StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
INFORMATION:
Î'ile de Ré is situated just off the coast of La Rochelle. To get onto the island there is a toll to pay over the bridge.
Marine Artillerie Abteilung.
7.5cm F.K.231(f).
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
StP Ro426 Karla .
Occupied by the 5a/le.MA.A.A.686. (Marine Artillerie Abteilung).
(LEICHTE MARINE-ARTILLERIE-ABTEILUNG 686)
2 x R612 casemates.
1 x Vf58c Tobruk.
2 x Vf bunkers.
2 x 7.5cm F.K.231(f).
2 x 2cm Flak30.
1 x 60cm searchlight.
3 x machine gun positions.
Fortifications sur L'ile de Re, Chazette.
Wooden style hutting used by the troops.
7.5cm F.K.231(f).
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
An SHM air photo showing the two R612 casemates.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Set into the sand dunes a small bunker with steps down to one room.
Field kitchen.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Set into the sand dunes a small bunker with steps down to one room, possibly one of the two Vf bunkers.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Window and a door leading into the room.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Plan of the STP with a Tobruk to the north, a small bunker/room under ground and two x R612 casemates.
On the roof of the northern R612 casemate was a 2cm Flak sitting on the roof. The second was set in sand dunes to the south. Both could be used as anti-aircraft or anti-landing defence. Originally the two field guns may have been in open ringstands and when the casemates were built, a small roadway between the ringstand and the casemate was added and the guns could be used in either. To the south of the position another 2cm Flak gun and a searchlight. The searchlight could be used at night to light up targets or to search for aircraft. Then with a Tobruk defence in the north and at least three machine gun positions and an observation post in the south.
Tobruk being used as observation and defence.
60cm searchlight.
2cm Flak.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Machine gun niche.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
R612 casemate.
Plan.
R612 with a 2cm Flak on the roof.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
R612 casemate. The lip over the embrasure is to allow the rain to run around the opening. A nice flanking wall that has now been removed and no sign of the Flak gun.
R612 casemate.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Looking very battered.
7.5cm F.K.231(f).
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
The gun room with the exhaust that sucks foul air out of the gun room via a fan in the small ammunition room behind.
Pipe work through a bunker.
Extraction fan.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
R612 casemate + Flak.
2cm Flak on bunker roof.
2cm Flak.
Ammunition magazines.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
R612 casemate rear steel door type 753P3.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
The second R612 casemate.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Both have lost their flanking walls.
R612 casemate plan.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
A very odd construction, probably built by the Marines that were stationed here, it looks to be a small bunker and a wall, possibly to mount a machine gun on and a small bunker to keep the machine gun safe and ammunition.
R612 casemate plan.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
There seems to be access from above.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
The view down the beach the field gun was defending. There were several machine guns, an observation post and a searchlight.
7.5cm FK 231(f) a French captured gun.
60cm searchlight.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
Hooks to hold camouflage netting in place.
StP Ro426 'Karla', St-Clément des Baleines
© 2013 Richard Drew