Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage + Wn156 Réthoville Village (Church Tower)
Details
The north coast to the east of Cherbourg is probably an area less visited by Atlantikwall visitors, but it actually has quite a lot of very interesting Wn's & StP's. This one on a hot sunny July day was lovely. Sun bathers and families playing Pétanque.
5cm KwK Pak L/42 gun.
Vf58c Tobruk.
60cm searchlight.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Details
Taking the D116 that runs west to Cherbourg and East to Barfleur. Turn off North to Réthoville. Then continue towards La Mer.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Details
La Mer.
Searchlight.
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MF.65 is the minefield laid around this part of the coast.
Batteries around Wn127.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Plan
Details
Troops of the 709th Static Infantry Division. Probably a platoon stationed here.
3 x Ringstands.
2 x Vf51a.
6 x Unterstands.
2 x Vf58c Tobruk's.
1 x Searchlight bunker.
3 x 5cm KwK Pak L/42.
709th Inf Div.
709th Static Infantry Division.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Ringstand
Details
Ringstand for a 5cm KwK Pak L/42 gun.
When the Germans arrived along this coast in 1940, it was wide open. As they did not have the troops to defend it. As the war progressed and the Hitler order to create the Atlantikwall filtered down to the field commanders in the area. Divisions were moved in. They just had field positions, no concrete and were allowed to make their own bunkers & trench systems. Thus here you can find stone made bunkers made by the troops themselves. This is possibly when the (almost British designed ) pillbox may have been added. Then the start of the bunker building plan and small defence positions like Wn127, gradually were allowed more heavy weapons. As they became available. And here, three 5cm KwK Pak L/42´s were issued. The concrete ringstands that were used at the time, were Nr1694. The only protection was a low concrete wall and the guns thin armoured shield. A Tobruk was sighted on both flanks and a searchlight bunker added in the middle. Then the real bunker building started but this Wn was left behind and no heavy gun bunkers were thought necessary. The Infantry became a static division. That meant they were just to defend their immediate area and hold out until re enforcements arrived. The fit and young men were posted out to the Russian front and the recovering wounded and sick were moved into these static divisions. Their fighting quality dropped dramatically, but they only had to defend from fixed positions and that helped.
Plan.
Nr1694 ringstand plan.
This is the trench system that was used there, I have followed an early air photo of the Wn.
5cm KwK Pak L/42 gun.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Ringstand
Details
Ringstand for a 5cm KwK Pak L/42 gun. This looks like it was attacked from a ship at sea with a direct hit. Between D-Day and the capture of Cherbourg. This area came under quite a lot of interest from Allied aircraft & war ships. With two large batteries to the East and the outer ring of the Cherbourg defence to the west, made it an easy target.
An L/42 model with no muzzle break.
5cm ammunition.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
Searchlight Bunker (Stellung Scheinwerfer). With large heavy gun batteries, StP 234 MKB HAMBURG Fermanville Haute to the West and StP 126 MKB Blankensee Neville to the East. Also anther Batterie further East StP 152 Gatteville HKB. So this searchlight may have been used to illuminate sea targets so these batteries could shoot at and also may have been used as an aircraft searchlight.
Plan.
Batteries are the red dots.
Gatteville´s 15.5cm guns in open emplacements, later they were placed in casemates.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
A ramp to bring a searchlight up onto the roof of the bunker.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
The square shaped bunker with a passage down one side and two rooms on the other side.
Bunker plan.
60cm searchlight and crew.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
The ramp to take the Searchlight onto the roof.
Side view.
60cm searchlight.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
The ramp now rather damaged.
8KW generator.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
Up on the roof. This is where the searchlight would have stood.
60cm searchlight.
Search light.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
The other side. I think the two cut outs on the side are for winches to be fitted to be used to draw up the searchlight up the ramp.
Plan.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker
Details
These cut outs I think are for hand winches to be fitted and then the two cables to attach to the searchlight and handles wound and the light drawn up the very steep ramp.
How it may have drawn up the ramp.
Possible winch.
Searchlight.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Beach defence
Details
Rommel’s Asparagus.
Assembling Rommel Asparagus.
s
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Ringstand & Unterstand
Details
5cm KwK ringstand and a small unterstand bunker behind. There were three 5cm guns in Nr1694 emplacements. They would have been open to all the elements and need constant maintenance to stop the workings rusting up.
Nr1694 ringstand plan.
Plan.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Nr1694 ringstand
Details
Now its at right out in the waves, but when it was built, it was quite a way from the sea.
