Gros Ouvrage L’Agaisen is a well-preserved fort on the Alpine extension of the Maginot Line. It was built between 1930 and 1935 and comprises two artillery and one infantry block. Additional blocks were planned but never built although the fort does include and instructional casemate where soldiers were trained in both attack and defense.
The fort saw action from both its 75mm turret and machine guns during the Italian invasion in June 1940. It saw action again in November1944 as the occupying Germans fired upon the American liberation force. After it was taken by the Americans, it was used for a final time by the US Army in early 1945 to support the American and French forces retaking territory.
Post war, the fort was retained by the French Army but in 1992 a local group was formed to preserve and restore the site. The fort was formally handed over to the nearby town of Sospel in 2007. A Sub Brit group visited the site in 2002 and were impressed with the state of preservation and the work of the local enthusiasts. Open days are held with guided tours in the summer months or by prior arrangement for group visits