Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan', K.V.G.U. La Turballe puis La Baule, K.V.A. 'C2', K.V.G. Loire..

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Batterie 4./M.A.A.280.
1 x S414 fire control post.
2 x R502 twin group shelter.
2 x R501 group shelter.
2 x R607 ammunition bunker II
2 x R612 casemate for an assault gun.
4 x Vf8c Tobruk's.
4 x Vf/s.MG.
6 x Geschützstellung 7.5cm, open emplacements.
2 x Flakstellung 2cm Flak 38.
2 x Geschützstellung for 24cm K.(E).
2 x 24cm K.(E) 558(f) railway guns.
4 x under construction S741 type emplacements for 30.5cm guns.
6 x 7.5cm Flak M33(f).
2 x 2cm Flak 38.
2 x 7.5cm F.K.235(b) guns.
4 x 30.5cm S.K.L/50 (still in their factory in Germany)

Geschützstellung - Gun emplacement.
Unterstand - Shelter.

S414 Fire Control Post.

7.5cm Flak M33(f).

24cm K.(E) 558(f).

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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A plan from the National Archive at Kew showing the position of the two 24cm railway guns and four massive casemates unfinished.
The number of actual guns on Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan' - 2 x 240mm railway guns in open emplacements (red dots on plan). The 24cm guns come from the French battleship 'Diderot' and were placed on railway gun mountings.
Turms 1,2,3 & 4 were under construction. Four large emplacements, These are 'S' emplacements, numbers used in several publications put them as S536, 539 & 741. But Rolph states the type as S741. So I will use S741 for four 30.5cm C/41 railway guns.

French battleship 'Diderot'..

S741 plan emplacement (Geschützstand) for a C/41 gun (not a ships type).
A large cartridge magazine, and a smaller shell magazine, an engine room, fuel store & ventilation.

30.5cm C/41 type of gun on a mounting that would possibly be used here.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Unfinished Turm 4 for 30.5cm KM/6/10(f) or K.M.13.

Details

We were not able to get in and see around the gun emplacement.

Water tower built into the casemate.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 4 the rear corner of the casemate S741.

Details

Unfinished & none of the four large 30.5cm KM/6/10(f) guns was ever placed here. By 1944 the area was encircled by the American army.

Ammunition handling at the Mirus battery Guernsey.

Plan.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Turm 4 the gun platform S741.

Details

S741 type emplacement being constructed from 1943/4 onwards but the war caught up and they were never finished.

The casemate from above today has a water tower built into it..

A guns hold-fast being constructed very like the one here would have been.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 4 the gun platform S741.

Details

Another view.

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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A British Army plan of the large casemate drawn just at the end of the war.

Details

There would have been ammunition magazines, heating, electrical generation, etc.

Plan of an S741 showing how the layout may have looked.

Battery Mirus on the island of Guernsey giving an idea of how it may have looked.

Inside a Mirus casemate..

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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British Intelligence files.

Details

Ian Fleming was commissioned as a Lieutenant Commander RNVR in the Naval Intelligence Division.

40 AU the unit that Flemming formed to find out the German secrets as the Allies advanced.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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British Intelligence files.

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Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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This is one of the original guns on a storage cradle a 24cm K.(E) 558(f).

Details

24cm K.(E) 558(f) these guns were in place here at the end of 1941. The guns were removed post war and tested, then stored at the Army proving ground at Gavres. There were two Officers, 24 NCO's and 164 men of the 4./M.A.A.280.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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A 1947 air photo of the whole battery position..

Details

We have two sites here: -
The first two emplacements with their ammunition magazines can be seen [24cm guns] in the middle
Then casemate [Turm 4] can be seen at the top L/H, [Turm 3& 2] and then (Turm 1) the final casemate under construction. They would have been 4 x S741 casemates for four 30.5cm C/41 railway guns. The end of the war came and they could not be finished.

24cm K.(E) 558(f) on its Geschützstand. 

Turm 4

Large caliber gun barrels in a German factory.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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The 24cm Batterie position.

Details

The railway came in from the bottom left and a small connecting branch joins the two Geschützstand for the 24cm guns. Two R502 twin group shelters for the guns crews and two Vf Unterstands that may have been used as HQ for each gun. Behind each gun were four ammunition bunkers. Possibly two for the cordite bags and two for shells.

R502 twin gruppe shelter. 

Vf Unterstand.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Intelligence files.

Details

24cm Batterie position details.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Intelligence files.

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24cm Batterie position details.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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The first part of the Batterie we found and followed the yellow arrows.

