Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont,
K.V.U. Gruppe Percée,
K.V.Gr Bayeux.

Page updated: July 15, 2024

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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A very small Wilderstandsnester sat on the top of a cliff, finding itself on the right flank of one of the largest assault landings in history. The bunkers were of no real army design, just scratch-built, by the men that were stationed here. An observation post for the artillery regiment, two field guns of 7.5cm and made by the Skoda works in Czechoslovakia. Captured by the invading German army and put to use here. One shelter with several rooms and a few concrete ammunition niches, of a type you can often find in Normandy. There was also a trench system and a minefield. The troops here would have felt quite isolated, with Wn63 a walk along the cliff top towards Vierville-sur-Mer. There they would be with friends of the same 9.Grenadier Regiment 726. Or another walk west to the radar site of Wn74a at Pointe de La Percée. They would not have mixed well there, as they were Luftwaffe and Navy crews, not Army. D-Day started for them a little before 24:00 on June 5th. There would have been a lot of aircraft activity, with heavy bombers flying inland to drop dummy parachutes. Then by 05:00-06:00 the main beach bombing offensive would have started here, with USAAF B-24 Liberator bombers coming over at quite a low altitude and dropping many high explosive 1000/500lb bombs. The bombs completely missed them and landed just inland. They had also heard and felt the mass bombing of Stp75 Pointe du Hoc and StP74a Pointe de Percee. Their nerves must have been shredded by now, but they were thankfully missed by all this. Then the beach-drenching barrage from Battleships to rocket-carrying landing craft. They probably received very little fire as they were not exactly the target for D-Day. Dog Green was the main target on their right side and they were in Charlie sector and anyway the Americans were not going to assault a cliff edge, were they. Thirty minutes later when it went quiet and standing at action stations. With their 7.5's cm guns loaded, rifles and machine guns cocked. They watched hundreds of small landing craft on a five-mile front advancing slowly towards the beaches from Dog to Fox Beach (The Allied code names). A few landing craft would have entered their area, within the range of their guns and they would have opened fire. They had a good supply of ammunition, so why not 'let fly' at anything passing. They must have made a nuisance of themselves. As some of their positions were hit by what looked like naval fire from passing destroyers that were heading close to the beaches. These were to help out the infantry stuck on the sand and water's edge that morning of D-Day. As the ships swung in on their run-through, they would have started to fire on any target of opportunity. It was then the garrison started to take some damage. One of the two 7.5cm F.K. fell out of its revetments and down the cliff. The second seems totally untouched. They also would have seen and fired on Company C of the US Rangers that came ashore to the west of Wn73. Later on, on D+1 they were either attacked from the landward side or had already retreated inland and the area was then taken over by troops moving west out of Omaha Beach to gradually link up with Rangers at Pointe du Hoc and then moving on to Grandcamp-Maisy.

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The sea full of landing craft.

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Omaha Beach.

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Allied destroyers firing on cliff tops.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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9.Grenadier Regiment 726. HQ III./726 at Château Castle-de-Gruchy.
Observation post - 1. or 3.Artillery Regiment 352. Both had 4x10.5cm field guns.
1 x Peilstand.
1 x SK bunker.
1 x Vf58c Tobruk.
3 x Vf shelters.
2 x 7.5cm F.K.235 Field Kannon

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Vf58c Tobruk.

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7.5cm F.K.235.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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1, observation post for the artillery regiment in the area.
2 & 3, dug in and camouflaged positions for the two 7.5cm F.K.
11, the only real bunker here, a small elongated few rooms with an entrance each end.

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Observation.

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7.5cm F.K.

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Abri habitation.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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The view from a photo reconnaissance aircraft of Wn74.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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11 October 2018

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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The view from Omaha Beach.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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The area in red is where the Abri habitation is or concrete shelter, probably built by the troops here.
The area in white are the two 7.5cm F.K. positions and the observation post on the end.
This picture was taken post D-Day by an L-4/L-5 type artillery observation plane.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Arrows just high lighting what was there.

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L-5.

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If they wanted a good defence, they had to do it themselves.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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03 October 2013

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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The cliffs of of Wn74.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The observation on the small point.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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The observation.

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Plan.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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The observation its well made and also of no standard plan..

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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NARA

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Set into the top of the cliff two pieces of artillery able to fire on Wn73 & Wn 72.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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NARA

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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7.5cm F.K.235 Field Kannon.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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NARA

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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7.5cm F.K.235 Field Kannon at the bottom of the cliff.
It may have been blown off the cliff or pushed off. A crew of five to man the gun.

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7.5cm shell.

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A crew of five to serve the gun.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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NARA

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Defences on the cliff edge able to fire down in perfect safety.

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Ammunition niche with concrete doors. There are at least two at Wn41 Ryes - le Petit Fontaine.

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Plan,

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Wn41.

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Ammunition niche.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Entrance to the Abri habitation.

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Plan.

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Plan.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Inside.

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Vf58c Tobruk. Set in a the hedge row at the rear of the defence is this Tobruk. It covers the rear of the defence and would have held a machine gun.

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Vf58c Tobruk.

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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SD 12/2004

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Vf58c Tobruk.

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Tobruk under construction.

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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11 October 2018

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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Well I have to admit, this is as far as I got to, trying to visit Wn74 in 2018. The corn defeated me.
All the pictures are of the bunkers are from Sebastien D. and I thank him for them.

Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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06 October 2013

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Wn74 Le Bec et Baie du Mont

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