Cap de la Hague WN 308 At the furthest north west corner of the Cherbourg Peninsula, the Germans built a searchlight bunker, perched right on the edge of the sea. It is quite a rare Special Construction (SK) and three others have been found in the area. The 60 cm searchlight was used to illuminate incoming Allied aircraft and could even be angled down to pick out ships at sea. The searchlight was undoubtedly used to help the two gun emplacements at Auderville spot attacking aircraft. The bunker was in reality a garage where the giant lamp could be parked during daylight hours. At night the searchlight was wheeled out of its garage and pushed up the ramp to its operational position on top of the bunker. You can still see where the cable cut into the concrete at the top of the ramp when the lamp was winched up to its operational position. The wince would seem to have been portable and it was stationed in front of the bunker. There is a pile of metal some meters to the west of the bunker. This was originally the German radio antenna which enabled them to communicate with the Channel Islands. The bunker was also equipped with a crew room with a separate entrance, there is also a generator room, as well as an emplacement for an anti aircraft gun nearby.
Castel Vendon Tunnels and Shafts In 1924 the French Authorities ordered twin turreted naval guns which would be land based to protect many of their ports. The guns were made by the French company Schnieder. The guns fired a shell of 340 mm and would have had a range on nearly thirty kilometres. The guns arrived in Cherbourg, and the work started at Castle Vendon, but due to financial restraints due to the depression they were put in storage in Cherbourg. The fate of these guns remains a mystery, had they fallen into German hands they surely would have been used. One explanation is that they were scrapped before the war, but as Schnieder guns of first world war vintage were still in use by the French it would not seem likely. Although two underground bukers were planned to house the guns only one of the westerly of the two underground shafts was completed by the occupation. The tunnel leading to it may well be an old mine working. The Germans installed four Skoda 150mm cannons here housed in M272 casemates, and called the site Gruchy after the nearby village). The Germans also intended to house ships cannon here and according to German records two were started. The most easterly being built first. It is thought that they intended to use doubled barrelled guns from their pocket battleships Gneisenau or Scharnhorst which had be scheduled to receive bigger guns of 380mm and their old guns of 280mm being installed here. The two ships were cornered in the Polish port of Gotenhafen (Gdynia). There are two shafts here but are they French or German? If the French did almost complete their shafts why would the Germans start from scratch. My theory is that as the German guns were not as big as the French the Germans simply lined the easterly shaft with concrete to enable them to fit their guns in the same shafts.
Castel Vendon Hand Maid Tours Castle Vendon is one of the most intriguing sites in Normandy and open to many theorys. The Germans installed four Skoda 150mm cannons here housed in M272 casemates, and called the site Gruchy after the nearby village). Because of its important position, commanding the western approaches to the port of Cherbourg, Castle Vendon was to have three fire control posts. The first was on the same site as the guns and this was a marine type M162a, built on two levels, but this bunker was never started. This was because of a shortage of manpower, materials and transport. To the west at Hameau Gruchy was a smaller fire control post which was protected by a anti aircraft emplacement and a Tobruk. This fire control looks to be of the type 697. The site is perched high on the cliffs and is well hidden by unchecked vegetation. To the east at Landemer is another fire control post which is not a standard design and gives a view of the bay of around 240 O. Most of this complex has been sealed by you can get access to a machine gun post which has the inscription 01-10-43. The complex is faced with stone to help it blend into the cliff face.
Urville Nacqueville Lying on the beach like discarded children's toys, lie two type H667 Casemates and a Tobruk. The erosion caused by the sea has left these Casemates stranded. It is useful to be able to see just how much concrete went into the construction of the smaller structures. The Casemates would have housed either 75mm or the dreaded 88mm field guns. The rear entrance to both Casemates has been modified to allow a chicane entrance, affording greater protection to the Gun crew. In the field behind the site are two other bunkers, one a personnel bunker whilst the other served as an ammunition bunker. Two hundred meters to the east are a further two Casemates which between them would have covered the entire beach area. Examples of larger Casemates stranded by erosion by the sea can be found on the Gironde estuary north of Royan.
