Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.
StP Gruppe Le Tréport,
K.V.A. 'E1', Haute-Normandie.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Situated on the top of the cliff.
3./H.K.A.R1252.
4 x R671 Casemates.
1 x R636A Command post or army coastal batterie.
2 x R502 Twin group shelter.
2 x R607 Ammunition bunker II.
1 x R134 Ammunition bunker I.
1 x R621 Group shelter.
2 x R612 Casemate.
1 x Vf6b Observation post, bomb proof.
2 x R600b Ringstand for 5cm KwK.
1 x Kabelbrunnen (cable bunker).
4 x Vf58c Tobruk.
9 x Feldm shelter.
5 x Wellblech shelter.
4 x 10.5cm K.35(t).
3 x 2cm Flak 30.
2 x 5cm KwK38.
2 x 2.5cm Pak 112(f).
1 x 7.62cm F.K.39.

R671 casemate.

10.5cm K.35(t).

Fire control post R636a.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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3./H.K.A.R1252 a four gun battery of 10.5cm K.35(t). The gun has quite a a long barrel that when towed the barrel is drawn back to shorten the carriage.

10.5cm K.35(t).

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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This was a large site, a case-mated gun battery, a flak site and a defensive position.
Underneath that large mound of earth around the Notre-Dame-de-la-Falaise is an R671 now covered in earth and the monument is sat on the top.

Plan showing how extensive this site was and where the only R671 remains.

R671 casemate.

R671 at Wn22 Mt Coquerel H.K.B. Normandy.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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The main battery site was the four R671 casemates and the R636a fire control post. Then the accommodation bunkers R502, the odd Wellblech and Feldm. Two large ammunition bunkers R134 & later design R607. Defence positions, an R612, R600b with its 5cm gun, lots of Vf58c Tobruk's and a flak battery of 2cm Flak 30.

9 USAAF 2000ft 18 June 1945.

R612 casemate.

7.62cm Field Kannon 39.

 

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.
The long bank with a small opening is a Feldm.

Details

Feldmassige - Curved plate shelter.

Plan.

 

2cm Flak 30.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Vf6b Observation post, bomb proof.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Vf6b Observation post, bomb proof.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Vf6b Observation post, bomb proof.
Viewing slot.

The escape.

M134 ammunition bunker.

Vf58c

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Vf6b Observation post, bomb proof.
The added concrete camouflage to the walls.

This is a soldier at Mers-les-Bains looking out to sea.

This is a soldier at Mers-les-Bains looking out to sea.

This is a soldier at Mers-les-Bains looking out to sea.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R612 Casemate for an assault gun.
7.62cm F.K. (Field Kannon) 39 a standard horse drawn battery gun here used as an anti shipping or anti tank roll. They were very effective in Normandie at the time of the invasion when protected by their bunkers..

Plan.

7.62cm F.K. 39.

 

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R612 Casemate for an assault gun.
Looking from the roof at the range of the gun covering he slope of the hill.

Powder charges.

 

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Barbed Wire Defence Post.

Eisenpfahel.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R612 from behind.
Rear door with and the extractor vent. The gun would have been placed inside and the earth pushed back to make a trench entrance.

 

 

7.62cm ammunition.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R612 Casemate inside.
Ammunition niche can be seen on the left side and the rest now full of rubbish.

Image Caption

R612 plan showing its two ammunition niches at the rear and they would have been shells on one side and powder charges in the other.

Ammunition storage.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R612 Casemate inside.
The view through the embrasure.

Ammunition box.

Powder charges.

 

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Field position.
Not always do you find the original field bunker behind the casemate. This was possibly placed here just after the Channel ports were captured and then up-graded after 1942.

How it may have looked.

 

Field kitchen.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Field position.
It looks as though it took a direct hit if there was much ground fighting when the Canadians came through.

 

 

S Mine box.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Casemate & field position.
Both well sighted down the slope.

 

 

Kabelbrunnen connection box for field telephones, there was/is one by the cemetery wall.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Field position.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Trench leaving the bunkers up the hill.

 

Early on in the war it would have been Blenheims that pestered them.

Later low level Spitfires would make daily raids across the channel.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Screw picket for barbed wire.
Almost as if it was left there for us?

Screw picket with its barbed wire.

Much later on in the war Lancaster's and Halifax's made heavy raids on seaward defences on the run up to D-day. Two attacks outside the D-day area to every one inside.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Trench system working its way up the hill.

 

 

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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We did not go any higher up the hill than the R621 which we found the attached Tobruk, but beyond is the R636a & the R671. 'Next time'.
There are several bunkers up here on the hill and I have marked them out. Many I would think were either not built or were removed at the end of the war.

R671 casemate

Plan R671.

10.5cm K.35(t).

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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MKB Bunkertour's plan of the R636a.
Command post for an army coastal batterie. Crew room, computing room, Officers room, wireless room, communications & entrance defence.

R636a Command Post.

Plan R671.

10.5cm K.35(t).

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R621 Group bunker.
A bunker for a section of infantry or a guns crew, here it may have been the crew of the R612 as there is an R134 munitions bunker between them?

R621 group bunker with an attached Tobruk.

M134 ammunition bunker.

R134 ammunition bunker at StP Louise, Dunkirk. The one here is right on the cliff edge and sunken level to the ground which was a Hitler directive.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R621 Tobruk.
Nice camouflage.

 

Entrances into an R621 at the rear with the Tobruk first.

 

 

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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R621 Tobruk.
The cutouts in the concrete were to hold the machine-gun racer ring in place.

The machine-gun ring.

 

Inside of a Tobruk.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Now we are around at the cemetery looking up the hill.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Some Feldmassige or Wellblech bunkers.

Plan

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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One.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Two.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Three.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tréport.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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This house is situated behind the first Vf Observation Bunker.
Could it have been an artillery lookout before the bunkers were built?

Inside of a Tobruk.

Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Tre016, Mers les Bains H.K.B.

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Notre-Dame-de-la-Falaise.
There is an R671 underneath Our Lady.
I must go up and see her next time.

© 2013 Richard Drew