Book your stay
Sunday 22 December updated on 12-22-2024 at 8:06
Sunday 22 December updated on 12-22-2024 at 8:06
Sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss anything in les Arcs !
![[Translate to English:]](/fileadmin/user_upload/headergeants.jpg "[Translate to English:]")
Often considered a natural rampart, the Alps are however not impassable. Through the presence of the Petit-Saint-Bernard, Bonhomme and Iseran passes, the Haute-Tarentaise valley has brought together important places of passage since prehistory. Since Antiquity, the Petit-Saint-Bernard pass has been a link between local Alpine populations. During the Roman conquest, Emperor Augustus completed the construction of the Roman road. Troops, sovereigns, pilgrims, merchants, bankers and peddlers cross paths on the roads. At the end of the Middle Ages, the County of Savoie controlled five crucial passes, including the Petit and Grand Saint-Bernard.
The prices and visiting days are available on My week at Les Arcs or at the Tourist Offices.
The Quartier des Alpins in Bourg-Saint-Maurice hosted the Diables Bleus of the 7th Battalion of Alpine Hunters (BCA) until 2012. This memorial site offers an opportunity to discover the Haute Tarentaise valley and the defensive structures built to protect and control communication routes to Italy. It provides a chance to explore the local military history, including its organization, the construction of fortifications, the battles, and the men who gave their lives for our freedom and peace.
“I am the Delphin customs officer stationed at the Petit Saint-Bernard pass since May 1910. Last winter my colleague Victor, who comes from Briançon, introduced me to a wonderful invention: skis! These are two wooden boards that make it easier to slide and move in the snow. With our Italian colleagues, we even have fun running and jumping.”
Since antiquity, the Petit Saint-Bernard Pass (2188 m) has been an important crossing point. Located on Via Alpis Graia, the Roman road built under the order of Julius Caesar, it connected Milan to Vienne (Isère). At the Petit Saint-Bernard Pass, the border has shifted over time. In 1902, along the route of the time, Pierre Chanoux, rector of the Hospice, erected a statue dedicated to Saint Bernard. In 1947, the Paris Treaty established the watershed line between the Reclus torrent and the Doire du Verney. It now passes through the center of the “cromlech.” This structure, a circle about 75 meters in diameter formed by 46 stones, was likely created during the Neolithic period, though its exact dating remains uncertain. Was it a meeting place for the people of both sides, a ceremonial site, or a funerary enclosure? Despite extensive archaeological excavations, its function remains unknown.
The fort is built on the ruins of a Sardinian redoubt from the 18th century, hence its name. It was constructed between 1892 and 1894 to protect the Petit Saint-Bernard Pass. Composed of 3 barracks buildings that could house 144 men and 6 officers, it is hidden behind the rocky ridge to shield it from enemy fire. Later, a defensive wall, a rock shelter, 3 casemates, and a cable car were added to enhance the defensive system.
Italy's entry into the war alongside Germany led to the Italian attack on June 21, 1940. The defense relied on the fort of the Redoute Ruinée, occupied by a section of the 70th BAF (Bataillon Alpin de Forteresse), with the 215th RI (Infantry Regiment) and the 164th RAP (Position Artillery Regiment) as outposts. After a bombardment by artillery and aerial strikes, Italian soldiers advanced through the border passes. However, they were halted by the Redoute Ruinée. Several violent attacks were repelled during the days of June 21 and 22. Despite this, the Italians managed to advance towards the Isère valley. The armistice ended military operations, and the undefeated garrison left the Redoute Ruinée on July 2, 1940.
Upon leaving Saint-Cyr in 1939, he was appointed second lieutenant in the 70th Alpine Fortress Battalion in Bourg Saint Maurice. In June 1940, he commanded the section responsible for the defense of the Redoute Ruinée. At the beginning of 1945, he was appointed captain in the 13th BCA (Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins) and participated in the recapture of the Redoute Ruinée in April. He fell gloriously in Indochina in September 1947.
Following Italy's surrender in September 1943, the elite German mountain units, the “Gebirgsjäger,” occupied the Petit Saint-Bernard Pass. This position was essential for facilitating the withdrawal of their troops in the face of the advancing Allied armies. In the autumn of 1944, the Bulle Battalion and the 3rd Regiment of Algerian Tirailleurs launched attacks on the right bank of the Reclus stream, but the enemy held the ridges firmly. On March 9, 1945, the 7th, 13th, and 27th BCA (Battalion of Alpine Chasseurs) were tasked with retaking the pass, from the Belleface summit to the Redoute Ruinée. Captain Desserteaux, who had so brilliantly defended it in June 1940, took part in its recapture. After multiple bloody assaults, the occupiers were definitively expelled at the end of April 1945.
Ils sont présents dans tous les forts et prennent le relais des systèmes de communication en cas de mauvais temps ou de défaillance. En juin 1940, la ligne téléphonique est coupée par les troupes italiennes. Le fort de La Redoute Ruinée alerte alors le commandement des attaques italiennes sur le col du Petit Saint-Bernard par l’envoi de ces messagers.