Urville Nacqueville The French originally built a fort here in 1817, after the English landed on this spot in 1758 to raid Cherbourg. The batterie that exists today was built in the early 19th century and was originally equipped with four muzzle loading cannon mounted in the open. The four casemates that survive today are from the 1890 s. The Germans utilised the two tier fire control post that existed in the French fort, and added a casemate for enflide fire along the beach. There are also the remains of a German anti aircraft gun within the walls of the fort. The fort was finally demilitarised in 1980 and is now a centre for water sports.
La Rue d Ozouville Early in the occupation of Normandy the Germans placed four captured Skoda 100 mm cannon of Czech origin built in 1916. These guns were originally horse drawn and even in 1940 were possibly still horses as motive power. The guns when new had a range of 10 kms and placed here 3 kms from the sea their range and usefulness would be limited. It was probable that they were placed here just after the occupations as a stop gap until bigger and better guns could be installed at Castel Vendon to the west and at Amfreville (York) to the east. There were four guns installed here, manned by the 2nd regiment of the AR/1709. Two of the cannon were placed under H669 casemates, one of the most common types in Normandy. The other two being kept in the open. The embrasure in the casemates limit the guns range a traverse of 60 0, but if necessary the guns could be withdrawn from the casemate to be used in the open, as the entrance was wide enough. There was also a small storage area either side of the entrance to store the shells. The rear entrance could be closed off from the elements once the gun was in situ by means of wood and tarpaulins, the holes to support this structure are visible in the rear wall either side of the entrance. There are no signs of the usual perimeter defenses to the site, but they may well have been lost in the intervening years.
Tonneville During the occupation the Germans put in place a ring of anti aircraft batteries around Cherbourg. Tolleville was the second most westerly of these eleven sites. All the guns utilised in this defensive ring were of the famous 88 mm type. The sites were equipped with either four or six guns to each site, and here at Tolleville six guns were employed. The site sits on the high ground near the Hameau Langlois. The site must have taken several hits during the liberation of Cherbourg as the site shows considerable damage. Don t be fooloed into thinking the tall building might be a Flak tower. It is in fact a Electricty distrubution tower.
Amfreville (York) The Kriegsmarine gun batterie just to the west of Cherbourg was equipped with four 170 mm cannon of German origin. They were manufactured by Schiffs and were of the SKL40 type. They were housed in M271 casemates and were placed here to protect the western approach to the port. The site is unusual in as much as the casemates were aligned in slightly different directions. This would have made the task of direction finding even more difficult than usual. The spotting of targets and the calculations were done in the Fire Control Post and four small observatories placed around the site. The site was ringed with mine fields and several machine gun posts, mortars, and two PaK 75mm cannons, protecting the rear of the site. The batterie had its own hospital, kitchens, workshops and command post. These were in fact part of the old French Fort that the Germans acquired on their arrival. The batterie first came under fire on June 25th, during the final stages of the liberation of Cherbourg. The battery was shelled by the British cruisers HMS Glasgow and HMS Enterprise, both firing 6 inch shells (160 mm). The batterie returned fire and the Glasgow was damaged, York claimed the hit, but evidence points to a smaller shell hitting the Glasgow, possibly from Fort de Couplets?. The batterie was then engaged by the USS Texas and these two continued to fire without much success until the batterie was final silenced by the infantry who overran the batterie.
Les Couplets (Cherbourg) Situated on high ground to the west of Cherbourg, the old French fort of Les Couplets together with Fort Roule was the eyes for the fortress city of Cherbourg. The fort had been build two hundred year before by the French for exactly the same reason that the Germans found it so useful in 1940. Keeping watch for any British attack. The fort also had an annex further down the hill and it was there the Germans installed their captured guns. Att one time they had eight 155mm French built guns, made by St Chamond in 1916 installed there. Four were originally housed in H679 Casemates. Two of these were later placed on open platforms as the traverse of the gun was restricted by the Casemate. The site was also well equipped with anti aircraft guns as well as Tobruks for the defence of the site. At Les Couplets there are several Fire Control Posts which undoubtedly gave instructions to the railway guns which were sited below on the coast, and also to the gun emplacements immediately on the coast. The site today is surrounded by housing, but much of the site remains in tact although landscapped. Les Couplets was taken on June 25th by the 47th Infantry without much resistance. This was possibly due to the fact that in the previous two days they had been attacked by P-47s which dive bombed the site and also being shelled by artillery just a few miles to the south.
