Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres, K.V.Gruppe Lorient, Brittany

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Marine Kusten Artillery Batterie 3./264 Gâvres. The guns cover the eastern entrance to the port of Lorient.

4 x M270 Casemates.
1 x M162a Fire Control Post.
1 x M145 Ammunition Depot.
4 x R622 Twin Group Bunker.
2 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Vf Machine gun.
4 x 10.5cm S.K. C/32 guns.
2 x 7.5cm K.M.97(f)

M162a Fire Control Post for Light Batteries.

M270 gun casemate (120deg).

R622 Twin Group Bunker, one for each casemate to accommodate the guns crew.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Now a camping site, there are lots of bits and pieces all over the field.

2 x 7.5cm K.M.97(f) AA guns.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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StP Gâvres is made up of four Wn's, L0335 a battery of four casemates. Lo361 a Flak battery covering Lorient. Lo362 an old French fort and Lo112 a defence site for the town.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres Marine Kusten Artillery Batterie 3./264

Details

Tobruk outer defence. Behind the M162a and the four M170's.

Vf58c Tobruk.

Tobruk machine gun.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres A steel rod set into the bank.

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I think this was an anti-aircraft machine gun post.

How it may have worked.

The top of the rod is threaded to take an AA fitting.

A British twin machine gun mounting which this one may have looked like with sand bags surrounding the gun.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres - Marine Kusten Artillery Batterie 3./264.

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M162a fire control post, 4 x M270 casemates.

This FCP is now sealed up and not accessible any more but would have had a cap on the top held up by four steel jacks.

Marines training.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M162a FCP.

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A fire control post for a light battery.

How the lid would have looked.

Rangefinder space..

Computing room.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M162a FCP.

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Here a target would be seen, the range and bearing measured, then all the details would be sent to the guns buy telephone or if the land line was broken by radio.

The observation room & the computing room (M262)

Inside an M132a.

Observation Room.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres Marine Kusten Artillery Batterie 3./264 Gâvres.

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The four casemates laid out on the point.

Computing room.

Observation.

Observation.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres Marine Kusten Artillery Batterie 3./264 Gâvres.

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L to R M162a FCP, R622, 4 x M270, 3 x R622 and an M145 ammunition depot.

Plan of an M145 ammunition depot.

R622 crew room.

Plan of an M270 casemate.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres R622 Twin Group Bunker

Details

Set between the fire control post and the first casemates this H622 twin group bunker was built for the guns crew living accommodation. Each Casemate has an R622 near to it.

One of the two crew rooms where three bunks would be hung from hooks in the roof. These could be tied back to allow more room. Tables and chairs are collapsible to be folded back when not in use.

Ventilation in the case of a gas attack.

Crew relaxing in their bunker.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

The gun was fitted onto a swivel mount set into the concrete floor. A 10.5cm S.K. C/32 gun was fitted inside.

The gun could traverse 120deg's.A gun room, a shell room and a case room with two close combat windows covering the rear entrance.

A 10.5cm S.K. C/32 fitted with a shield.

A 10.5cm S.K. C/32.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Gun room.

Navy gunners.

Gun room.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

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Door to the left is through to the cartridge room, then a plinth to rest ammunition on?, a window(aperture) to pass through cartridges. Next a manhole to a small basement room to store fired cartridges. Next window for shells to pass through. Then another plinth and a door to the shell room.

Army (Heers) guns crew.

Army (Heers) ammunition handling.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres 882p7 marine door.

Details

Split doors were used on ships so that in an emergency with rubble or other material stopping the bottom door, the top will open allowing escape. Note the original gas seal the white tape around the periphery.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Cartridge room. Looking from the gun room door towards the rear close combat defence position covering the rear entrance.

Plan.

Ammunition storage.

7.5cm ammunition.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

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View through the ammunition slot, the view an ammunition handler would have had.

Army (Heers) gunners.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

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Close combat defence room.

19P7 door.

Close combat room.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

A 422Po01 type close combat window.

Gunner covering the rear of a bunker.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

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Steps leading out the back.
The cut away on the left & right of the stairs is the fitting for a radio and telescopic aerial.

Plan.

A telescopic aerial connected to a radio. Although most bunkers were fitted with these slots, it doesn't mean that radio's were fitted.

Radio.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Shell room with slot to allow shells to be passed through. Door to the left takes you to the rear entrance, the next door takes you out into the gun room.

Ammunition

Marines.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Passage on the right side to a close combat defence covering the exit.

Plan.

An 882P7 door.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Close combat defence room covering the rear entrance. Note the shelving as this area would have been used for storage of all the odd bits of kit all soldiers keep around..

Plan.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Close combat window 48p8, you can just see the gas seal now rotting around the opening.

Plan.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Rear door another 882P7.

Plan.

An 882P7 door.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Gun room & I am not exactly sure what these were for? possibly to rest the shells on.

10.5cm ammunition.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Gun room, when the gun fired the gun room would fill with smoke, a powerful fan would suck out the gases via the three vents
[in red].
[in green] is where the main buried cable arrived from the fire control post. A panel would have been set into the wall and a telephone and maybe dials to inform guns crew of range and ammunition (HE, Smoke or AP) .

The extractor pan where when the gun fires, this pan would suck out the gases via the extractor fan.

Electric ventilator fan for a gun bunker.

An extraction vent set into the rear of these bunkers to allow the gases to escape.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Gun room looking out to sea.

10.5cm S.K. C/32.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Gun room aiming marks.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

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M270 Turm 1.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

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The building plan of an M70 shows no here Tobruk's, here in Brittany many Tobruk's were added to a bunker. Tobruk was a very good close defence and also for close anti-aircraft.

Tobruk seen from above..

Plan.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

Information

Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M270 Gun Casemate (120deg).

Details

Left door is the access to the Tobruk. The next door is the rear entrance. There would have been steps made in concrete up to the door. Next the close combat window who's machine gun covered the rear door.

All these casemates are M270s but if you enter them all, you will be surprised to see that doors, close combat windows, ammunition slots and more are different. 'Why!'.That's what makes bunkers interesting.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres R622 Twin Group Bunker.

Details

Two crew rooms and a gas lock. In the gas lock would be a shower to wash off any mustard gas (if used). This would house the crew of one of the guns crew.

Plan.

Bunks.

Crew.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres M145 Ammunition Depot.

Details

An ammunition depot for the guns with -
Large rooms : -
Left - shell room.
Middle & right - cartridge.
Small rooms : -
Top to bottom :
2 x fuze rooms.
2 x ammunition (small arms ammunition [rifle, machine gun, etc.] I found no heating so the chimneys may have been ventilation to keep the ammunition dry.

M145 plan.

10.5cm ammunition.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres - M145 Ammunition Depot Gi09 'Cosel' Gironde North.

Details

This is the entrance of an M145 at Gi09 'Cosel' Gironde North and gives an idea of what this bunker is like inside.

M145 plan.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres - M145 Ammunition Depot Gi09 'Cosel' Gironde North.

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Cartridge store.

Plan.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres - M145 Ammunition Depot Gi09 'Cosel' Gironde North.

Details

Passageway between rooms. This is the only German bunker that I have been in that has arched doorways.

Plan.

Brittany Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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Wn Lo335 M.K.B. Gâvres

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© 2013 Richard Drew