StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute is situated in an area of salt flats and tidal marshes. The sea has receded since 1944 and what was on the beach is now well inland. You can drive in and there is a large car park and walking around is OK but some of the undergrowth is very thick and some items are hard to find.
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1./ Grenadier Regiment 736 Stab.
1 x Vf/Skoda casemate.
2 x L413
Ammunition bunker for 3.7cm AA batterie.
1 x R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with group shelter.
1 x R506c Casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
1 x R506d
Casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
1 x Vf/MG.
1 x R669 Casemate for field guns (60°).
3 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Vf1a
Shelter for six men.
3 x Vf2a Group shelter.
1 x Vf6a Observation post, shrapnel-proof.
2 x Vf3/SK Square MG pill box.
1 x Flakstellung.
1 Ringstand Pz. T FT17 tank turret.
1 x Vf/Gr.W.
3 x 4.7cm Pak K.36(t).
1 x 7.5cm F.K.
1 x 3.7cm Flak18.
Undergrowth.
1./ Grenadier Regiment 736.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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A 1940's air photo showing many of the features. The Redoute was a French fort covering the east side of the Orne estuary and on the other bank in Ouistreham there is another Redoute turned into housing. A large ant-tank ditch covers the rear of the Wn and some very early style bunkers in use here.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Tobruk defence.
Right on the waters edge this Tobruk helped cover the left flank of the defence. It would have had sand almost covering it and just the rim showing.
Plan.
How the Tobruk may have looked.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Tobruk defence.
Getting rather stormy.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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This maybe an R504 gun garage.
We did not get close to it but this boy seems to have found it.
Plan.
R504 gun garage with an attached group shelter.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
A 7.5cm F.K.38 was assigned to this casemate and would have completely covered the Orne estuary locks and port area.
Plan.
7.5cm F.K.38, they used old or captured guns in these casemates and crewed by the infantry stationed here.
R669 casemate plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
Being an important gun covering the estuary, it would have become an important target for allied naval and air artillery and it looks as though it did.
The Allied Bigot intelligence map showing the R669 and possibly the Tobruk or a Skoda gun that was around here.
R669 plan showing is 60° gun traverse.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
The rear entrance with two ammunition niches each side.
R669 plan also showing the pipe work to remove foul gases when the gun is fired.
The gases were sucked into the roof vents, through pipes built into the concrete and led out to a vent at the rear.
Armoured extraction vent. Nearly always set at an angle for some odd reason.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
Splinters in the roof.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
Gun room where the 7.5cm gun would sit.
Gun room as it may have looked.
Cordite powder box.
7.5cm ammunition.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
Now covered in undergrowth, but in 1944 it would gave had a very good field of fire of 60°.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
Painted on the walls are quick reminders of the main features that can be seen through the embrasure. A very handy and quick method of targeting your gun and used on many bunkers.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
A close-up showing the channel of the Orne and the fingers of the two Moles with a marker tower on the end which would have had a navigation marker lit when ships were entering or leaving the port.
2000meters.
Left --- casemate.
Right - Mole.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R669 casemate for a field gun.
On the other-side you have the lighthouse, town and church.
ZF 20E sights for a field gun.
Quadrant for an 8.8cm F.H.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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On the other-side you have the lighthouse, town and church.
Lighthouse 1675meters, town 1727meters and church 2550meters.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute wild life.
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Left --- R504.
Right - R506c.
The view of the Wn and you can see how hard it is to find everything.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
This is a gun garage stored in safety a 4.7cm Pak K36(t) gun. Earth/sand would be banked up to the door so a gun could be wheeled in and out easily.
Plan.
R504 Anti-tank garage with two crew rooms.
4.7cm Pak being pushed out of its garage.
Inside the garage where the gun sat..
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
The hinges all that is left of the double steel door.
Pak garage.
This looks very like an R504 garage with small steel doors.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
The two grooves each side for the wheels of the gun to run in and then onto two steel channel runners sitting on two or more brick piers and then resting on the ones on the far wall. If you look on the far wall is a recess for the barrel of the gun to sit.
An elevation of an R504 garage with the steel runners resting on block piers.
The steel channel to run the gun along.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
Passage/gas lock.
Plan.
Helmets and gas masks on a shelf.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
Close combat embrasure.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
Close combat embrasure.
It may have been a small 57P8 type.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
Crew room. Note the hooks on the ceiling to hang beds from.
Plan.
Crew room in daytime.
Crew room at night.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
Close up of the bed hooks.
Three high, they can be unhooked and folded up against the wall to make more space for the crew.
Plan of a bed.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter.
Gas lock and large close combat embrasure that would be bolted onto the square hole in the concrete.
Plan.
This could be the type of close combat embrasure that can be bolted on. A 422P01
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
This is a huge bunker with gun room, crew room and ammunition room with a flanking wall and a Tobruk defence.
Plan.
Plan.