Les Couplets (Cherbourg) cont.2 The main site on the top on the hill is used as a sports complex, although one Casemate is retained by the National Marines, but does not look as if it has been used for many years. Unusually most of the metal doors are in situ as are some of the metal fittings.
Batterie D Equeurdreville Attached to the batterie Les Couplets this was a formidable set of guns in its own right. Four railway mounted guns of 240 mm were stationed here. The four guns had a range of over 30kms. The Germans utilised the extensive railway system that already existed to serve the naval port, and Bastion 3, part of the port helped hide the guns from prying Allied eyes. Also on the same site were 6 anti aircraft guns 75 mm and four 37 mm flak guns. The guns were given their firing positions from the Fire Control Post at Les Couplets. Only the emplacements for the anti aircraft positions remain today, the site of the railway guns now a car park.
Batterie Ste Anne The Batterie Ste Anne was an old French fort built in 1853, and was originally equipped with muzzle loading cannon to protect the western approach to Cherbourg. The German adapted the site to their own needs as they did with so many of the French installations. Where the old cannon once stood the installed a large 150 cm searchlight together with a type H502 personnel bunker which were very common in Normandy, but this one has cupola mounted on top for observation purposes. There was also an ammunition bunker type 607 alongside to service the four guns installed alongside. They were 2 x 20 mm Flak plus a 50 mm KwK and a Renault tank turret. The site is no private property and the old headquarters used as a private dwelling. All of the German works lie beneath a good layer of brambles.
Fort les Forches The old French fort that occupied this site above Equeurdreville to the west of Cherbourg has long since disappeared. In the sixties new housing was needed for the growing city and the old fort was demolished, with the exception of some of the housing which now sits uneasily among the apartment blocks and the college named after a famous local painter (Millet). The Germans took over the fort very soon after their arrival in the city and placed here four 170 mm German guns made by the famous Krupp factory. They were of the K18 type and were mounted in the open, but I have yet to find any trace of concrete that they might have be mounted on. What does remain is the fire control post, which sits in the grounds of a school and is partially hidden by bushes, and is of course sealed. I think the position was manned by the AR/1709, and I always thought that the guns had been moved by the time of the liberation, but as a relatively late build FCP is here on the site, more research is needed
The Arsenal (Cherbourg Naval Port) The port of Cherbourg was designated a Fortress by the Germans and was protected by batteries on the hills to either side and also the Fort Roule to the rear. The Naval port of Cherbourg is still used for the manufacture and servicing of nuclear submarines and because of that is still a very secretive place, visitors are simply NOT ALLOWED. The port has always been important to the French who from earliest times have built fortifications to keep the English out. When the Germans arrived in mid 1940, they simply took over many of the existing French fortifications and augmented them with some of their own. They also found on their arrival much of the manufacturing facility sabotaged by the French as a last act of defiance. The Germans main use for the port was as a base for their S boats, fast patrol boats that carried torpedoes. There were two flotillas based here and the same at L'Havre. They were fast and caused many problems for the Allies. Their main weakness was that they carried no radar sets and could only rely on visual sightings. To protect the S boats the Kriegsmarine built a large concrete covered base in the port for them. It still exists to this day. It was S boats from Cherbourg that caused so much loss of life at Slapton sands in Devon, when American troops practicing for the D-day landings at Utah, were ambushed by these craft. The main armament around the Arsenal was concentrated at Bastion II and comprised 4 x 105mm cannons designed and built by the German firm of Krupp and were of the UbtsK. SKC/36 type.
