StP111 Port de St-Vaast,
K.V.U.Gruppe Barfleur,
K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost,
KVR J1, Normandy.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Defence of a small port.

R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK gun..

R622SK twin group bunker..

M.G. bunkers.

Vf69 mortar Tobruk..

8.14cm Gr.W278(f).

2 x Tobruk's and two defence Tobruks attached to the R622.

.

Port de St-Vaast

Details

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.

 

 

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Plan.
1 x R667 casemate.
1 x R622 SK twin group bunker.
2 x Vf/M.G. emplacements.
2 x Tobruk's (Vf8?).
3 x SK Abri.
1 x 5cm KwK.

Abri- Shelter.

Bf/Vf.69.

A cut away model of a Vf.69..

81mm mortar and crew.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Abri on the left and a Tobruk on the right.
Abri - Shelter.

Plan.

Possibly a Vf8 type.

 

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Abri with defence embrasures.

Plan.

 

 

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Possibly a Vf8 type.
I am not very good identifying Tubruk's, they are a nightmare.

Plan..

Possibly a Vf8 type.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Anti tank block stopping any access from the sea.

Plan.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Extended sea wall and block with a small shelter on the right.

Plan..

.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Shelter.

Plan..

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Further along another shelter.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Inside the shelter.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Another strengthened wall by the house.

Plan.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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This is the lovely old house. It was empty for a while.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Parts of its wall.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Part of the sea wall with hooks in to attach barbed wire,

 

 

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
The gun was originally fitted into Mk.IV tanks. They started to be out gunned, so a 7.5cm Pak gun was found could replace them. That left quite a lot of 5cm KwK guns, so they were sent to the Atlantikwall as an antitank gun and anti ship gun. Ideal on a beach head. With a muzzle break added, this uprated the original gun and made it easily take out Allied tanks and Allied landing craft on D-Day.

KwK - Kampfwagenkanone - Tank Gun.

Plan..

Mk.IV Tank.

Fitted into an open ringstand..

Muzzle break.

 

 

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
Side view.

5cm shells.

Where to shoot at a Sherman tank.

The gun as it was fitted into the tank..

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
Note the camouflage in the concrete. The guns embrasure is behind the steps. Also the flanking wall shows up well here.

Plan.

What it would have looked like inside the gun room.

The rear entrance, now all covered up..

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
Another view of the front of the casemate.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.

Plan..

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.

 

 

 

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Plans of a standard R622 and the R622SK here.
R622 was destined in 1942 as accommodation for 2 'groupen' bunker and usually held about 20 men. The two rooms had heating and ventilation gas filter. There were niches for up to four radio aerials to be installed if need be, an escape route out. Two 434Po1 armoured steel doors, two 19P7 steel doors (all gas tight) and two 483p2 close combat defence embrasures.

Here we have an R622SK, SK 'standing' for 'Sonderkonstruktionen' or special (different). Here two rooms were added. One for extra space and the second for a water citerne. Also an added escape, a periscope and one extra 19P7 door. Also outside a second defence Tobruk was added.

CCD - Close combat defence embrasure.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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This is a video clip the opening up of the bunker after many years sealed. In French but worth seeing.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Part of one of the escapes from inside.

Escape.

410P9 escape door.

The shutters inside the tunnel..

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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The fisherman's chapel.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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There was a block of some kind across this entrance up the slipway, there are several methods that could be used, one is to link together several Belgian Gates. These were a semi mobile gate that was on steel rollers and could be pulled by a horse. They could be used singly or in multiples, by passing a steel rod between links on the sides. I am presuming that is what was here.

Plan.

Belgian gates.

The links on one side correspond to the ones on the other, so by placing them side to side and a stool rod passed through, the make a formidable obstacle.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

Details

In the centre is this concrete block, now used by the shipwrights today as an anchor point.
You can see the four rings that could be used to attach a Belgian gate to it by a long steel bar.

I counted eight in this picture, but that does not show the full extent, it was much more.

Belgian Gate..

Positioning with a horse.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Block.
Looking out into the harbour.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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Fishermen selling their fish, turn of the century.

StP111 Port de St-Vaast

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franceinfo: "On avait l'impression de descendre dans une grotte" : l'étonnante découverte d'un bunker oublié dans le Cotentin.

© 2013 Richard Drew