Elevation showing the gun room & ammunition room. Also the pit in front of the gun for spent ammunition shell cases can be stored until after the battle and stops them getting under the feet of the gunners.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
The guns embrasure, flanking wall on the left and Tobruk on the right. This is an early model 1939, later models used a lot less concrete.
4.7cm ammunition.
Inside a Skoda bunker, the slot on the left is a viewing slot for the gun commander.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
770P4 embrasure for a 4.7cm Pak K.36(t) gun. An outer shield (now removed) could be wound up by a geared handle (its a heavy plate) or lowered to fire the fortress type Skoda gun.
Open ready to fire.
Half closed.
Closed off and protected..
Raising and lowering handle next to the gun.
Raising and lowering handle next to the gun.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
Gun room. The door to the ammunition room and the right door is into the crew room.
Plan.
A plan of the embrasure from inside of a Skoda 4.7cm Pak fortress gun.
Skoda 4.7cm gun and crew.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
Tobruk defence.
Tobruk defence.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
Rear entrance covered by a close combat embrasure where a machine gun would cover the entrance from attack.
Close combat in use.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
A direct hit??
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Anti-tank wall.
This is where the sea should be.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Anti-tank wall.
Where steel screw type pickets were set into the concrete and barbed wire attached.
Screw pickets.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf6a Observation post.
This was the fire direction post for the battery a Wn01 Merville, B.-St 1./A.R.1716.
Plan.
Plan.
Wn01 Merville batterie.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf6a Observation post.
A 1942 model observation post for a field artillery batterie. A very small observation room and a larger crew room behind.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf6a Observation post.
The small escape which would have had a square or half round wall built up the side of the bunker and sand would have covered up almost to the roof. There are still iron ladder rungs going up the wall.
The different types of walls around an escape.
Emergency escape plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf6a Observation post.
Looking into the escape from outside. We did not go inside, some of these bunkers can be very unsavory here.
The shutters that fitted into the outer slots.
410P9 escape as proof door.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf6a Observation post.
The roof which looks as though a tar coating to seal the concrete and sad would have covered over it. The hooks were to attach a camouflage net covering the entrance.
Camouflage netting being hung off a bunker.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf6a Observation post.
It looks as though it took quite a battering. It would have been targeted on D-Day to help silence the Merville batterie.
HMS Arethusa was directed to fire in this area.
HMS Arethusa, HMS Danae and HMS Mauritius sailing for D-Day.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak.
Not at all sure what this bunker is/was????
Details2
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak.
Tobruk.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak.
The view through a crack in a door.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak.
The added concrete camouflage plastered on the top of the bunker walls.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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De la Redoute.
La Redoute Merville
Since 1984, an older fortification mobilizes the efforts of an association of enthusiasts and public authorities: the Redoute de Merville, listed as historical monuments. This little horseshoe-shaped fortress belonged to a set of three carrying artillery, built in 1779-1780 around the estuary to strengthen defences against England. La Redoute was then surrounded by the high tide. Tour occupied and abandoned tower inserted into the device's Atlantic wall and then abandoned and buried under the sand, it is the subject of an ambitious restoration program.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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De la Redoute.
Main gate.
French soldiers.
French Infantry.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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De la Redoute.
The view through the gate at the U Type Tobruk for a 3.7cm KwK144(f).
F.T. 3.7cm KwK144(f) turret in a U Type Tobruk.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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De la Redoute.
U Type Tobruk for a 3.7cm KwK144(f).
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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De la Redoute.
Left ----- MD 8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) Mortar Tobruk.
Middle - U type Tobruk.
Right ---
8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) Mortar in an open position.
Mortar Tobruk with an ammunition storage behind.
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81mm mortar Tobruk.
/278_14cm_gr_w_278(f)100.jpg)
8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) Mortar.
8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) Mortar.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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This could be an L413.
L413 ammunition storage for a 3.7cm Flak 38.
L413 plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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On the horizon you can just see a Vf3 MG Stand.
I would think its a position with a telephone link to the local HQ and it was used as a lookout all over the Wn and could if needed become a machine gun bunker to defend its self.
Plan.
Vf3 MG Stand.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf3 MG Stand.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf3 MG Stand.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf3 MG Stand entrance.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf3 MG Stand.
Emergency escape. This would have to be broken open from inside to escape if the main door became blocked.
How it may have looked.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf3 MG Stand.
Main door and the left the escape hatch.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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I am not sure what this was the books say a Soute (hold translated) it may have been a French gun position when France extended its Maginot line around the coast after WW1 and a field gun may have used it as a Ringstand.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Possibly a Vf2a.
A Gruppe shelter.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Possibly a Vf2a.
Entrance to the passage.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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Vf2a passage way with the entrance to the bunker on the right.
Plan.
StP05 Franceville West Redoute
31 November 2010
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StP05 Franceville West Redoute
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France
Great Britain