The Arsenal (Cherbourg Naval Port) cont.2 They were housed in casemates of the H671 & M176 designs and had a Fire Control Post of the M162A type. Although a standard design, some were strangely double story the M176 built on top of a H622 casemate.. The regiment stationed here was the 4/MAA 260 Just outside the old walls of the port, near Bastion II the Germans installed four large railway guns on turntables. The site is now partly covered by the dual carrigeway that has been built in recent years. The Railway Guns were of 240mm caliber and were of French manufacture built by St Chamond and were of the K558 type. They had a range of 35kms. They were protected by a large anti aircraft position, the bases of which can still be seen at the western end of the Arsenal. Along the outer walls of the harbour, the Germans installed many anti aircraft posts and flak positions. Many of the additions to the old French works can still be seen. They also built Fire Control Posts on the outer wall. The old French 100 mm guns dating from 1889 were also kept and used. One can still be seen on the Eastern Fort from the vantage point of a ferry arriving or leaving Cherbourg. This fort was one of the last to surrender to the Americans and the damage that you can see today was caused by both shelling from the troops in Cherbourg and also from Allied ships giving support from the seaward side.
Port of Cherbourg Defense Map Hand Maid Tours
Gare Maritime (Cherbourg) The Gare Maritime was built in the 1930's and was host before the war to the transatlantic liners that plied between Southampton and New Youk. Not only the well healed sailed from this elegant building, but also most of the immigrants from all over Europe. Cherbourg had 19 strong points numbered from Stp 202 to Stp 224, this was Stp 213. The Germans installed gun emplacements at the seaward end of the station. The main armament was two Schnieder 105 mm cannons with a quoted range of 15 kms. That figure was for guns in good condition and very few of the captured French pieces were in good condition. The guns were housed in a H671 and H669 casemates, sadly only one now remains, used as viewing platform for the submarine Redoubtable, now a museum piece. In front of the Gare Maritime under the shrubbery is a H506, that used to house a 47 mm Skoda anti tank gun. You can also find emplacements for 20 mm Flak guns around the site. The station building was used as a warehouse and remained in tact until the Germans wrecked the port before the liberation in June 1944. The Gare Maritime was rebuilt after the war, but was not completed until the mid 1950's and by then the transatlantic trade was almost finished. The Queen Elizabeth still calls and the new Queen Mary is planned to visit the port on a regular basis. The building itself has been converted into a visitor attraction called City of the Sea.
Fort Roule StP 272 The Fort du Roule, a classic "French" star fort built in the nineteenth century, sits atop a rock spur which dominates Cherbourg from the south. In 1944 the Germans had turned the fort into a formidable strong point. Coastal artillery, facing the harbour, was mounted in the lower level under the cliff edge. The upper ramparts were studded with concrete machine-gun and mortar emplacements and protected by an antitank ditch. Below this upper level were a series of galleries and underground passages linking the four Casemates which housed 105mm guns. The guns were unusual in as much as they came from S-Boates. Cherbourg was a S-Boate base and the guns were soon transfered from the German Army to the German Navy. The Casemates were of the type 671 and this is the only site that had this combination of guns and bunkers. The FCP is a non standard design, although one other was built at Garde de Guerin near St Malo.. The tunnels were not completed by D-day, but on the top of Fort Roule the German s constructed or planned type L411a, L434, 501 & 607 type bunkers. This upper part of the site is still owned by the military and is out of bounds. The tunnels however are now open, although the casemates are blocked off.
