Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville
6., Grenadier-Regiment 919
1 x SK (Sonder Konstruction) double casemate & garage.
2 x 3.7cm tank turret ringstands.
2 x Tobruk´s for 8cm s.Gr.W.34 mortars.
2 x Vf8 Tobruk´s for MG.
3 x Vf2a personnel bunkers.
1 x Vf bunker.
1 x Ammunition bunker.
1 x 5cm Pak 38.
1 x 5 cm KwK L/60.
5cm Pak 38.
R35
5cm KwK L/60.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville
Details
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville
Wn14 plan. There has been a lot of new building going on here and some pieces may have been removed but others have been reused by a sailing club and as garden ornaments. The grey lines on the map are where trenches went.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville
This is the German plan of the defences with Wn13 & Wn14 with the mine field to the north M.F.57 and to the south M.F.56.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville SK casemate SK casemate
This is a very one off SK casemate (SK Sonder Konstruction) [Sonder-Spetial].
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville SK casemate
A double SK casemate on the left a 3.7cm Pak & a 5cm Pak guns. The 3.7cm was in the left and the 5cm on the right.
Elevation.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Coat of arms
A starfish coat of arms on the centre of the casemate.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville SK casemate
Originally the configuration of the guns was as below North the 3.7cm and south the 5.cm.
Elevation.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville SK casemate
As things changed with time the open wall on the north side was filled in and a heavy machine gun replaced the 3.7cm Pak.
Details2
Details2
It could have been an M.G.08.
Maxim 08 M.G.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville SK casemate
This side had the anti tank gun in place.
5cm Pak 38.
5cm Pak 38.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Pakstand garage
Gun garage just a long concrete square tube.
Pakstand garage for the 5cm Pak 38
Elevation.
Dragging a Pak 38 out of its garage.2
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Pakstand garage
The gun would have to be dragged out of the garage and into the casemate. The garage may pre date the casemate and there may have been a field position for the gun.
Pakstand garage for the 5cm Pak 38
A dug in Pak gun.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville 1694 Ringstand
1694 Ringstand for a 5cm KwK L/60
Details2
1694 Ringstand.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville 1694 Ringstand
The niches all around are for ready ammunition.
5cm KwK L/60.
5cm KwK plan.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville 1694 Ringstand
The ring that would have held the gun down, a ring of bolts up standing.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
8cm Gr.W.34 mortar.
Mortar Tobruk plan.
8cm Gr.W.34 mortar.
Two mortar crews.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
8cm Gr.W.34 mortar.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Vf & Mortar Tobruk
A small Vf bunker probably ammunition for the 8cm mortars.
Plan.
Details2
Vf unterstand.
8cm ammunition.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Vf Unterstand
Lovely little summerhouse.
Vf unterstand.
Mortar bombs.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Vf Unterstand
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Vf Unterstand
Chimney for the Vf Unterstand.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
The top of the mortar Tobruk.
Details2
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
Rear entrance.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
Entrance.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
Ammunition storage.
Plan.
Probably stored like this.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
Gun room floor. The mortar would be set up here lined up centrally to the floor and marks around the bunkers wall show directions. Fire could be called from a forward observer to drop their bombs exactly where they are needed.
Details2
Forward observer in a Tobruk.
Mortar on a Tobruk floor.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
The wooden shuttering has left its mark on the concrete.
A Tobruk like this one being built.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
S South compass bearing marks for aiming the mortar.
Mortar Tobruk
More markings on the inner wall. An area along the sea shore in front of Wn14 was called Obliarion calling that name over the radio or field telephone would prompt all the guns and mortars to fire on that area.
Fire control plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Mortar Tobruk
MZ 18 1/2
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Munitions
Small ammunition room.
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Munitions
Small ammunition room.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Vf.2a
A small ten man bunker
Plan.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville U Tobruk
Pz.Drehturm (Tank turret) with a Reibel s.MG311(f).
Pz.Drehturm.
Reibel s.MG311(f).
Pz.Drehturm.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville U Tobruk
The turret just sat on the turret ring on a ball bearing race, they fitted into the inner grove and the turret would easily turn just by light pressure on the gun and shuffling around.
Plan
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville U Tobruk
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Bigot
Bigot map prior to D-Day showing that the Germans did not use the Old Fort?? Why I have no idea. One reason maybe the exit off the beach like Wn13. It shows an anti-tank ditch to the north. Large barbed wire entanglement all around. A mine field No.56 along the sea front. There were also several weapons pits all over the defence.
,
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville ‘Panzersperre’
The small anti-tank sea wall runs all along this beach and in several places there are openings that needed to be defended. This was one (‘Panzersperre’) and needed to be blocked to stop an invading army crossing the beach and passing through the sea wall . But when an army is not invading the defenders need to go onto the beach to plant Rommel's Asparagus and mines. To block the gap a Belgian gate was used.
Belgian gate or Element ‘C’.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville ‘Panzersperre’
You can see where the beach entrance is situated just north of Wn14.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Bigot ‘Panzersperre’
A horse could be hooked up to the two rings on the rear and pulled it in and out of place. There are three heavy rollers to allow it to be moved. Also each side welded to the frame are ties to lock it in to a second Belgian gate or into a wall as here.
The fittings welded to the Belgian Gate.
A horse pulling a gate into place,
Three gates locked together as a beach defence.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Bigot ‘Panzersperre’
The left hand side there were rings set in to the wall.
The fittings welded to the Belgian Gate.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Bigot ‘Panzersperre’
And the same on this side.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville Bigot ‘Panzersperre’
As it is today.
Wn14 Le Fort Redout de Ravenoville