Ra109 Pointe de la Varde,
K.V.U. Festung St-Malo, K.V.Gruppe Rance,
KVA A1, AOK 7.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

Details

From St-Malo its a nice drive north up the coast and you can park quite close to Varde´s entrance. Varde was originally a Vauban fort like most around the French coast and then taken over after occupation and turned into a Ra109 a very strong defence position covering the top of the bay at Rothéneuf.
1 x R120 observation bunker.
1 x R611 casemate.
1 x R611/SK casemate.
1 x R667 casemate.
1 x R600 emplacement for 5cm KwK.
1 x R112a six embrasure bunker.
1 x R653 casemate for a 7.5cm Pak.
1 x R506c large machine gun emplacement.
1 x R621 group shelter.
1 x R622/SK twin group bunker.
1 x R502 twin group shelter.
1 x 622/SK Machinenstand
2 x R622 twin group bunker.
1 x Vf61a mortar Tobruk.
3 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Vf58c searchlight (DCA).
2 x 5cm KwK L/60.
1 x 5cm KwK L/42.
1 x 4.7cm Pak K.36.
2 x 7.5cm F.K.243(h).
1 x 2cm Flak 30.

7.5cm F.K.243(h).

R611 casemate.

Vf61a Tobruk for an 81mm mortar.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Plan of the Wn showing the direction of fire from all the guns, the yellow dot was a Tobruk with a search light attached to it.
R611´s -- 2 x 7.5cm F.K.243(h) guns.
R667 ---- 1 x 5cm KwK L/60 guns.
R653 ---- 1 x 5cm KwK L/60 gun.
R600 ---- 1 x 5cm KwK L/42 gun
R506c -- 1 x 4.7cm Pak K.36(t).

The top of the steel dome in the R120 overlooking the bay.

Vauban outer wall of Varde.

Vauban dry moat.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Ra109 Pointe de la Varde the view from St-Malo sea front showing the Pointe and the Vauban fort in the centre.

Varde under attack by the Americans. The view from St-Malo.

Pre war postcard of Varde.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R506 a casemate for a 4.7cm Pak(t)

Varde plan.

R506 plan.

4.7cm Pak gun.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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With on the left an R600 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 and right the cupola of an R122 a six embrasure turret (cupola) a steel turret fixed in concrete and has six embrasures so that a machine gun could move from window to window as the gun was needed, also a periscope was set into the centre of the cupola.

Varde plan.

 

The type of fortress machine gun fitting.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R600 you would have seen as an open emplacement but here a casemate has been built over it in around 1944.

How it would have looked without its cupola was fitted.

This is an R600 open emplacement but here a cap has been placed over the top.

R600 at Varde.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R600 Casemate

5cm KwK.

 

5cm ammunition boxes on Omaha beach.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R600 Casemate
A trench leading to the rear of the R600 now very hard to walk through.

Crew room in an R600 at Ra107.

The ammunition in an R600 at Ra107.

Plan of an R600 with crew room on the left and ammunition room on the right.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R600 Casemate
View into the gun room.

5cm KwK Pak L/60 model with a muzzle break.

5cm KwK Pak L/60.

How it may have looked when captured

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R600 is an open emplacement with an ammunition and crew room underneath.
You can see the glacés of the R600 underneath the embrasure. A roof has been placed over the top to add better protection for the gun and crew.

R600 plan the arrow showing where the glacés is.

R600 Varde plan.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R600 Casemate
The original open emplacement of the R600 with senior officers and high ranking civilians watching on. The gun here is an L/42 without a muzzle break on it. That´s the way to notice the difference between an L/60 & an L42.

R600 plan the arrow showing where the glacés is.

5cm KwK Pak L/42.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R667 with its flanking wall covering its seaward side cuts short to possibly allow the gun to fire more to the right side..

Varde map R667.

R667 casemate.

5cm KwK L/60 gun.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Ra109 Pointe de la Varde
R667 casemate.

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Picture just taken after capture of the R667 showing its L/60 gun with a muzzle break.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R667 casemate.
A very good picture of the view out of the embrasure, showing its L/60 gun with a muzzle break and La Tour du Bonheur. A camouflage net hangs down over the embrasure.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R667 casemate.
Ammunition was stored in the left hand niche and fired cases were put into the square hole in the back wall to remove them from gun room. The gun would have been bolted to the floor by a ring of threads.

5cm KwK L/60.

5cm KwK L/60.

Ammunition box.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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A standard R667 does not have a crew bunker underneath it. But this R667 does seem to have an escape, so putting them together means there must be an underground bunker of some sort???

The escape coming up the side of the casemate.

Looking down into the escape with its steel ladder rungs still in place.

Plan of how an escape works from the underground bunker.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R667 Casemate
Rear entrance usually would have had a blast wall across the rear.

 

 

R600 left, R667 right.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Main Gate
I would imagine a double door and a lifting draw bridge would have been here and used as the main gate.

To the left of the entrance is a steel hand hold to climb up to the left hand Tobruk.

How the gate may have looked.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Tobruk covering the entrance.

Varde plan.

Tobruk position.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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The second Tobruk. This one is to the left of the gate on the inland side.