The Taking of Fort Roule Hand Maid Tours The task of reducing the fort fell to the 1st and 2d battalions of the 314th Infantry, 79th Division. Following earlier bombing attacks, their assault began in the morning of 25 June with an ineffective P-47 attack and an artillery barrage. The advance temporarily halted in a draw some seven hundred yards from the fort before resuming under covering fire. At this juncture Corporal John D. Kelly of E Company managed to take out a key pillbox with a pole charge and hand grenades, thereby allowing his platoon to penetrate the outer defences. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Carlos C. Ogden of K Company, although twice wounded, used his rifle and hand grenades to knock out an 88mm gun and two machine guns blocking his company's advance. Both men were awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. By noon, the 314th held the upper works of the fort. The German defenders continued to fire from the lower level until the next day, when fire from the town, demolition charges, and an infantry assault along the cliff side smoked them out. Today the Fort houses a Museum explaining the Battle Of Cherbourg, and the occupation. There is also a great panoramic view from the Fort of the town and harbour.
La Vaquerie (WN455) Because the Germans had designated Cherbourg as a fortress it had to be defended from all sides. This had to include provision for an attack from the land ward side to the south. Most of these strong points have disappeared under the urban sprawl as Cherbourg has grown over the years. The main defensive position was at La Glacerie. All of the gun emplacements have disappeared under the Auchan car park, with the exception of one R630, and this will be demolished by summer 2003. The position at La Vaquerie is supposed to comprise of four gun emplacements in casemates of the R630 type. To date I have only traced two, together with a gun garage, which is a modified type 629, and now seems to be used by the local youth as a drinking den. About one Kilometre behind the lines there is a personnel bunker thought to be a type 622. The bunker is half buried and the field in which it sits, is always flooded.
Les Monts Les Monts is one of a ring of German anti aircraft emplacements that ringed the port of Cherbourg. Les Monts is situated near the village of Sideville to the south of Cherbourg. These sites at the rear of the port were place here to defend the many V1 sites in the area from aerial bombardment. It is also very difficult to find the original usage of the site, it was obviously an old French Military site before the occupation. It would seem that the Germans used the original buildings and then installed six anti aircraft guns of 88 mm, Flak 18, and possibly a radar on the hill. The installation would have offered protection to the many V1 sites and radar sites in the area to the west of Cherbourg There are three anti aircraft emplacements visible, but the three others could have disappeared as the area has been used for tipping. There is a fourth emplacement (with the horse in the picture) that could have been a Freya type radar, which sometimes was housed in a square enclosure. The main gate is a typically French Military entrance and in the small yard there are bunkers with fortified doors that date from the 1930 s. It would seem reasonable to assume that the Germans used these bunkers to store ammunition and no other storage is today visible on the site. Just across the road from the site are French concrete anti tank obstacles, possibly in their original position. The German version are called Dragons Teeth The site was overrun by the 39th Regiment of the 9th Division on June 22nd. There were similar sites at Flottemanville, Nouaineville, Octeville, Maupertus, Belleview, Tonneville, La Glacerie, La Croix Fresville, Equeurdreville and aux Milles. The latter were placed in the open at Les Flamands.
Les Caplains (Stp 245) The German defences on this old French Fort include four 150mm rapid fire guns. They were German built guns made by Rheinmetal Borsig, based on a Krupp design. They could fire eight rounds a minute and had a range of 18kms. The Germans in effect just took over the fort after the fall of France. The Germans gave the site the name of Brommy. The Casemates were, unusually, of several types, including one M272 and two M176 and one type M195. There is no reason why the Germans employed three different casemates to house the same type of guns, the reason may have been the type of gun mounts available.. There were two Fire Control Posts, one built by the Germans and the other they adapted from the original French design. The Batterie fell to the advancing Americans on 25th June after it had been subjected to both air attack and bombardment from the sea. The gun crews, before their demise, had fought as infantry, as had many of the technical staff and Todt Org personnel before the fall of Cherbourg. Most of the fort, which included a medical bunker at the rear of the site, still exists. Access is restricted as the site is in a restricted zone used by the French Navy, although now abandoned.
Digosville Just outside the village of Digosville near La Croix Perrinot are four forgotten casemates of the H669 type. They were built to house captured French guns built almost a generation before the start of W.W.II. They were quite large for field guns having a caliber of 155 mm and a range of 20 kms. The casemates are unique in as much as they have not found an agricultural use even though they are in fields. One is just behind the goal posts of a football field. They do not seem to have played a significant part in the battle of Cherbourg, many of the troops based here would have possible abandoned the site and fought alongside their comrades at Les Caplains.