Details

First set on the side of the track is a defensive Tobruk.

Tobruk.

Tobruk..

Tobruk plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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R502 twin gruppe shelter.

Details

Built on the surface and not in a large hole in the ground, the usual method of construction. This R502 looks as though spare ammunition was placed inside it and then exploded by French army engineers.

Plan R502.

How it may have looked inside, sleeping up to 15 men..

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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R502 twin gruppe shelter.

Details

The reinforcement holding the concrete together.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Vf Unterstand.

Details

I have said it may have been the guns office and the R502 the living accommodation.

Plan.

Vf Unterstand.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The western large 24cm Railway gun open emplacement. OB.

Details

Shaped in a D with access from the rear.

Plan

Bootsmannsmaat. [Petty Officer]

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The western large 24cm Railway gun open emplacement. OB.

Details

The layout of the western gun position with the bunkers in the north and ammunition behind.

The carriage was set on a short piece of railway line and the gun had its own turntable and could fire 360degrees.

Guns turntable.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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One of the two 24cm K.(E) 558(f) railway gun in its OB.

Details

They came from the French battleship 'Diderot' and placed on a rail chassis with an internal pivot and could be sat on any railway line and still fire 360deg. The British report states that the railway lines were removed when they arrived at Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan some time in 1945.

Plan.

Railway gun firing.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The wall surrounding the gun emplacement.

Details

Looking over the concrete wall.

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The wall surrounding the gun emplacement.

Details

You can see the hole in the concrete, the wall is NOT a defensive wall but just a wall wall. It is hollow inside. Hard to believe, I have seen pictures where you could almost crawl inside. ????

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The wall surrounding the gun emplacement.

Details

This is the rear of the D shaped emplacement. This is where the railway gun would have been drawn into its emplacement and also all the ammunition would have been brought through.

Plan.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The wall surrounding the gun emplacement.

Details

There seems to be a step in the wall that may have allowed the guns crew to get on and off the gun??

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The base of the emplacement with two wet feet.

Details

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Vf Ammunition storage bunkers.

Details

Two of four that were here.

Plan.

Shell storage.

Shell & cordite bags on small railway truck.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'.

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Ammunition storage area. This is how it may have looked.

Details

An archive photo of some ammunition magazines. But I am not too sure that although it is stated that these were here. Also these have a sloped roof, the ones here do not. Why the British Army mission managed to get this wrong, I have no idea. They may be from Re303 MKB 'Graf Spee'.

Ammunition magazine at Batterie 'Graf Spee' more like the ones in the above picture.

Cartridge storage.

Shell store.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Ammunition storage area.

Details

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Ammunition storage area.

Details

Entrance and some brackets. No door hinges could be seen.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Ammunition storage area. The second store.

Details

The two the other side have been blown up and completely removed as far as we could see.

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The railway line link between the two guns.

Details

The trains came off the main line and onto a short branch line specially laid and onto this section that joins both gun positions.

Plan showing the railway line..

24cm

Probably pulled into its position by an engine like this one.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The eastern part of the Batterie..

Details

The layout is a mirror image of the western side.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Tobruk.

Details

Plan.

 

Machine gun mounting for a Tobruk.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Tobruk.

Details

Hidden trap for the unwary.

Plan.

Tobruk plan.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Ammunition storage area for the second gun.

Details

Totally camouflaged.

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Ammunition storage area for the second gun.

Details

Details2

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The second gun position.

Details

Details

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The second gun position.

Details

Store

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The second gun position.

Details

Inside the store.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The second gun position.

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R502 shelter.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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The second gun position.

Details

Vf Unterstand.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 1 S741 type emplacements for 30.5cm guns unfinished.

Details

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 1 S741 type emplacements for 30.5cm guns unfinished.

Details

The base of the gun platform.

Plan.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 1 S741 type emplacements for 30.5cm guns unfinished.

Details

The base of the gun platform with the trench for cabling to run through.

Plan.

Not very good concrete.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 1 S741 type emplacements for 30.5cm guns unfinished.

Details

This is the centre of the gun position and you can see the steel ladder wrungs to climb up onto the gun. This is where any power cables or telephone link would come onto the gun.

Plan.

 

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Turm 1 S741 type emplacements for 30.5cm guns unfinished.

Details

The short concrete posts we were not sure what they were for. The only thing we could think of was used to hold camouflage nets??

Plan.

Camouflage net.

Wn. Tu301 La Dilanne M.K.B. 'Kermoisan'

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Details

© 2013 Richard Drew