Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus', K.V.U. Gruppe Festung St-Malo, K.V. Gruppe Rance.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus' .

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Pointe de la Garde Guerin is a rock sticking out into the sea to the west of St Malo on Brittany's north coast. A peninsular of granite fortified originally by the French on the Maginot line principal but the war arrived and building work was taken over by the Todt Organization.

Maginot (1877 – 1932) was a French civil servant, soldier, and Member of Parliament. He is best known for his advocacy for the string of forts that would be known as the Maginot Line[Wiki]. 

Maginot fort in the Alsace in 1940.

Block 14 at Ouvrage Hochwald in 1940 on the Maginot Line.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus' .

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus' .

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StP Paulus
Ra145
1 x R120a.
1 x R634 + Pakstand.
1 x R501.
2 x R611/SK.
1 x R676.
1 x Search light.
2 x Vf58c Tobruk's.
2 x 7.5cm F.K.243(H).
1 x 4.7cm Pak112(f).
Kavernes. (tunnels).

 

R120a on the top.

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus' .

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A lovely plan cut into stone.
A - 400m of galleries.
B - Entrance for personnel & vehicles.
C - Casemates.
D - Fire control post.
E - Observation post.
F - Search light.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus' from Dinard Golf Course.

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A large lump of Granite.

Another lump of Granite.

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Ra145 the original entrance.

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A post war photo taken just before the metal work was removed.

Closer look at the entrance.

Another view.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Plan found on the Internet.

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We entered via the R676 as the door was wide open and walked to the centre. Then turning right and down to what was the original entrance. From there we walked back to the centre and out to the first R611, then the centre section with ladder to the R120 that is on the top of the hill. On to the last R611 and the barrack rooms. Then the observation post and the search light and then retracing our steps out.

Part of the tunnel.

Close combat embrasure.

Plan of the entrance.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The path to the R676, its quite dangerous so be warned.

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French military removing a live shell from inside.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R676 4.7cm Pak112(f) gun.

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The 4.7cm Pak112(f) was a French fortress gun used in the Maginot Line casemates and other fortifications. They would have been removed and placed here to add to the fire power.
The casemate is badly damaged to remove the steel fittings.

How it may have looked inside.

Fortress Pak gun.

R676 casemate.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R676 4.7cm Pak112(f) gun.

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Plan from the Allied Martian Report.

How the front embrasure.

A heavy steel plate could be drawn up over the gun to cover it.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R676 4.7cm Pak112(f) gun.

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Inside the casemate looking out at the view and where the gun had to cover.

Plan.

 

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R676 4.7cm Pak112(f) gun.

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A 4.7cm gun and a co axle 7.92 machine gun.

4.7cm Pak room.

In front or the gun was a steel sliding door that by turning the handle the door would wind down to open.

The door wound down.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R676 4.7cm Pak112(f) gun.

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This is the empty shell case pit. When the gun fired, the case came out of the breach and down a tube into this pit. At the end of the battle one of the gunners would climb down and retrieve the cases and send them back for re cycling.

Shell case.

Shell.

An empty gun room.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R676 4.7cm Pak112(f) gun.

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Looking inside the casemate at the gun room. The slot on the left is where ready ammunition was stored. The door to the tunnels ( souterrain).

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The tunnel.

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The main tunnel was hewn out of the rock but where it met the casemate it was concreted.

Plan.

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Looking back at the casemate.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The tunnel running on to the centre.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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In the middle the tunnel starts to be concreted.

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Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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A small anti-room.

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Its been smashed about.

Plan

 

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Where the tunnel meets the entrance defence.

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On the left an R501 adjusted to fit.

On the left is the R501casemaate.

Plan of the R501.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Close combat embrasure.

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Inside the adjusted R501.

Plan.

Plan of a close combat embrasure.

How it may have been used.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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This is the entrance from above.

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The R634.

Plan of entrance.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R634 & Pak garage. Ra Bw453.

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The earth piled up is the western entrance now filled in. Left is the R634, next the entrance between into the Pak garage and then the Pak garage.
The main entrance where lorries could drive through and out the other side, this is how big it is. Very much alike the ''Guns of Navarone''.

This is the close combat embrasure under the canopy in the main picture.

Plan.

''Guns of Navarone''.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Pak garage.

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The pit in the middle is a pit for the storage of ammunition and the recess in the far wall is for the barrel to sit in for a long gun.

Plan.

Plan of a Pak garage..

A 4cm Pak gun outside its garage.

How it may have been used.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R634

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Main crew room.

R634 in mirror.

Crew room.

Crew room.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R634

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Crew room.

Building a Dome bunker.

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R634 six embrasure turret bunker.

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Door to the dome. The dome has been removed and filled in with earth.

Ventilation room.

Inside a dome.

40P8 type dome may have been here.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Small close combat room.

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This is the close combat defence covering the entrances.

Plan.

Close combat room covering the entrance.

Close combat.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Battle damage.

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This was in one of the entrances.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Heading back into the tunnels.

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Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Heading back through the fog cloud.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The start of the first casemate.

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A mix of hewn stone and finished concrete.

Plan.

US artillery of the type that would have pounded Ra145.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The tunnel down to the Tobruk's.