Ainse du Poulet When the Germans first occupied Normandy in June 1940 they were unprepared to defend the coastline and were fearful that the British and Free French might try to attack the port of Cherbourg to gain a foothold again in France. Unable to build defenses quickly the brought in a batterie of four railway guns. This set of guns called Gneisenau were of the type SKl45 and had a bore of 150 mm. They were positioned on this portion of railway line, now used as a road since the late 1940 s (D116), because of the double curve in the track. Railway guns have no traverse unless they are positioned on a curve in the track or on a turntable. There still exists a short tunnel with the remains of a concrete structure inside, this was constructed by the Germans as a safe storage for the ammunition. There is also an underground passage to the bunker, which is blocked off possibly when the road was constructed. Later a small Casemate of the H667 type was built below the line to give enflide fire along the beach towards Cherbourg. Interestingly the rear entrance wall of the bunker is built up of local stone rather than concrete. This position was known as Wn203 and was equipped with a 50 mm gun. In his book Der Atlantik Wall, Heinze Zimmermann claims that the tunnels are part of a strong point that was not finished, and would have included many more tunnels. The is evidence of construction of other tunnels being started, and plans exist that shjow two Skoda anti tank guns in cassemates at each end of the tunnell. The main entrance would have been fromnear the 50mm cassemate. Locals also tell on train loads of cement traveling this railway line on their way to the German construction sites further to the east of Cherbourg. That fact that the line was worn out at the end of the occupation possibly helped cause its early closure.
The German Installations at Fermanville There were three German Gun Batteries sitting high on the cliffs defending the eastern approaches to the port of Cherbourg, together with an important radar station. Seealder (Sea Eagle) This was in an old French fort, built at the turn on the century, to protect Cherbourg from the English. The French called it Le Fort la Batterie Brulay. The Germans simply took it over and used the 94 mm guns already installed in open casemates. The site remained in use throughout the occupation, even after the two other sites with much more fire power were installed to the east. Emplacement No 1 still has the gantry which lifted the shells from the transport into the ammunition storage bunkers. The shells were then manhandled onto the gun platform. In front of the old French batterie the Germans also took over a very imposing fire control post, that looks like an import from Easter island. The fire control post was four stories high and would have been equipped with telemeters on three levels. Such was the importance given to the defense of Cherbourg, when batteries like Azeville had to make their own improvised model. A Telemeter is a very accurate device for discovering the distance of a ship out to sea. It looks like a pair of binoculars mounted on a tripod but with the lens several meters apart. When focused on the approaching ship it gave the distance from the observation post. The distance then had to be calculated manually for each of the gun emplacements, because their positions were usually further back from the observation tower. According to books written during the 1960 s, there were quite a number of paintings on the walls of the ammunition bunkers dating from the occupation. These have no been replaced by art of a more modern kind.
The German Installations at Fermanville cont.2 Hamburg Half a mile to the east, was the last battery to be built and operational before D-day. The Germans intended to house the cannons in casemates, but the work was by no means completed by D-day and the guns remained in the open, protected by steel turrets. The four casemates were of the SK type and are huge compared with any others in Normandy. The guns installed here were of 240 mm and had a range of over 25 kms. Two of the casemates has been used as houses since the liberation and the gun installed there was taken back to the USA and is now on display at Baltimore. The site was also protected by six 75 mm anti aircraft guns as well as numerous light flak guns. Just before the liberation the defense of the area was strengthened by 50 mm and 75 mm anti tank guns. There is a theory that there should have been four guns installed here together with a Fire Control Post in the village, but to date no evidence has been found, although a plan has be published on the Internet.. The Commander of Hamburg Oberluetnant Rudi Max Gelbhaar was decorated with the Croix de Chevalier for his action against the Allied fleet on June 25th. The site also has a control post built in the later lighter style. These were introduced after the Gestapo had taken over much of the responsibility of defence of the Third Reich, late in 1943. This control post is to the rear of the site and underground, there is a similar structure at WN63 on Omaha Beach. Locals tell of the command post being used as a hospital during the attack by the Americans during the capture of Cherbourg.