Vauban fort Varde plan..

 

Yellow - the two Tobruk's.
Red - Vf61a mortar Tobruk.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Here is another photo showing how this Tobruk could cover the entrance and rears of the R600 and R667 below them.

 

Inside a Tobruk.

Plan view of a Tobruk.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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This is the view inside the fort from the eastern gate, there would have been a large barrack block on the right side now completely removed.

French barracks.

The barracks sitting high above the fort walls.

The view from above.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R622 twin group bunker now sealed up.

Plan of the fort.

Plan of an R622 twin group bunker.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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A Vf61a is a Tobruk for an 81mm mortar.

Vf61a Tobruk.

Inside a mortar Tobruk.

81mm mortar.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Vauban Chamber.

Photo into the chamber.

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate for a field gun, very large casemate for such a small gun set into the outer wall of the fort. Normally a 611 has a Tobruk on the rear but hear it was not needed so never built.

R6110/SK plan.

This casemate has been built into the outer wall.

IR6110/SK viewing to the embrasure and the forts wall.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
The rear entrance where the gun would pass through into the centre passage.

7.5cm F.K.243(h) a Dutch gun captured and put back into use by the Germans.

How it may have looked in a captured casemate embrasure in Normandy.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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The R611 cut into the forts outer Wall. You can see how the forts wall has been re built as camouflage.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate embrasure.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Gun room, the gun trails would have fitted into the half round steels set into the floor. The passage leads to a steel rear double door and then on the right, ammunition rooms and left crew room.

 

Plan of the R611 here.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Gun room, the half round marks in the floor are for the guns trails to rest in so it does not jump backwards when fired

Man hole cover to spent case store under the floor.

Spent shell case room under casemate floor.

Shell cases stacked up.

Name

Details

R611/SK casemate
Gun room this is where the gun would sit and fire over the bay across St Malo.

 

7.5cm F.K.243(h).

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
The passage down the centre. Graffiti artists - GET A LIFE - what an absolute mess. There is nothing artistic here 'Banksy'.

R611 plan.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Door to the crew room and several doors are still in place.

19P7 door, a steel door with gas tight seal around it and a small glass viewing window.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Crew room and the close combat defence covering the rear door, you can see through the open window right out of the back door.

R611 plan.

How to use a close combat embrasure properly.

I think it may be a 483p2 close combat window.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Periscope fitting in the roof, the bunker had a telescope for viewing all around to help with its defence. It also could be used to help target its main gun.

 

 

The armoured hole for the periscope on the roof.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
The ammunition door is a 434p01 double steel door.

434p01 door.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Case room to store the brass cases and the cordite propellant charge.

Possibly the case room where the shells propellant was stored. It came in small brass cases and filled with bags of cordite propellant. The amount of cordite put in them adjusted the guns range as well as hiring the barrel.

Shell & case.

10.5cm powder propellant in its wooden box.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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.R611 casemate left and French barracks.

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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A row of Turkish toilets. (Turkish is the name of this toilet design)

A Turkish toilet.

Men reading in the toilet, I bet the Romans did the same.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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French toilets.

 

Pissing by numbers.

Turkish toilet at Varde.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Toilet drains and this is where it all went and then out to sea.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
Looking towards the pointe viewed from the R611 in the middle of the picture is another Tobruk.

The Tobruk.

Position of Tobruk.

Plan of a Tobruk.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
We are now at the second R611.Yes me about to tackle a cliff edge to enter the R611.

Its the Gorilla in me!!!

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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The R611 from the other side.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate gun room.

 

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611 casemate gun room and passage. This is a standard R611 design..

Plan of this R611 with its Tobruk defence

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
The area the guns protecting.

Gun positions.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R611/SK casemate
View back at the Fort.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Searchlight
Two railway lines for a search light to travel on.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R622 with twin Tobruk's.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R622 twin group bunker
Yellow arrow is the periscope fitting.
Red arrows the two Tobruk's.

 

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post with an armoured turret type 441PO1 steel cupola still in place.

elevation view of an R120.

Plan of an R120.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
Close combat defence window, an interesting window moulded concrete has been used in front of steel plate.

Plan of the R120.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
The entrance and the second close combat window covering the corridor.

Close combat defence both covering the entrance.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
Main close combat defence room, in the distance the escape hatch.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
It looks as though there was a second gas filtration unit on the far wall or the iron metal loop sticking out of the wall held unused gas filters.

R120 plan.

Gas filters.

Gas filter pump.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
Escape.

View down the escape tunnel.

Layout of an escape tunnel.

410p9 escape door.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
Crew room.

R120 plan.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
View from the chart room to the observation turret is a small passage opening out to a circular space with the turret above.

R120 plan.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 observation turret.
The base of the turret and the base tube for the periscope.

Periscope in use in a bunker.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 observation turret.
Base of turret. The view up into the turret showing the turret floor, the circular hole is for the periscope fitted through. The left hand square hole is the access where a ladder used to fit (picture below).

How it looked a few years ago with its ladder and braces still in place. 25 June 2002.

Inside the cupola.

