Wn302 Fort d´Omonville, K.V.U.Gruppe Joburg, K.V.Gruppe Periers.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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1 x Vf/Skoda fortress bunker.
1 x SK/MG Schartenstand.
1 Vf/MG Stand.
1 x 4.7cm Pak K.36(t).

4.7cm Pak K.36(t).

Guns fortress embrasure.

Vf/Skoda fortress bunker how it may have looked.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Fort d´Omonville Corps de Garde Type 1846. Trying to do my research, not easy but I think this is the smaller type. No3 20Hommes 4 cannon. The larger version below has one floor with large arched rooms. A flat roof with crenelated walls to fire over. A drawbridge entrance and outside areas for cannons to be laid out.

Corps de Garde

Corps de Garde plan.

Inside a fort of this design.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The road in lined with German barbed wire picket posts ''Eisenpfahel ''.

''Eisenpfahel ''.

Barbed wire.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The fort set on a small promontory with a large hill behind. A curtain wall has been built climbing the hill and a lookout placed on the top. All this is prior to WW1 period, wars against the English mostly. They were so troublesome lot always trying to get France back for themselves. Corps de Garde were the part of the French army that protected its vast coast and borders. There are many of these forts all around the coast. I have seen a small lookout near Boulogne-sur-Mer to lovely castle type forts in Brittany. On the Utah beach area are many small forts also turned into Wn defences by the Germans.

Guard Post, Douane. Stp161 Bumerang, Cap Gris Nez

StP18 Quinéville le Bours Neuf le Havre,

Lo362 Fort de Port Puce StP Gavres.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The main gate with a defence in the corner.

Guard.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The defence on the left of the gate.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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SK/MG Schartenstand.
Interestingly there is a gun fitting for a 4.7cm Pak K.36(t) on the grass bank and this may have been Vf/Skoda fortress bunker or maybe that could be further over??

 

 

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Gun fitting for a 4.7cm Pak K.36(t) still set into the embrasure door..

4.7cm Pak K.36(t).

4.7cm Pak K.36(t) plan fitting into the embrasure door..

The embrasure door could be hinged inside to leave a large embrasure to view out or fire if the gun was disabled.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The fort. It would have had a flat roof, crenellated to allow troops to fire rifles from the roof.

Plan of a Corps de Guarde fort.

Pre WW1 French soldiers.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Now this maybe the rear entrance to the 4.7cm Pak K.36(t)

Wn10's Vf/Skoda fortress bunker.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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A long walk up the hill.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Eisenpfahel - Iron pile or Iron post.
German Eisenpfahel barbed wire posts, either still in place or re used by the farmer. Dig a hole, place the lower square plate in hole, re fill the earth. Tamp it down with your boot and its secure, ready for barbed wire. Very hard to get back out of the ground at a later date.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Vf/MG Stand on the curtain wall.

 

 

 

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Defensive rifle embrasures in the curtain wall.

 

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Vf/MG Stand on the hill.

Vf/MG Stand on the hill.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The walk along the GR223 coast path. John clearing the way for me. I employ him to do this.

Here he is in 2007 doing the hedge clearing.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Still going but he is getting out of puff.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Vf/MG Stand.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Vf/MG Stand.

Mg34.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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More ''Eisenpfahel ''.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Rommel’s Asparagus. These are made of concrete, some were made locally but also a large number were manufactured in the Paris concrete works now redundant from their usual productions and turned over to war work.

Rommel´s Asparagus beach defences being taken to the beach.

Starting assembly.

Assembling Rommel’s Asparagus. It looks as though it takes six men to achieve this.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Pointe de Jardeheu Wn304a.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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The views towards Castel Vendon.

Wn302 Fort d´Omonville

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Jean-François Millet painter from Greville in the Hague has inspired great painters and the very first of them to admire and be inspired by Van Gogh. This picture is in the Orsay museum has been "renovated" works of the Cotentin.

© 2013 Richard Drew