StP Schwartze Hand [The Black Hand]
1 x Ringstand 5cm KwK.
1 x Vf67.
1 x Pz.T.
Vf67 81mm mortar Tobruk.
Ringstand 5cm KwK..
Pz.T. Tobruk.
StP Schwartze Hand.
StP Schwartze Hand.
The Atlantikwall is in the west and the main HQ is in the east with the river between them. So this bridge would be very important to the Germans and defending it with a small detachment and some reasonable weaponry. A nice 81mm mortar, a 5cm KwK anti-tank gun, a tank turret with a 3.7cm gun and possibly a few machine guns.
5cm KwK.
3.7cm .
Tobruk.
StP Schwartze Hand.
This is the road leading into the small farm settlement.
Map.
StP Schwartze Hand
First Tobruk.
Some information here.
StP Schwartze Hand
First Tobruk. It was a very wet area when we visited.
This seems to be an extra Tobruk?.
StP Schwartze Hand
First Tobruk.
Plan of the Tobruk.
StP Schwartze Hand
First Tobruk showing the man hole entry from above..
Tobruk variant with a square manhole cover and no trench entrance due to the low lying area and high water table.
StP Schwartze Hand
First Tobruk. You would need to be a diver to work in here now..
The mounting that may have sat on the metal ring to fit a machine-gun.
StP Schwartze Hand
The manhole entrance and you can just see the ladder rungs on the far side.
StP Schwartze Hand
Vf69 Mortar Tobruk. Well it is there, you can just see a bit of concrete by the fence.
Vf69 plan.
StP Schwartze Hand
Vf69 Mortar Tobruk and here is one of the two Tobruk holes. This may or may not be the Vf69 as we could not prove it as it was so wet and overgrown.
Vf69 81mm mortar Tobruk.
Mortar in the larger Tobruk.
A Vf69.
StP Schwartze Hand
Second Tobruk. This maybe the Pz.T. Tobruk.
Elevation of a Pz.T. Tobruk.
Pz.T. turret.
StP Schwartze Hand
Second Tobruk.
Plan of the Tobruk.
How it may have looked.
StP Schwartze Hand
The farm it looks a very ornate building.
StP Schwartze Hand
The road to the old bridge.
Plan.
Officer in a staff car.
Kubelwagen.
StP Schwartze Hand
The ramp going up to the bridge (I know I took the photo the wrong way around??).
Some information here.
StP Schwartze Hand
The ramp the other side.
The bridge was here I think until the road system was changed. We never found the 5cm KwK it may have been on the other side of the river.
5cm KwK anti-tank gun.
5cm KwK in an open ringstand.
StP Schwartze Hand
© 2013 Richard Drew