Gross Tosse fortress

Entrance tunnel of the fortress Gross Tosse

The artillery fortress Gross Tosse A1750 was built as a rock and was commissioned to block access to the Réduit National with artillery fire. Construction began at the end of 1942. The fortress was completed in 1945. It belonged to the 1st Division of the 1st Army Corps , and later with Army 61 to the Reduit Brigade 21 of Mountain Army Corps 3 .

history

The fortress is located on the territory of the municipality of Jaun , near the hamlet Im Fang. The fortress Gross Tosse was built on land owned by the municipality and private individuals under building law. From Im Fang you can take the 2.8 m wide army road to the 1320 m above sea level. M. lying Gross Tosse. The highest point of the Tosse is 1374 m above sea level. M. ( location ). 46.595373 7.2066 1374

In the interior, the main tunnels and combat rooms were clad with concrete. Magazines and accommodation were built into the cavern as a kind of building .

In the post-war period, various expansions were made, the armament was replaced and a C protection device was installed. The interior fittings were adapted to the changed needs, the fire control center became magazines and the toilets became showers.

In Switzerland only four fortifications were equipped with more than eight guns and a caliber larger than 10.5 cm. Gross Tosse is one of them. It is not only the largest plant in the canton of Friborg, but also one of the largest in Switzerland in terms of armament.

reinforcement

The first armoring consisted of eight 12 cm field howitzers 1912/39 L14 . In 1947 the first four 12 cm howitzers were replaced by 10.5 cm cannons on a lever mount . In the mid-1950s, the remaining four guns were replaced by the more modern 10.5 cm L22 howitzers built in 42/46. The advantage of the 10.5 cm cannons was their greater range, while the howitzers were able to work better on the Jauntal axis between Broc and Charmey . The howitzers can bring their effect to the target in the upper angle group after approx. 3 km. With the cannons this is only possible from 6 km. The air line from Gross Tosse to the La Tzintre barrier is 2.79 km, to Charmey Dorf 4 km and to the explosive object (Bridge du Javro ) 5.1 km. *