VALLO ALPINO - BLOCKADE
"MONTE LESCO"
«Vallo
Alpino» («Alpine Wall») Eastern Front – XXVII.
Sector (Fiume)
Blockade (Sbarramento) "Monte Lesco" (Leskovac) - Official designation unknown Situated above the town of Fiume (Rijeka), on
top of the Mt. Lesco hill where the border line made sharp turn towards
the coast, it was almost finished by April `41, but still lacked weapons
and various outfitting elements, including electrical and communication
equipment. Combat blocks of “Mt. Lesco” fort were mostly
large concrete structures built above the ground level, with some of
them having more than one weapon positions. They were also artfully
camouflaged, with layers of concrete shaped to resemble karst rock formations
– but their size was a dead giveaway for any trained observer.
This fort had nine combat blocks, totalling 13 HMGs and LMGs, but its
design clearly showed advanced shortage of armoured steel parts: many
embrasures were left without any steel armour, but had thicker concrete
walls. Some of the combat blocks had pipes for hand grenades for close-in
defence. Large underground caserne, space for power generators and latrines
being near the entrance. The combat blocks, one by one:
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Present state of the fort: fully accessible and preserved. Logistical parts
in reasonably good shape, not too unsafe, the only problem being collapsed
ceiling of both casernes, i.e. debris on caserne floor. Almost sixty
years have passed since the sanguinous battle of Fiume but the area
can steel hide some nasty war-time surprises: not so long ago a live
german AT mine, containing 7 kilos of explosive, was found at the very
entrance of this fort. Therefore, caution is to be excercised in the
former border zone of the town of Fiume (Rijeka) containing old military
installations and forts. |