Fort Maginot of Cap Martin

You only have to observe the view that opens onto the Bay of Menton and the Italian coastal fringe to understand the fragility of this border zone. After the municipalities of Menton and Roquebrune were attached to France, and the unification of Italy in 1861, military protection of the borders developed, notably with the device of General Séré de Rivières, including the fort of Mont Agel, which dominates at more than 1100 meters, is an example. This defensive system was reinforced in 1928 by a certain number of works forming the famous Maginot line intended to protect the eastern borders of the country. Built from 1931, the Cap Martin fort therefore constitutes the final southern link in this long series of works. A true underground city, its three combat blocks are connected by a 130-meter corridor which serves spaces where the lives of 354 men could be organized in self-sufficiency for several months. There is no doubt that Winston Churchill, one time British Minister of Armaments and Secretary of State for War, who regularly stayed in the town, was aware of the violent fighting which took place there in June 1940 and of the decisive role of the work in the conflict of 39-45. Although battered by the Italian aviation and artillery, the bombed building had managed to uphold the motto of the fortress troops “We do not pass”

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