Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

Details

Part of the Cherbourg outer ring defence, this machine gun bunker covers a bare hillside on the east side of Maupertus airport or as it was called then StP Theville Flugplatz at the time. Behind the casemate are four Tobruk's covering the back of the bunker.

image

R630 machine gun casemate with armoured plate.

image

Inside an R630 type casemate.

image

Steel plate being fitted.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

Details

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
Google

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Plan

Details

About a five man crew for the casemate & eight men to crew the Tobruks.
1 x R630 casemate
4 x Vf58c Tobruk's

image

details

image

Two man crew, one for the machine gun and the other to manage the ammunition supply.

image

Crew in an R630 casemate.
Commander.
Gunner.
Ammunition man.
Tobruk crew (gunner/observation)
Close combat defence covering the rear door.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
1958 Remonter Le Temps

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Plan

Details

1958 photo showing how the field system worked with the R630 covering the N/E side of the field. The Tobruks can fire grazing fire at knee height over a 360° around their position.

image

R630 Plan.

image

Vf38c type Tobruk.

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
German defence plan

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Plan

Details

The 200 numbers are the main Cherbourg See defence.
The 400 numbers are the Cherbourg outer ring defence.
The 500 numbers are the defences between the See and the outer ring. HQ, Flak, etc.

image

 

image

 

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
SHM

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Defence

Details

The size of the Cherbourg defence, there was also many anti-tank ditches built covering the eastern, southern & western approaches to the city.

image

Plan of how to build an anti-tank ditch.

image

Water filled ditch.

image

Road block.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

To the left side is the gun room shooting to the left and the right side is the entrance into the casemate.

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Left door to the Tobruk defence/observation. The next door is the entrance to the casemate.

image

Plan.

image
image

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Left door to the Tobruk defence/observation. The next door is the entrance to the casemate.

image

The two yellow arrows.

image

 

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Back wall and escape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Escape plan

image

Plan of escape (yellow).

image

The two design's of escapes, here this one is the square type.

image

Looking up an escape tunnel.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Frontal view of the machine gun embrasure.

image

Plan.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Side view of the machine gun embrasure.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Bolts cut off that held the steel plate in place.

image

455P01 metal plate.

image

Observation slot.

image

Gun commanders viewing slot.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Gun room.

image

Gunner in position.

image

A large steel bolt to hold the metal plate in place and then it was concreted in.

image

Plan.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Ammunition room viewed from the crew room. The door on the left is into the gun room..

image

Plan.

image

 

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Door into the Tobruk.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Entrance into the bunker.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

The door way into a lobby, on the right is a fitting for a radio aerial. Not always fitted. Over the years I have noticed many seem not to be fitted, but some have earth strips in place and I feel they were the only ones fitted. There would have been a field telephone link with maybe the Tobruk's and a small HQ.

image

Plan.

image

Aerial in the slot.

image

Bunker phone (MKB Bunkertour).

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Crew room. This is where the crew would sleep and eat. There was a bunker heater that could burn coal or wood that food could be cooked on and also to heat the room, bunks attached to the walls that could fold down to make more space. A ventilations system to allow fresh filtered air against a gas attack inside and even smoke filters if there was heavy smoke outside. Manually turned or if there was electricity, then that could be used.
On the left wall is the escape tunnel which we saw outside earlier, then the door in from the lobby. Next the ventilation system with the six bolts on the wall. Next the close combat defence embrasure. A machine gun/sub machine gun or even a rifle/pistol could fire through here at any enemy trying to enter down the steps.,

image

Plan crew room..

image

410p9 escape door..

image

19P7 door.

image

Heers-Einheits-Schutzlüfter1, 2m.

image

483P2 close combat embrasure.

image

Bunker beds..

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Close combat room covering the entrance with a 48P8 embrasure.

image

48P8 embrasure.

image

 

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

4ML01 air compensator, allows the air pressure to equalise after a close explosion.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
R630

Details

Looking at the area the gun would have covered.

image

 

image

 

image

 

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Tobruk

Details

All the Tobruk's should be Vf58c type..

image

Map.

image

Vf58c or Bf58c two ways these can be named.

image

Elevation.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Tobruk

Details

Tobruk.

image

details

image

Used as an observation.

image

With a shield.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Tobruk

Details

Tobruk.

image

details

image

With a rifle.

image

AA position.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Tobruk

Details

Tobruk.

image

details

image

With a heavy machine gun.

Wn414 Sud de la Rue

image
22 December 2004

Information

Wn414 Sud de la Rue
Flugplatz

Details