Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Vauville is a village on the west coast of the Cherbourg peninsula.

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1 x 5cm KwK Pak in a ringstand.

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2 x 4.7cm Skoda (t) Pak guns.

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8.14cm GrW 34 mortar, it could engage targets out to 2.4 km.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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German plan of the defence

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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_-_-_ = Minefields.

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Laying mines on a beach.

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Laying mines in a field.

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Teller mine.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Plan

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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2 x R676 casemate.
3 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Vf69 mortar Tobruk.
1 x 5cm Nr1694 ringstand.
2 x 4.7cm Pak K.36(t) Pak.
3 x Unterstand (one found).
8.14cm GrW34 (f) Mortar.

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R676 casemate for a 4.7 Skoda (t) Pak gun.

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Nr1694 ringstand for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.

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Vf51 Unterstand that may be like the ones here. Another type is an FA Unterstand.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Dunes de Biville.
Looking down at Dunes de Biville towards Wn317 from the view point near Camp Maneyrol, Aerodrome de Vauville. This was a very large minefield running down the coast.

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Laying mines.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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The view from the right is directly at Wn315 Vauville le Fort and to the north Wn314 La Creque.

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Plan.

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Wn314 Machine Gun - Pilz.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Car park on the beach.
The large mound on the left is an R676 casemate, on the right the remains of a 5cm KwK ringstand. We cannot see into this bunker as its covered over in earth and grass.

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R676 casemate for a 4.7cm Pak (t).

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Gunner and commander, there may have been one more, a loader.

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Commender looking out of his viewing slit.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Allied intelligence plan of the casemate

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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An Allied plan of an R676 casemate with a staggered entrance and a gun room, ammunition storage down one side of the room..

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R676 casemate for a 4.7cm Pak (t).

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View inside at the gun fittings.

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The embrasure where the gun points out, a very short barrel as a steel shutter can be lowered down to protect the barrel/embrasure from direct fire.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Allied intelligence plan of the casemate

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Allied plan, elevation. Showing the pit in the front to allow fired cases to drop down after shooting. A way of storage whilst a battle is progressing.

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The gun fires and the shell case passes into a collecting bag and down a shoot out of the casemate an dropping down into the case storage pit..

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Shell & case 4.7cm.

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Shell 4.7cm.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casemate the view of the front of the casemate, now covered in sand and grass. The flanking wall covering the embrasure from direct fire from the sea.

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Embrasure outside.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MKB Bunkersite's plan of a periscope.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casemate one other feature is the periscope, not all had them, but this one seems to have.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

MKB Bunkertour

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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5cm KwK L/42 anti-tank gun ringstand.
Between the R676 and the car park is this tipped up 5cm KwK anti-tank gun. The two casemates were covering the north and south beaches and this 5cm gun would have covered the gap between.

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Nr1694 ringstand.

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5cm L/60 in an Nr1694 ringstand.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Beach obstacles.
A new use for old concrete beach obstacles, reused as sea defences to hold back the sand bank.

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Assembling the Rommel’s Asparagus, named due to the fact they were springing u like Asparagus shoots.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Bf69 mortar Tobruk is a double Tobruk, one for he observer and the second for the mortar and crew.

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Bf69 mortar Tobruk. Main mortar Tobruk, observation Tobruk, enterance and an ammunition store.

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8.14cm GrW34 (f) Mortar made originally by Brandt a French company, so many were captured and then re used. They were an excellent mortar and could fire out to targets up-to 2.4 km.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Mortar Tobruk Bf69.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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The mortar Tobruk.

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Observation watching for the fall of shot to shout adjustments to the mortar crew.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Mortar Tobruk Bf69.
The mortar Tobruk, note the inner lip to allow the mortar shells to pass out at their lowest angle.

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Inside the mortar Tobruk.

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8.14cm GrW34 (f) Mortar

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Mortar Tobruk Bf69.
Looking into the entrance and ammunition room.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Mortar Tobruk Bf69.
Two views of a mortar Tobruk at Fort Joret showing the entrance with the mortar room to the left and the Tobruk observation t the right and the second picture is the ammunition room.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Le Fort Vauville this is a lovely little place, it would have held a small garrison to help protect this shore line from who else but the 'English'.

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English Red Coats.

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French infantry of the time.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Part of the Fort is this very small house set behind the Fort.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Vf58c Tobruk covering the rear of the defence.

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Plan.

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Vf58c Tobruk covered the right flank and forward out to sea. Its very unique camouflage covering the rear to make it look like part of a wall.

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Plan.

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Plan & elevation of a Vf58c Tobruk.

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Plan.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Vf58c Tobruk covered the right flank and forward out to sea.

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Plan.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casemate was open so we could enter.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How it should have looked

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casematehe front embrasure with the fittings now broken off, probably for scrap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Archive phto.

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The raising of the shutter covering the embrasure.

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Internal handle to raise and close the shutter.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casemate most has now been removed L to R the ammunition storage area of niche, vent to allow smoke/fumes to exit the gun room, the embrasure for the gun and mounting, slit for the guns commander to view, the space for the mechanism to raise and lower the shutter.

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How it would have looked with the shutter mechanism above the gun.

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Gun commander.

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Viewing slot.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casemate the view of the beach ahead.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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R676 casemate Artistic licence.

 

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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SHM---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SHM

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Le Fort SHM
This is a picture taken for the French military after the war of most of the German defences. Here it shows the Fort and the casemate behind with its rear entrance and the small house on the right.

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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With thanks to Jean-Pierre Gabriel

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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Unterstand.
There were three understands this looks very like one and now sits on the edge of the camping site.

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Alarm!

Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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24 October 2004

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Wn315 Vauville le Fort

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