Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Alderney a small island off the coast of the Cherbourg Peninsular one of the Channel Islands and a Crown dependency. 3miles x 1.5miles.
In June 1940 its entire population was removed and sent to either the other Channel islands or to Britain (most ended up in Glasgow).
Then the German occupation forces arrived on the 2nd July. Hitler thinking that the British would attempt at recapturing, ordered it to become a Festung and later combined into the Atlantikwall.
Field kitchen.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Wn 'Eilandfeste'
2 x R670 casemates.
2 x 10.5cm
K331(f).
1 x 2cm Flak 30.
1 x generator.
1 x 60cm searchlight.
Several local defence positions and machine guns.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Plan.
Two casemates facing in opposite directions with several defence positions around the curtain wall of the old Victorian fort. A searchlight set into a Victorian Caponier, one Flak gun on the roof and I would think they used the old barracks as their barracks as there were probably 60men in the fort.
60cm searchlight.
10.5cm K331(f).
2cm Flak 30.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
The view down to the fort with Longis Bay and the anti-tank wall running nearly all the way along it.
Completed in 1855 there were ten guns in two batteries facing out to sea. The complement was two officers and 64 men. There was a draw bridge to close off the entrance and the tide covers the causeway twice a day.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Fire plan.
Showing the weapons positions on this side.
M.G.42.
Searchlight on Alderney.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
R670 casemate for a 10.5cm K331(f) pivot mounted gun.
Plan R670 casemate.
Elevation R670 casemate.
10.5cm pivot mounted gun.
10.5cm pivot mounted gun.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Barracks.
This may have been where they had to live and sleep.
M.G.08.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
This end also has an R670 casemate.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
R670 casemate just poking through the forts wall..
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
R670 casemate.
How the gun would have looked.
Inside with ammunition stacked up on the side.
Elevation R670.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
The road way to Fort Raz and then the German anti-tank wall was added and a set of steel gates.
Sherman tank that never landed.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
Photo taken in 1945 of the anti-tank gates.
Alderney, Wn 'Eilandfeste', Fort Raz.
The causeway looking back towards the anti-tank wall. The tide was coming in so we did not make it to the island.
© 2013 Richard Drew