Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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A defence integrated into an old French fort that was built, would you believe to keep out the English. History repeats itself. This fort must have been the HQ to the defence and two casemates one for an 8.8cm Pak facing north and a 5cm Pak facing south. An ant-tank wall closing off the western side. A wonderful use of the R677 casemate it has been turned into a restaurant.
Le Goéland 1951, north of Utah beach of D-Day fame on the Cotentin peninsula, is the perfect place to watch the cross-Channel yachts and seagulls (goelands) swoop for fish and chips. In an airy, wooden viewing station, built at the end of a concrete second world war bunker (the dining room is inside it), a glass of the local beer costs e2.90, cocktails e7 and it serves a creative selection of local fish, oysters, tapas (e5-6) and charcuterie or cheese boards (e8). It’s a bustling bar, open every day from 11am until 1am with live bands playing all weekend and a DJ every Friday night. Deckchairs face Tatihou island and the Vauban fortifications at St-Vaast-la-Hougue. From The Guardians 10 of the best beach bars in France.
Le Goéland 1951.
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Geoportail 1947
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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10.729 Komp
Anti-Tank ditch.
1 x Old French stone fort.
1 x R667 Casemate.
1 x R677 Casemate.
8 x Unterstands.
1 x Wellblech bunker.
1 x Vf2a Group shelter.
1 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Vf/MG.
1 x 5cm KwK L/42 Pak.
1 x 8.8cm Pak 43/41.
1 x Kabelbrunnen.
Plan of an ant-tank ditch.
Ant-tank ditch.
Vf2a elevation.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
SHM plan
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
SHM
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A plan produced by the French military just after the war, Plan No.64-III Pointe de Saire.
1 - Petit P.C. Observation.
2 - Soutes et abri. Crew bunker.
3 Casemate canon anti-char.
4
Casemate canon anti-char.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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Plan an R677 casemate with an 8.8cm A/T gun and an R667 for a 5cm Pak.
8.8cm Pak 43/41.
5cm KwK L/42 Pak.
Tobruk with heavy machine gun.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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The Fort now being used as a lighthouse as well as a lovely home.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Lighthouse
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Lighthouse. 'How many lighthouses in France' try searching you will be all night looking.
Plan of fort.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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Found on the beach, I have no idea what it was, but it does look contemporary to WW2.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Wellblech
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Wellblech shelters were half round corrugated iron (a much thicker sheet than the Allied sheets) set into a concrete floor and then concreted over. Often semi sunk into the ground.
Plan.
Plan of a Wellblech shelter.
A water logged Wellblech.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Wellblech
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Looking down on the Wellblech.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Wellblech
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Wellblech - translates to Corrugated iron. This would be the ammunition magazine for the R677 casemate.
The entrance, now I believe it is where all the beer is kept for the Bar.
Wellblech.
8.8cm ammunition.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
MKB Bunkertour
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Wellblech
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Plan of a Wellblech shelter.
MKB Bunkertour.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Wellblech & Fort
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort Observation
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Observation/defence. This one has a very good view south to St Vaast.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Observation
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Observation/defence. The barbed wire could almost be contemporary.
Screw pickets plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
Guerite
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This a Guerite or sentry box. Note the large amount of concrete on the top.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort Guerite
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate for an 8.8cm Pak 43/41.
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R677 casemate was specifically designed to take an 8.8cm Pak, anti-tank gun. These became available in 1943/1944 due to the fact, anti-tank guns although effective were becoming too big and cumbersome to use in a fluid battle field. When being attacked by tanks, these guns could be overwhelmed easily and the crews unable to drag them away. Much easier weapons were beginning to come in to use like the Panzerfoust, hand held rocket. Simple and cheap.
Plan.
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R677 casemate.
Panzerfoust.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate
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The cafe now sits in front of the casemate and the gun room is now part of the experience and there are tables inside.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate
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The gun room.
8.8cm Pak 43/41.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate
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Defence Tobruk and also it could be used to control the firing of the gun. A speaking tube, Sprachrohr would allow the soldier in the Tobruk to shout fire orders down to the gun room below.
Sprachrohr.
Tobruk observation.
Tobruk anti-aircraft.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
SHM
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate
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SHM view.
For medium caliber cannon.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Google
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate
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The view of the Pointe from the beach.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2019
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
I’lle Tatihou
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This is the area the 8.8cm Pak would have to cover.
The area the gun had to cover.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R677 casemate
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Tobruk and concrete observation point.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Concrete observation post
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I think here was a small telemetry devise to triangulate a target at sea and pass the details to gunners inland.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Concrete observation post
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Although this post looks like it would be a bit dangerous stood out here watching an enemy shoot at you. I think there would be piles of sand bags stacked up around it and then sand/earth piled up as camouflage. Around the inland area were several artillery positions that they could call down fire onto a landing. This never happened in this area but they were bombed from the air and shelled by ships on D-Day and afterwards, until they all slipped away into the defence of Cherbourg.
How it may have looked.
Checking the SHM plan states a Petit P.C. in the north, of which nothing remains and this one in the south. The two could triangulate a target at sea and then the details sent by field telephone/radio to an inland batterie.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Defence trench
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There would have been trenches here and this is a concreted trench position.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Defence trench
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Tobruk
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Vf/MG
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I think this is a Vf/MG position, a bit like a Tobruk.
Plan.
Heavy machine gun.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Vf/MG
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View from above.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Boot prints
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Remains in concrete
details
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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A very well made R667, this is the rear entrance into the bunker.
Plan.
R667 plan.
R667 plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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Rear entrance door and to the left of the door a small hole. These are square and it is to pass the fired shell cases from the gun room to the outside in battle. Then they would be cleared up after the battle and sent back for re cycling.
The square hole to pass fired cases through the casemate wall.
5cm case.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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Looking out of the gun room at the beach it had to cover. In the far distance is Wn116 and an R612 casemate for a 7.5cm Field Kannon.
Plan;
Wn116 North.
Wn115 South.
5cm gun inside an R667 casemate.
How the gun would have looked.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2019
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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Quite a large flanking wall.
5cm gun inside an R667 casemate.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
SHM
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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Looking into the front and its embrasure 1944/45.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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Looking into the front and its embrasure 2008.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
R667 casemate
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The view across the bay with Wn116 in the far distance.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn116 Les Epagnes Dranguet
R612
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In the distance the casemate R612 with a 7.5cm Field Kannon firing down the beach and the R667 casemate from here with a 5cm KwK Pak L/42 firing up the beach. The cross fire would have been devastating.
Plan.
7.5cm Field Kannon at Wn116.
5cm KwK Pak L/42 here.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Google
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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The Fort built to protect this part of the coast. St Vaast had the L'ille Tatihou with several large forts and Tour Vauban La Hougue to protect its front and south, here it would have protected its north side. All along this coast are small and large forts all built to keep out those Anglaise, the hated enemy.
Vauban.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2019
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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Lighthouse
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2019
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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The outer wall.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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A bunker of some type set into the outer ditch of the fort.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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Looking down the next wall.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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The second Guerite on the far wall.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
13 April 2003
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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Ammunition niche where maybe 5cm ammunition was stored for the L/42 in its casemate or small arms ammunition and hand grenades, etc.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
25 September 2005
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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The second Guerite (sentry box).
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
24 November 2008
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
Fort
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Main gate.
Plan.
Wn115 Pointe de Saire
15 April 2019
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Wn115 Pointe de Saire
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