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Plan of the tunnel to the Tobruk's.

Cutting through the rock.

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Strengthened section with a door.

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434po1 door.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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434po1 door.

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The door is now just open and I could not squeeze through but I did manage this photo (next page). This is a double door so that if one is blocked the other will open with a window and a shutter to close off the window. Bolts to lock off the door and large rings to be used as handles.

434P1 door.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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This would have taken you on to the two Tobruk's.

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Now its blocked and the Tobruk's covered over.

Tobruk.

Tobruk.

Plan of a Tobruk.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R611 gun room.

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Just the front section of an R611 plan was used possibly without the two small ammunition niches.

R611 casemate.

Here they have used the front section of an R611.

This is a plan of the

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Rear of the casemate with the tunnel coming in.

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The guns were 7.5cm F.K.243(h).

7.5cm F.K.243(h) I believe they were captured Hungarian guns..

How it may have looked inside.

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Looking into casemate and the embrasure where the gun would have fired through.

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The floor has been removed, it was a store for fired shell cases and somebody has spent a long time digging it out.

 

 

Spent cartridge space under the casemate floor.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The view the guns would have had.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Roof ventilation.

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Set into the roof beams are vents to suck out the fowl air when the gun fires.

R669 extraction.

Extractor fan.

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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R611 casemate.

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The front view today.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The two casemates set into the hill.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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A picture of the casemates before the undergrowth had grown up.

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There is an odd feature on the side of the casemates they have a square almost Tobruk shaped box attached??

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The view from above.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Back into the tunnels to the centre.

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There are several caverns built into the sides of the tunnel that were used as crew quarters, storage, etc. They had an entrance off the tunnel and also a small close combat window to defend each entrance.

Each one has a small embrasure like this one.

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Entrance into this brick barracks room for about 17men.

Details

 

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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17 man vaulted barracks.

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Some of these could pre date 1942 and be a French.

 

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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17 man vaulted barracks.

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Another vault notice Mike entering the small close combat room defending the vault.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The centre section with access to the R120 on the top of the hill.

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R120

R120 sitting on the top of the hill.

An R120.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Looking up to the access to the R120 on the top.

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Its a long way up.

R120

R120 sitting on the top of the hill.

R120 plan. The red dot is the dome where a 360deg view through 4 small holes and a periscope in th middle. next a chart room, crew,commander,store, close combat & ammunition.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The R120 on the top.

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R120 Artillery Observation Post with a dome and inside the dome a periscope.

21P7 the type of dome that may have been used here, a periscope came up through the the middle.

Periscope.

The view today.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Water reservoir.

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Here are two water tanks each side of the access.

Inside one of the tanks.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Looking into one of the tanks.

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Water was always a problem in any army, its surprising how much a platoon of infantry can use. I believe there is also a large rectangular water tank on the east side.

Outside water tank.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Continuing on.

Details

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Another cavern that has not been finished.

Details

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Strengthened tunnel.

Details

This may have had doors on it. There is a frame and hinges set into it.

Plan.

It may have had doors across like these 494P2.

R699 door frame.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The rear of the second R611 casemate.

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R611 plan here.

10.5cm case and shot.

Cordite powder bags used to increase the power of the gun.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Looking at the bricked up embrasure.

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On the far side is the large round hole for the extractor vet and the fan would have fitted onto it. The slot is for fired shell cases to be dropped down into the spent case store under the gun room.

An R611 gun room

Spent case store under gun room.

10.5cm boxed ammunition.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Damage done inside this casemate.

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During the battle for the hill the Americans fired heavy artillery at these guns, most hitting the hill or the concrete around them. One actually came in through the embrasure and exploded amongst the ammunition stored at the rear of the gun. There should have been steel doors closing the rear of the casemate off from the tunnels. But when firing the gun, these should be kept open to allow blast from the gun firing to dissipate. As these doors were open the blast from the exploding shell and ammunition went right through the tunnels. I believe this is why they capitulated.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The American advance in August 1944.

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Sherman Tank.

18th August 2014.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The front of the casemate today.

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I crawled in but could not see it.

Plan.

 

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Heading for the Observation Post at the point of the Pointe.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Continuing on.

Details

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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A half door used here.

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I think its the top half of a 343P01 type steel door. Either the engineers got their calculations wrong or it was designed to be like this??

343P01 Door.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Inside the Observation Post.

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Now the viewing slit has been almost sealed up.

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Observation Post.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Observation Post.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The next exit is for a search light.

Details

Plan.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Rear door for the searchlight.

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Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The view from the sealed door.

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The view from the sealed door to where the railway tracks that would have carried the searchlight in and out of its store. There a Tobruk on each side as protection against attack.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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The view down.

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The two Tobruk's show up well and you can see the railway lines.

1947 picture.

Search light.

Search light.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Heading out and meeting the Adder again.

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When we came in we had no idea there was an Adder snake living in the gun room floor. It was not until we left that we saw it. Also we saw NO Bats in the whole system.

Ra145 Pointe de la Garde Guerin StP 'Paulus'

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Rommel visiting St Malo 1944.

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© 2013 Richard Drew