La coopération artillerie-infanterie en Ubaye
L'artillerie a joué un rôle clef dans le succès de l'armée des Alpes. Ce fut le cas en Ubaye.
Par Bertrand Hubert, Hubert Tassel, Philippe Lachal et Jehan Lande
The motto of the units of the Maginot fortifications: "They will not pass", was respected everywhere.
Artillery in Ubaye
Artillery played a key role in the success of the Army of the Alps.
This was the case in Ubaye.
The great success of the Army of the Alps was based on remarkable and effective combined arms cooperation.
Infantry cooperation with artillery was successful thanks to an exceptional preparatory work leading to precise fire plansand a dug-in telephone network.
Artillery in Ubaye included 3,465 officers, non-commissioned officers, brigadiers and artillery men grouped within 162ndRAP (Artillery Regiment of Position), 114THRAL (Heavy Artillery Regiment), 293rdRALD (Divisional Heavy Artillery Regiment) ) and 93rd RAM (Mountain Artillery Regiment).
The gunners served 69 artillery pieces in the Ubaye-Ubayette sector and 31 artillery pieces in the Jausiers sub-sector. Judiciously distributed on the terrain, artillery fired 12,788 rounds between June 17 and June 21, 1940, i.e. approximately 250 tons out of the 1,600 tons available to Lieutenant-Colonel Bresse, commanding artillery in Ubaye.
The fireswere essentially ranged by the nine observatories of the fortsartillery as well as by the twenty observatories of the position artillery.
In Ubaye, calibers were varied and went from the mountain 65 mm to the long or short 155 mm,intermediate calibers comprised mortars 75 or 81 mm and long 105 mm.
At dawn on June 25, all structures hoisted the national colours.
