Defense of the Redoute Ruinée
| Defense of Redoute Ruinée | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Second Battle of the Alps | |||||||
The redoubt today | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 2nd Division "Littorio" |
 France | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 46 men[1][page needed] | More than 4,000 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 20 between dead and wounded[2][page needed] |
More than 300 dead At least 450 wounded[3][page needed] | ||||||
The Defense of the Redoute Ruinée was an episode of the Second Battle of the Alps in 1945 and involved the old Piedmontese Fort de la Redoute Ruinée on the Col de la Traversette, re-built in the 19th century by France as a part of the Ligne Alpine.
Prelude[edit]
During the battle of 1940 the redoubt held tenaciously against the italian attacks but on the 2nd of July the garrison surrendered receiveng the honours of war from the Italians, that will later occupy the redoubt. During the skirmishes in the Alps between the Armée des Alpes, the Italian Alpini and the German Gebirgsjäger the italo-german forces occupied the redoubt until the April of 1945,when the Germans abandoned their positions after the collapse of the german army in Italy during the spring offensive. To protect the redoubt from the french, a platoon of soldiers/Alpini of the Littorio Division brought heavy and light machineguns.
Action[edit]
On March 23 the French heavy artillery began to fire on the redoubt and two brigades of french chasseurs tried to break trough the Traversette mount to occupy the surrounding areas. The advanced italian positions (including the redoubt) repelled all the attacks and pushed back the French. In the night between April 27 and April 28 a french brigade supported by an artillery regiment attacked the redoubt.The few artillery pieces placed in the fort were pointed at the italian side of the mount, but the high level of snow slowed down the french attack and permitted to the small garrison to repel the enemies with few casualties. After the failed attack, the redoubt saw almost no action until the 4th of May, when the platoon of italians surrendered to the american troops that had just arrived in the zone, receiving the honours of war. The french only obtained the permit to cross the Mount with a simbolic small force of men.
Aftermath[edit]
After the war the redoubt returned to French control, it was renamed Baraquement (barracks) Capitaine Desserteaux. It ceased his activities in 1946.
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