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| The fortification system of La Revère and La Drète |
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People measured very early the strategic interest of the Grande Corniche. As early as the Iron Age, the first inhabitants get together in the castellara in Mont Bastide, at 567m high. They stayed untill the VIst century. Very later, in the XVIIIth century, during the succession war of Austria in 1744, Austro-sardes (nowadays Piedmontese) erected an entrenched camp in the Simboula to repel the franco-spanish armies. Then in the XIXth century, the whole area was fortified between Var and Italy.In the park of the Grande Corniche, two fortresses were built : La Drète (1878 - 1883) and La Revère (1879 - 1885). Both belongs to a defensive line, the ancestor of Maginot Line : the Séré de Rivières ' system. This name comes from the general Raymond Séré
de Rivières. Two kind of the Séré de Rivières'
fortresses : " Cavalier and high battery" with barrack blocks
on periphery under the pieces and " Central massif and low battery"
with battery on periphery and barrack blocks in the center. Fortresses
of La La Drette and La Revere are on the second kind. In 1910, in 510m
high, La Drette fortress controls the invasion way from Le Paillon and
the Col de Tende, with 2 cannons of 155mm, 6 of 120 mm, 4 of 95 mm and
4 gun cannons. La Revere fortress, in 695m high, observes valleys of
Laghet and Paillon. Its armament included 4 cannons of 155 mm, 3 of
120 mm, 5 of 95 mm, 4 guncannons and 4 smooth mortars. |
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| A spectacular escape |
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the second world war, Vichy's government get transfer allied prisonners
in La Revere, essentially english pilots. In March and August 1942, there
was two spectacular escapes. The first one was carefully prepared by the Pat O'Leary network and the army chaplain, who photographed prisonners to make false ID. The plan was so easy : have an access to the infirmary by the toilets pipe, saw window bars above the moat and go down a rope. Thanks to outside complicities, a half of the 10 escaped pilots could reach Great Britain. The others were catched i Nice and Monaco. |
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second escape was more audacious. During 6 weeks, prisonners digged
a tunnel of 30m. In the course of the night of 23rd and 24th of August, 66 aviators took it. The alert was given during the passage of the 67th prisonner. 31, thanks to the F2 and Libé-Sud network, get back to their country. La Drette fortress was used like munitions depot by the army untill 1987 and some soldiers stayed in La Revere after war. Closed to the public, surroundings offers nowadays some beautiful walks. The point of view from La Revere is unique. The whole coast stetches from Italia to Saint Tropez, with the medieval village below, hung on its own crag. |
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Bibliography :
Geist (Henri), "Le camps retranché de la Semboula (1744) de la guerre de la Succession d'Autriche", Archéam, n°8, 2000/01, pp pp28-38. Ortholan (Henri), "Le système Séré de Rivières en 1914", 14-18, n°17, déc-janv2004, pp38-45. |
