This monument, inaugurated in 1978, commemorates the Italian soldiers of Fort Chaberton who fell during the Battle of the Alps in World War Two between 21 to 23 June 1940.
The eight guns of Fort Chaberton
After the declaration of war on France by Mussolini, the Italian Army used its strategically positioned “Fortress of the Clouds” on Mount Chaberton, on an altitude of over 3000 meters, to attack French positions in the Alps. Starting from the 10th of June Fort Chaberton commenced a steady rain of fire from its eight 149mm gun turrets on French fortifications in the Briancon area, safely concealed by the clouds.
The French were well aware of the threat posed by Fort Chaberton at the start of the war. So they secretly installed four Schneider 280mm (Mod 1914) siege howitzers, dating back to the First World War, divided into two batteries and hidden from the view of the Italians. The two sections manned by the 6th Battery of the 154th Régiment d’Artillerie de Position (154th RAP) know what they have to do, and are waiting for the clouds to clear.
When on the 21st of June the clouds do clear, the French waste no time and destroy six of the eight towers, guided by observers from nearby Mont Janus. Ten soldiers of Fort Chaberton are killed and around 50 are wounded. Even though Turrets 7 and 8 continue to fire until the French-Italian Armistice of 25 June 1940, the Fort is no longer a serious threat.
Names of the fallen
The monument lists the following names:
- Mb. Art.
Giacomo Bombardieri - Mb. Art.
Riccardo Bossola - Mb. Art.
Virginio Romano - Mb. Art.
Federico Sala - Mb. Art.
Leonardo Sasso - M.o. Serg. Magg.
Ferruccio Ferrari - M.a. Cap.
Bruno Nannipieri - M.a. Art.
Umberto Orsenigo - M.a. Art.
Giovanni Stella - M.b. Art. S.
Mario Redaelli
Visit
You can visit the monument along the Via Ortigara road from France to Cesana, Italy.
