Flak Batterie Le Vacheux, Fort Les Monts,
K.V.U.Gruppe Cherbourg Land, Normandy

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Just south of Cherbourg is a French Fort covering the inland side of the ports defences. The Germans placed several 8.8cm AA guns above the fort on the hill, to protect Cherbourg, its defences and the V1 launch sites in this area.

8.8cm Flak.

 

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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The buildings of the old fort below the hill, which now has three remaining 8.8cm AA open ring stand's on the site of where a French army camp stood.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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This air photo shows the batterie position with four or five gun positions. The French administrative buildings and a large ammunition storage area. We did not visit that part.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Although this is called a Fort there seems to be no fortifications as you would have expected. It may have just been an ammunition magazine for other forts in the area.

Crew in barracks.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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A small wall with two ammunition magazines set behind them.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Behind the wall are some French ammunition magazine bunkers, the rounded one dating from the 1930's and very like the ones in the French batteries around the coast.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Looking down at one of the magazines. Ideal to re use these as storage for the 8.8cm ammunition for the Flak batterie.

StP245 Fort des Caplains M.K.B. 'Brommy',

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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To the left a much larger magazine.

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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On the top of the hill is a small plateau we found three AA gun positions for 8.8cm guns. Now I do not know that they were 8.8cm guns, but the emplacements look as though they could take that size of gun and also the Americans talk of 88's shooting at them. (To an American. ALL guns that shot at them were 88's),
There may have been more positions than we found.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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The first concrete emplacement.

Plan.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Looking into the emplacement with a ready ammunition storage around the walls.

 

 

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Looking at the outside wail, showing damaged caused in a battle Also a reinforcing rod bent around to hook a camouflage net too.

 

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Across the hill is No2. Most of the hill has been re-shaped today, the gun positions are still there, but a great road to train drivers has been made through it.

Plan.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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The wall has been broken down to allow the removal of the gun just after the war. The gap to allow access was often closed off with heavy planking or concrete reinforced bars. Ready ammunition slots on the far wall. These make me think that the Flak position was either 8.8cm or 7.5cm. Due to the size of the niches.

The entrance in this picture was covered by boxes, probably filled with earth or sand.

 

Ammunition handling.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Number 3 is not only looking upward at the sky but also has a commanding view of the area to the south.

This is where the Americans advanced up the Cherbourg peninsular to capture the V1 sites and the City. This batterie actually stopped the American advance with it 8.8cm guns commanding the valley below.

Plan.

 

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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The French administrative buildings. This would have been taken over as an administrative building as probably the batterie office. The other buildings as barracks for the men.

Flak crew.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Looking inside one of the rooms.

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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This map was taken from Utah Beach to Cherbourg and shows the fortified ring around the port of Cherbourg. The US Division was working its way along the road, Les Pieux to Cherbourg. It consisted of the 39th Inf Reg on th right, 47th Inf Reg in the centre and the 60th Inf Reg on the left.

 

 

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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An allied plan of the German defences around the Sidoville area with Fort les Monts highlighted. The advance of the 9th Div. is the blue line facing Baudienville, the red circles are the main German defences. X was the position that was attacked by the Flak guns.

 

 

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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The yellow lone is the Cherbourg outer defence line, the red dots are Wn's that may have been defended or were made for defence by maybe a road block, trenches or a position for an anti-tank gun. Some do have almost full deferences as at Wn454 Les Bertrand's est (StP La Vaquerie). Others there is nothing to find. Fort le Vacheux does not even show up on this plan.
X on the plan is where the Americans were stopped by 88mm fire from the Fort.
MF - Mine Fields.
464 - Valtot est.
465 - Baudienville.
466 - Le Vacheux carrefour D122/D152.
467 - Carrefour de la planche Houlbecq est.
468 - Carrefour de la planche Houlbecq ouest.
495 - Carrefour N804/D152.
542 - Virandeville la Cour.
553 - Vaubecques sud.

 

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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This script was taken from Hyper War Utah Beach to Cherbourg , crossroads 114 which I make at Boudretot SW of Sidoville?

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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The attack came in from the left of les Monts towards Bois Du Mont Du Roc, a large wooded hill just inside the defensive ring of Cherbourg.

Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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Flak Batterie Le Vacheux

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© 2013 Richard Drew