One of the observation holes.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 observation turret.
Turret observation hole. A special machine gun mounting could be placed through this and any other hole and fired by its operative. A commander below would have viewed through the periscope and would give fire orders for the machine gunner and fire orders for the field guns in the R611 casemates.

How it may have looked inside.

The machine gun possibly an MG Schartenlafetten 34Td Rh Blatt1.

20p7 type dome.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
Crew room and note the sliding doors, this bunker has several.

R120 plan.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
One of the sliding doors in the commanders room and also on the left the close combat window covering the main entrance passage.

R120 plan.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 artillery observation post
The way out of the R120 and it would have gone into an extensive trench system now covered over.

R120 plan.

Varde plan.

A trench system.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 bunker cupola 441P01 type.
A very strong steel cupola with six embrasures and a periscope in the top. A fortress machine gun mounting could fire through all the embrasures with special blanking fittings to fit into the embrasures not in use.

Blanking plug, hinged and could be swivelled into position.

Blanking plug in a cupola at Ra230 Fort de Cite de Aleth.

A cupola that was used in Cherbourg.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 looking over the bay.

 

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R120 Trenches.
There were many trenches around the Varde defence.

More trenches

Soldiers being inspected.

Digging trenches.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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The trenches linked all the positions..

 

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
This seems to be a rather rare bunker, Holland had six and AOK7 (Normandy & Brittany) nine. A very extensive bunker for such a small gun.

5cm KwK L/42 gun.

Fitted into a casemate.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
Concrete shield looks like its part of a French rifle range. This was one of the firing points.

R653 casemate for a 5cm gun.

Rifle range.

German troops firing on a range.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
Gun room for a 5cm KwK L/42 Pak gun and would have been set into the floor.

R653 casemate plan.

5cm KwK L/42.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
The gun would have sat on the floor here and fired down into the valley covering the inland north - north/east flank.

 

Where the gun would cover.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
Crew room with the close combat window covering the rear entrance, the gas filtration system and the passage to the gas lock and way out.
The yellow arrow shows where and armoured piercing bullet has penetrated the close combat window.

Crew room.

Close combat defence.

Gas filtration system.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
A crushed door. This bunker has been badly damaged either by the French post war or the Americans training for attacking bunkers to help them as they move through Brittany.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
There is a lot of damage done here.

Plan of Varde.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R653 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/42 Gun.
Trench down to a Tobruk and on to the pointe.
Nice trench system allowing the guard to reach the Tobruk in safety.

 

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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The pointe where another smaller fort sat. This was a lookout and small Vauban gun emplacement probably up graded for WW1 and in the 1930's..

French Poilu.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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The pointe lookout.

French officers observing.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Pointe
A French pre war lookout.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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This R622/SK has an extra storage that in other bunkers may have been used for extra water storage.

R622/SK plan

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R622/SK twin group bunker this may just be extra storage space for a water tank.

One of the two entrances

Wasser tank in Wn12 Ouistreham ('Hillman'), Normandy.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm Pak (t).
Another huge block of concrete much too large for the gun it mounts.

Plan of an R505 Casemate for a 4.7cm Pak (t).

Skoda 4.7cm Pak fitting.

Gun room with a 770P4 steel gun fitting in place.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm Pak (t).
Close up of the embrasure. The wall (Mur de flaquement) fell off in 2007.

R505 at Varde.

Casemate with the chute for fired cases to the store below the bunker.

Skoda gun and crew.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm Pak (t).
A 770P4 metal plate.

Below the 770P4 is a tube where spent cases could be passed down into an storage tank..

770P4 from inside where the gun would be attached to..

Skoda 4.7cm Pak(t)

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
Set into the corner of the moat and a large metal plate has been fitted.

R112a six embrasure turret bunker with a metal plate instead of a close combat defence window.

R112a six embrasure turret bunker.

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
Sitting neatly in the corner of the moat, this R511a turret covers the S/E corner and the metal plate below covers the moat in both directions.

The metal plate.

The cupola.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
The cupola or turret a type 35P8.

Hinged blanking plug to cover the open embrasure.

Close off embrasure.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
Asbestos was placed on the inside to insulate from heat & cold.

A gunner in place.

The machine gun mounting

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
The floor with two access holes and centre hole for a periscope.

Periscope.

Image Caption

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
The Set down into the moat.

View to the left.

View strait in front.

Yellow arrows are the views on the left.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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R112a six embrasure turret bunker
This is the casemates entrance and the machine gun fitted into the 78P9 Pz Schartsnplatte an M.G.34 covered both sides of the moat.

Fortress machine gun mounting .

 

 

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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As you walk towards Fort Varde this piece of concrete sits looking out to sea. It may have been the base of a hut?

It looked the same in 1947.

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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La Tour du Bonheur.
I thought it may be part of the defences but after a bit of digging I think its the old base of a tower La Tour du Bonheur.

Cote d'Emeruade
De Rothéneuf à Paramé
Pointe de la Varde
La Tour du Bonheur.

La Tour du Bonheur. .

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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Bombs or heavy shelling of Varde viewed from St-Malo..

Ra109 Pointe de la Varde.

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© 2013 Richard Drew