in battle. Cell IV : Artillery workshop with accommodation for 50 soldiers. Here we find models and vehicles, as well as the "Brest at war" exhibition Cell V: Accommodation for 100 soldiers. Exhibition: the 1st French army and the Provence landings.

Northern Quarter - Pharmacy which also served as accommodation for the surgeons and the chaplain. Along with the infirmary, it houses a 1940 exhibition. - Infirmary. It was the first time that a place for confining the sick and wounded had been incorporated into the design of a fort - Room of the Résistance. - Room of the Deportation. It is important that this is seen by the younger generation, but it is not advised to bring very young children.
Southern Quarter: - Flour store with accommodation for the quartermaster in the garret. During the Second World war it was used as the mess for German officers. It was they who drew the eagle and horses' heads and carved the mottos. Bottom right "Fidelity is the essence of honour". It is a quote from Bismark. On the right as you enter "The struggle leads us to victory". On the left "Germany will live on if we must die". An exhibition covers the involvement of aviators from Finistère in the Free French Forces (FAFL).

- Bake house : the oven designed to bake 300 loaves a day is still in working order. The hook was used to hang the sacks of flour so they could be emptied onto the table. In the wall, a pipe brought the water required for baking.

Exhibitions: "The American War of Independence". "Overseas theatres of operations" (Free French). - Quartermaster's stores. On the right as you enter is the wood store. On the left is the back of the oven. At the end there was a small well from which the water was drawn to feed the waterspout that comes out in the bake house. - Wine store.

Deportation wagon : It was in wagons like this that deportees were taken to the camps; the journey lasted about a fortnight with 100 to 120 or even 150 people inside. It is dedicated to the wartime railwaymen and to Finisterian deportees.

Blockhouse: Constructed in 1953 by the French navy, it housed a Radar command post during the cold war. Room 1: The presence of the Kriegsmarine in Brest, most notably the Scharnhorst, the Gnelsnau and the submarine base.

Room 2 : Ammunition found in the area.

Well : Fed by a spring, it contained 4,000 litres of water. Between the 12th and 16th September 1944, it served as an improvised command post to the soldiers of a battalion of the 2nd Parachute Infantry Regiment who were entrenched in the fort. To liberate the fort, the Americans had to call upon the British who were armed with Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tanks, of which an example from the period can be seen at the entrance to the courtyard.

Vehicles: They are all original. With the exception of the tank they are all in working order. Most of them served during the Normandy landings (a painted star on the vehicle). They are on show at the fort as a tribute to the action of the allies that allowed the liberation of France.

Musée Mémorial des Finistériens

Fort de Montbarey – Allée Bir-Hakeim

BP 53111 - 29231 Brest cedex 3

Tél. : 02 98 05 39 46        @mail : fort.montbarey@free.fr

Visites :

Le mardi, mercredi, jeudi et vendredi de 14h à 17h (jusqu’à 18h en été)

Le dimanche de 14h à 17h (jusqu’à 18h en été)

Groupes (≥ 10 pers.) : visites guidées sur rendez-vous ; autres jours/horaires possibles.

Boutiques (livres, documents sur la Seconde Guerre mondiale).

Parking à l'intérieur du fort pour environ 40 voitures

Tarifs :

Adulte : 5 €

Anciens Combattants (1) : 3 €

Enfants de 9 ans et plus, étudiants (1) : 3 €

Enfants de moins de 9 ans : gratuit

Gratuité pour les personnes adhérant à l’association Mémorial (25 €/an)

Forfait scolaire : 25 € par classe

Tarif pour groupe supérieur à 10 visiteurs avec visite guidée

(1) sur présentation de la carte correspondante

Accès : Rocade Ouest de Brest Prendre la Direction Le Conquet,

dans un grand rond-point, le musée est clairement signalé.

Quizz : Forts et citadelles

The strategic location of Saint-Nazaire led the Germans to build a huge submarine base there during World War 2.

The construction of this base began at the beginning of 1941. The base was 300 metres long and 150 metres wide, and 450,000 cubic metres of concrete were needed to build it.

It contained 14 cells: 8 for repairs and 6 larger cells in which the submarines could remain afloat. It housed two U-Boat fleets. It spread over a total surface area of 4 hectares and its concrete ceiling was 4 metres thick.

