Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'
K.V.U.Gruppe St Vaast,
K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 was a two bunker HQ of the Army and the Artillery in this area. Ginsterhöhe stands for Ginster Hill but the actual hill is le Poteau in French (the Pole).
Here were two R608 Battalion and Regimental command bunkers. In the Artillery HQ was Generalmajor Karl August Hugo Gerhard Triepel. Commander of the Heers Kusten Artillery Regiment (HKAR) 1261. Both bunkers had a small tunnel to a cupola for viewing the whole area. Wn17 de Colleville ("Hohe 61") [Hillman], K.V.U.Gr Riva-Bella, has exactly the same set up of two R608/SK bunkers and as we visited them in 2023, I have added pictures from them to show how these bunkers may have looked.
Site Hillman Face book.

Generalmajor Karl August Hugo Gerhard Triepel

R608/SK left.

R608/SK right.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Searching. You walk into the area of scrub land and search.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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And then you find something.
All that can be seen above.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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The German military plan of the area, showing the defences and mine fields (MF.). one of the HQ Officers job, would be to update this map. You will see later on the office table of the Officer in Wn17 ("Hohe 61") who drew the maps for the K.V.U.Gr Riva-Bella area. From Wn137, you would have got a really hood view of the area they commanded.

2 x R608/SK command bunkers.
1 x Wasser (Water reservoir).
You can just see the entrances to the bunkers and the water reservoir behind them.

L'Oberst Gerhard Triepel.20.12.1943 Kommandeur des Heeres küstenartillerieregiments 1261

 

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
The entrance.

Plan.

How the entrance may have looked.

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Going down the steps. A Gittertür steel gate would have closed off the entrance. Any one trying to force their way down, would be seen by the close combat defence window below and could be shot at.

 

491P2 Gittertür (Screen-Door).

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Entrance to the bunker with a drain and often a shower, to wash off Mustard gas. If you had Mustard gas as a solid on your cloths, entering an enclosed space and also cleaning the substance up, it starts to react and a small amount on a boot or trousers, can fill the bunker with a toxic gas.

Wn17 "Hohe 61" ('Hillman') the HQ of Stab Gren. Rgt. 736 and the Stab I./A.R.1716. K.V.U.Gr Riva-Bella, K.V.Gr. Caen.

How it may heave looked here.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Plan
This is an Allied plan dated 1943.
MI 10b/701 May'45 ABW
Store room - Chart room/Planning room - Wireless
None-Commissioned Officer - Work room - Gas lock
Commander
Crew - Ventilation - Heating - Close Combat Defence.
                                     Escape

(MI could be Military Intelligence?)

 

 

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Gas lock. There would be a 434P01a door, a very thick armoured double door to allow access or escape, if the bottom section was stopped from opening with say debris, the top door could open and you climb over. A sliding metal plate allows you to view through the door and also shoot through if needed. A bolt and a ring also added. The ring I believe was for the handle to pull the door open.

R608 No.2.

R608 No.1.

434P01a door.

434P01a the top door.

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Close combat defence embrasure. Possibly a 48P8 embrasure with a sliding section to open and look through or shoot through.

48P8.

Machine gun mounting.

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
This is the 'Ventilation' room.

We are often asked "do we see ghosts". "No we don't".

details

Heers-Einheits-Schutzlüfter HES 1.2 MKB.

Handle.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
This is Wn17 ("Hohe 61") ventilation room, showing two complete sets of filters and a lot of piping.

My great friend Graham and one of the ("Hohe 61") guides who very kindly let us inside and explained what happened there in 1944.
In the event of a gas attack, or there is a lot of smoke in the air (I believe there were different filters for smoke and gas). The filter needed would be placed in the filtration unit.

 

 

Filters.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
An Allied photo of a gas filtration unit, showing the types of filters..

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Crew room, this would have had sets of bunks around the room. Note the drain it the centre.

Plan.

details

A Zink 'Sinkkasten'.

Bunk beds..

A very full space.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Work room.

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Work room.

The work room in Wn17 ("Hohe 61"). Whilst visiting this bunker near Ouistreham, the guides told us a German visitor asked to come in. He was very impressed with the work they had been doing on the restoration. He said it did look a little different in 1944. He said I had a table over there with a telephone, a radio and it was where I drew the maps and kept them up to date. Also that there was a carpet on the floor as the commander did not want the soldiers steel boot studs making a noise on the floor. The commander had a small room in the back where he could work and sleep. A radio room to the right, etc. So the volunteers have tried there best to replicate all the items in the bunker and a brilliant job they have done.

Plan.

 

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Either the None-commissioned Officers room or the Commanders room.

Periscope fitting in the roof as another method of viewing outside the bunker.

MKB details of a bunker periscope.

details

 

Elevation.

panzerteil armoured cover for the periscope, when its retracted.

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Radio room.

Wn17 ("Hohe 61") radio room. Showing the kind of fittings that would have been on the walls. One interesting detail is, that the painters always came in after the bunkers had been fitted out and painted around the fittings? This actually happened in British bunkers and into the cold war ones. Very odd.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
The short tunnel to a viewing cupola Without the cupola fitting this would be an R608, with the cupola, this makes it an R608/SK.
SK - Sonderkonstruktionen or special construction.

Wn17 'Hillman's' short tunnel.

details

9P7 type that was at Dieppe may have been in one.

21P7 at Pernelle observation bunker.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Wn17 ("Hohe 61") this is looking up into the cupola from below. The steel cupolas at Wn17 ("Hohe 61") have all been scrapped, so what you see now are look alike ones.

These would have been observation cupolas and not fighting ones. Binocular fittings in the viewing ports and a periscope down through the middle.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Looking back to the entrance way..

Plan.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.2.
Now fight your way out.

Plan.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
In there is the entrance, its just finding it.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Down in the rear of the bunker.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
This one was quite heavily damaged.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
This could be the radio room.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Work room.

Wn17 ("Hohe 61") work room.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Maybe the crew room.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Work room.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Ventilation room.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Small tunnel to the cupola.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Very bad damage.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.
Wn17 ("Hohe 61") commanders room, with his cot, table and cupboard. The senior officers often lived in commander houses behind the bunkers, in one of the villages, sometimes they could have their wives and as with Azeville batterie, his daughter. Also another alternative to the wife, was a mistress. The men I am never quite sure where they lived, maybe in wooden huts somewhere near by or in a farmers barn, usually in the roof. Wn99 Le Châlet had steel steps set into the wall to allow access to the top of the barn.

Wn99 Le Châlet.

 

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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R608 No.1.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wasser reservoir.

and this is the one at Wn17 ("Hohe 61")

It could still be seen from the air in the 1950's.

Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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Wn137 Quineville le poteau 'Ginsterhöhe.'

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© 2013 Richard Drew