The German Installations at Fermanville cont.3 La Judee was a more conventional battery and came under the command of the army. This emplacement was equipped with four 105mm guns, Canon de Courtmle, these were by Atlantic Wall standards modern guns being built in 1935. They had a range of 20 kms, although according to some sources 155 mm guns from the same maker were installed on this site. The guns were housed in type H679 Casemates, as so many of the German gun sites in Normandy were. These casemates could house either of the two guns 105 mm or 155 mm, and as the guns were removed for scrap just after the war we may never know. The site was equipped with anti tank guns of 47 mm and 50 mm as well as 20 mm anti aircraft cannons of 75mm. Not much now remains of the lighter concrete works, the land being returned to its former use, although some of the site has now been built on. The site is very peaceful now and one of the casemates are used for rearing chickens.
The German Installations at Fermanville cont.4 Osteck The radar station code named (Osteck) was the eyes and ears for the defense of Cherbourg. It was well equipped with two Freya, one Wassermann, and two Wurzburg radar's. The site was ringed with machine gun emplacements and several flak positions, no doubt controlled by radar. There were also two giant spotlights with a diameter of 150mm to illuminate incoming aircraft, as well as ships at sea.. The are also bunkers for ammunition as well as living quarters for personnel manning the guns. These emplacements show signs of damage from both land, sea and air attacks. This site is a paradise for Bunker Hunters there are possibly more type hidden here than in any other small area in France. They include command and personnel bunkers. Bunkers for the control and operation of four main radar installations, together with emplacements for searchlights, anti aircraft, and machinery bunkers. Most are in good condition although those on the motorcycle track are in many cases High and Dry and very difficult to enter, others are impossible because of the vegetation which is slowly encroaching and hiding them.
The Taking of Fermanville Hand Maid Tours This site was known as Hill 158 by the Americans and was bombed before the attack from the east, on June 22nd. The Batterie was attacked by Mustangs and rocket firing Typhoons, this followed bombing by 562 bombers of the Ninth Air Force.. The battle to overwhelm the German forces entrenched here took three days and the site was pounded by Allied ships out to sea. The Batterie of Hamburg hit the USS Destroyers Barton and Laffrey, both shells failed to explode. Just after midday the Batterie scored a hit on the USS O'Brien, hitting the bridge and killing thirteen on the ship. The Allied fleet withdrew to a safer distance. The ground attack was led by the 22nd US Infantry on June 26th, and again was heavily bombed during the night. Many German troops sought sanctuary in the base as they had been cut off by the advancing Americans. At midnight on June 27th both the Naval and Army troops which were surrounded here, surrendered. Just under a thousand were taken into captivity. At Hamburg there is evidence of the Germans destroying the partly built casemate in order to be able to swing the gun round to defend the Cherbourg from the Americans attacking from the east and south.
Cap Levi To the east of Cherbourg on a tip of land stretching out into the sea the Germans placed a large anti aircraft battery, equipped with 20 mm Flak 30 guns. Not only did it protect the approaches to the port itself, it also gave early protection to the three gun batteries perched high on the hill inland. These were Hamburg, Judee and Seelander. The third one being an old French fort that the Germans used during the occupation. There was also a naval radar site placed alongside in a V206 bunker. The anti aircraft installation on Cap Levi comprised of two casemates, one of each of type L409, L410A.. These provided accommodation and ammunition storage for the four anti aircraft emplacements. The site has two interesting features, the first being a guard post equipped with a machine gun on the approach to the site, which is made almost entirely of red brick. The second is the standard small beach obstacles to which the Germans welded a rectangular plate. They were used to place lanterns on, during the hours of darkness so that vehicles and personnel could find their way in the blackout. There is an old French Fort on the site of the semaphore, which dates from the 1880 s.