The immensity of this construction and the characteristics of the port of Saint-Nazaire, which was one of the only ports on the Atlantic capable of housing battleships, forced the Allies to carry out particularly intense bombing raids on it.

In 1942 a British commando raid attempted to destroy the base. The civilian population suffered greatly from this Allied policy and 80% of the town was destroyed.

The German garrison of 24,000 men defended the base to the bitter end, making Saint-Nazaire one of the last Atlantic ports to surrender on 11 May 1945.

Since then, this gigantic concrete edifice has become a major focus in the reconstruction and development of the town.

The base is still there today and dominates the port and the estuary. It is now hosts various tourist attractions including the International Ocean Liner Centre, the tour of the submarine 'Espadon' ('Swordfish') and an 'ecomuseum', which give an extra dimension to this historical site.

The public can also visit the panoramic terrace, which offers an unbeatable view of the town.

Base sous-marine

Boulevard de la Légion d'Honneur - 44600 Saint-Nazaire

Situated in the eastern part of the Alpes-Maritimes département, the village of Sospel lies to the south of the green valley of la Bévera, on the edge of the Mercantour park and the valley of les Merveilles, 15 km from Menton and the Mediterranean. Fort Suchet, also known as du Barbonnet, is one of a group of fortifications in the region that constitutes the last bastion ahead of the road to Nice that prevents any potential invader coming from the col de Tende pass.

2 km south of Sospel, perched on the narrow rocky outcrop of Mount Barbonnet, Fort Suchet looks down on the village from an altitude of 847 m. Constructed between 1883 and 1886 with the objective of sealing the la Bévéra and le Merlanson valleys, this compact, Séré de Rivières type fort is pentagonal in shape, surrounded by a wide moat and flanked by three caponniers.
The building work was carried out by Captain Azibert, whose name is still engraved on the façade of the entrance to the fort. In 1891 a cavity was dug out of the rock in order to contain a powder store. Then, in 1914, two three-storey high turrets, armoured with lead were added to the structure. One of the two double 155 mm Mougin turrets has been perfectly preserved until the modern day, which is extremely rare.
This first construction was seconded by a Maginot fort built into the rock on the side of the mountain, constructed between 1931 and 1935. It was an artillery block, controlling the le Merlanson valley as far as the col de Castillon, with an entrance and barracks protected by more than twenty metres of rock.
In June 1940, the 95th artillery foot regiment, who resisted the Italian attacks with orders not to surrender until after the armistice, occupied the place. Tours organised in the holiday season allow comparisons to be made between the defensive systems of the 19th century Séré de Rivières fort with the more recent structure, most of which is underground.
In addition to Fort Suchet and the Maginot structure built on Mont Barbonnet, there are several fortified structures close to Sospel, and the most notable ones played an active part in the fighting of June 1940.
Constructed between 1932 and 1936 on the crest of Mount Agaisen, this fort is one of the links in the Maginot line, in the heart of the fortified sector of the Alpes-Maritimes. Equipped since its completion with powerful artillery, the structure is composed of three concrete blocks set upon an infrastructure of underground galleries. Owned by the town of Sospel since 1964, it is currently undergoing restoration and its annex has been converted into a water tower. Public tours are organised in season, with groups welcome all year round by appointment. Site: perso.wanadoo.fr/agaisen/contacts.htm
The impressive Fort Saint-Roch was constructed between 1931 and 1933 and flanks the Maginot structure at l'Agaisen. The four blocks in reinforced concrete were built above a network of galleries dug out of the rock, which were used for logistical purposes. . Reaching depths of up to thirty metres, this fort was designed to hold more than two hundred soldiers for three months. Fort Saint-Roch is open to the public and holds a permanent exhibition tracing the history of its building and the battles fought there, highlighting its technological prowess at the time if its construction.
Getting to Sospel 40 km from Nice via the A 8 (exit no. 59 "Menton and Sospel ") and then the D 2566. Sospel Tourist information and activity centre Le Pont-Vieux 06380 Sospel Tel. + 33 (0) 4 93 04 15 80 Fax + 33 (0) 4 93 04 19 96 e-mail: infos@sospel-tourisme.com