Nr1694 ringstand plan.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Nr1694 ringstand
Details
There are four niches for ready ammunition around the wall of the emplacement.
5cm L/42 KwK Pak in an emplacement.
Nr1694 ringstand plan.
A box of 5cm ammunition, this would have fitted into the niche.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Unterstand
Details
This was probably built by the 5cm KwK ammunition bunker.
details
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Barbed wire
Details
With the high tides and winter storms washing away the beaches, barbed wire and even new bunkers are found.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Vf51a bunker
Details
Vf51a small bunker for nine men sleeping with a a small passage entrance covering the door to the living room.
details
Vf51a.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Vf51a bunker
Details
Side view.
Vf51a.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Vf51a bunker
Details
Passage way.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Vf51a bunker
Details
Living room. Where two rows of beds each side. These beds could be hinged up against the walls and then it leaves a reasonable area for the soldiers to eat and rest.
Nine man bunker inside.
Bunker bed plan.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The third Ringstand
& Pill Box
Details
All that is left of the ringstand is the guns base plate and pivot.
Plan.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The third Ringstand
Details
This is the centre pivot of a 5cm KwK that would have been set into a
Nr1694 ringstand plan.
5cm KwK baseplate.
Betonfundement. Plan of the base plate fitting into concrete base of an Nr1694 ringstand.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Pillbox
Details
There are very few Atlantikwall pillboxes that are very like British types. This one could be seen on any British beach and would not look out of place.
Machine gun ammunition.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Pillbox
Details
Embrasure for a rifle.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Pillbox
Details
Embrasure for a machine gun giving enfilading fire down the beach.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Pillbox
Details
Embrasure for a machine gun giving enfilading fire down the beach and rear door.
A British pillbox.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
A second Vf51a bunker
Details
Details
Vf51a half group bunker.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
A second Vf51a bunker
Details
Heating. Inside was a stove, it has a chimney going out of the roof. A hand grenade could be dropped down the chimney and blow up the soldiers inside. So a new chimney design was used in bunkers and this had a second tube. So a grenade would enter the chimney and then get diverted to outside the bunker and down into a small concrete box that would constrain the blast. The stove was specifically designed to be used in confined spaces and not only heated but could also be cooked on.
details
Wt80 Haas & Sohn bunker heater.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
A second Vf51a bunker
Details
Looking into the room.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
A second Vf51a bunker
Details
The double entrance.
Vf51a half group bunker.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Vf58c Tobruk
Details
There were two Tobruk´s here, but this is the only one remaining. I would think that the other Tobruk was on the western flank.
Vf58c Tobruk.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Details
details
Inside.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Two Unterstands
Details
Back inland are these two Unterstands and a family playing Pétanque.
With the eventual landings on D-Day, the Americans advanced from Utah beach, first to the West coast and then moved North to Cherbourg. As the tightening ring around Cherbourg became obvious to units in the East Cotentin, that they were being pinched out. They gradually moved into the Cherbourg defended area and left their Wn’s to be mopped up by Americans who were clearing out this quarter of the peninsular.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
A rather small Unterstand
Details
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The first of two Unterstands
Details
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The second of two Unterstands
Details
the second Unterstand, just a small square box, possibly used for storage/ammunition or fuel for the electrical generator.
Generator.
Ration packs.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Two Unterstands
Details
Rear door.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Two Unterstands
Details
Not a large place inside.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Eisenpfahel
Details
Eisenpfahel a barbed wire post used in vast numbers along the Atlantikwall and still in use on many French farms.
Eisenpfahel
Eisenpfahel plan. 6´7” long which makes it about 2m.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight bunker
Details
Back to the searchlight bunker. This is the passage that runs through the bunker. There are two rooms to the right, but we could only enter one.
Plan searchlight bunker.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight bunker
Details
Inside the first room. These may have been crew rooms or they could have held a generator.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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Door to the second room.
Plan searchlight bunker.
Wn156 Réthoville Village
18 July 2019
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Wn156 Réthoville Village
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The view towards Réthoville and Wn156 Réthoville Village
Wn156 Réthoville Village
18 July 2019
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Wn156 Réthoville Village
Eglise Saint-Martin
Details
Kriegsmarine, B. Stellen dans le clocher
I believe that the church tower was used as a lookout by the navy and fire control post. Built around XVIIth century but had the balustrade rails removed and a concrete wall placed around it.
B. Stellen = is the B type of concrete strength, in other words probably made by the troops stationed here.
XVIIth century Eglise Saint-Martin.
Balustrade.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019
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Wn127 Réthoville Plage
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France
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