Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The dread of Mailly was built in 1775 in Port-Vendres (Pyrénées-Orientales) under the impulse of the Count of Mailly, intendant of Languedoc, thanks to grants from Louis XVI. It completed the defences of the military port originally designed by Vauban in 1700, using the rubble of the harbour works to erect a square surmounted by an obelisk in 1780. The semicircular structure, surrounded by ditches cut from the rock, housed a shed with guard corps, powder shops and tank, all protected by a crenelated round road.

In the 20th century, the dread was reused as a holiday camp by the Federation of secular Youth in the 1930s. During the Second World War, it was occupied by the German army (19th army) from November 1942. The Germans installed a coastal battery (MKB Mailly) equipped with French and Russian guns, before destroying it on 19 August 1944 by blowing up their ammunition stocks, ravaging much of Port Vendres. The remains were listed as historical monuments in 1991.

The armament of the dread evolved according to the occupations: in 1939, it housed two 95 mm guns of the National Navy. Under German occupation (1943–44), it was equipped with parts of DCA (Flak 39), 81 mm mortar, and 76 mm Russian guns. In June 1944, the 95 mm guns were replaced by 4 75 mm pieces Flak M.33, before its final destruction. Today, mainly the walls of taluted bellows and two reduced to entrances protected by corbellations remain.

External links