Rethoville Situated just to the west of the picturesque gun emplacement at Neville Blankensee is a late and curious group of bunkers. The site was principally used as an anti aircraft battery and only two of the four or possible six open emplacements remain. The others having succumbed to sixty years of erosion and tides. The site would have protected the eastern approaches to the port of Cherbourg and also the Erika radio guidance station at St Pierre Eglise. There is also a non standard searchlight bunker which is of a non standard design. To the rear of the bunker are obvious cable ties to enable the searchlight to be moved up and down the ramp. Most searchlight bunkers have a garage beneath where the lamp could be serviced and garaged during the day, but at Rethoville no trace of a garage can be found. The site has many ammunition bunkers and several non standard personnel bunkers. There is also a most delightful non standard Fire Control Post, which is about to be taken by the sea. This suggests that it was constructed in late 1943 or early 1944. The main curiosity of the site is the stone built hut near to the old French Fort a little to the east. The building was used to house a wind generator, this supplied power to the site..
Néville sur Mer (Blankensee) The Kriegsmarine batterie situated right on the Point de Néville, was as close to the sea as possible in the tradition of all German Naval Batteries. The eight guns placed here came from two different sources. Firstly British guns made by Vickers (M39) and having a 94mm bore, were placed in casemates right on the waters edge. Three were housed in M158 casemates and the fourth (casemate No 1) was housed in a type M271 casemate. The possible reason for this is that the fourth gun had a different carriage to the others and required more space. The M158 casemated have ventilation shafts which enabled the gasses emitted when the gun fired, fitted to the exterior of the casemate. These guns had be captured on the Channel Islands in 1940 and installed here, they had a range of 12 kms. The other guns installed here and mounted in the open were of French origin made by St Chamond and had a range of 20 kms. The site have over thirty different bunkers and although very open to the elements most can still be found. Néville also has a complete system of concrete passageways linking all the major parts of the defense system, from the three fire control posts to the casemated guns and on to the Tobruks and personnel bunkers. Judging by the amount of damage caused by Allied shelling this batterie must have upset the Allied fleet during the battle for Cherbourg. Over theyears the sea is destroying many of the concrete structurs.
Néville sur Mer (Blankensee) cont.2 Hand Maid Tours
Gatteville This batterie sits on the Pointe de Barfleur near the village of La Houguette. The four 155 mm guns were brought here and were of French origin and were installed in type 679 casemates. The guns here were equipped with shields that moved with the guns, giving more protection than was normally the case with an open front to the casemate. The site also had a Fire Control Post type H502. There were also several anti aircraft gun emplacements two of which can still be found. There is also a personel bunker which unfortunately is always flooded. The third casemate has been turned into a summer home complete with patio doors and double glazing. Rommel would not be amused.
Havre De Houlvi Just to the north of Barfleur there is a very different Strong Point. Apart from the gun emplacement at Neville sur Mer it is the only place the Germans installed concrete trenches. The strong point has no large weapons, limited to machine guns and mortars, some built into the same tobruks.. The trenches of which only the western portion still remains intact. The eastern end has been swallowed up by a fish farm who also use some trenches as waste water outlets. The trenches that run along the beach and even have firing positions built into them. The underground bunkers are quite interesting, being a real mixture, roof beams of the wrong length, and partly made of corrugated iron.
Barfleur The port of Barfleur situated on the north east tip of the Cherbourg peninsular has no beaches around it. Therefore the Germans did not fortify the coast line to any great extent. They built an anti tank wall around the port just in case of a landing. To the south they built a strong point that consisted of a gun emplacement a twin tobruk type 69?, and what looks like an anti aircraft position. There are several ammunition bunkers in the surrounding gardens. A little further south at Ainse de Landemer is a lonely casemate (W119a) several hundred meters inland from the little cove. It is of a construction that I have not come across in Normandy. The sides are very flat and from a distance it looks just like a house. The other variation is that there is a tobruk on the left hand side. The two guns casemates are I think a modified type 612.