StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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WW2 Airfields in Egypt

Warrant Officer 1, MSM, T. Drew, Royal Army Service Corps Dunkirk 1940

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Port-en-Bessin is a lovely little town and I have spent a lot of time there. It was defended by the Germans with four defence positions that circled the small port, set into a cleft between high cliffs/hills either side. The port was very important in the early days of the war as the different German garrisons could be re supplied by coasters running up and down the channel. With Allied air superiority, it became very dangerous for slow moving, lightly armed boats to sail. So the Kriegsmarine designed a small ship/boat called a Siebel ferries & Flak Lighters. A superstructure containing as many anti-aircraft guns on it as possible and three remained in the port after capture. StP55 was the eastern cliff, not terribly well defended, but has a couple of heavy mortars, a few concrete Vf/FK bunkers. A 7.5cm Kannon and a lot of trenches.

7.5cm F.K.235.

8.14cm Gr.W278(f) mortar.

Pz.T. FT17 MG 311(f) turret.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

AIR 14/2904 05 April 1943

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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1., Grenadier-Regiment 726, [CP: Maisons, Château Wn54].
1 x R612 casemate due to start construction (Bw.Nr.486).
2 x Ringstands Gr.W mortars.
1 x Ringstand 5cm KwK.
1 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Pz.T. FT17 MG 311(f) turret.
2 x SK bunkers/shelters.
1 x 7.5cm F.K.235(b).
1 x 5cm KwK L/60.
1 x 2cm Flak ?.

5cm KwK L/60.

2cm Flak ?.

Vf58c Tobruk.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

German situation map.

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Stuetzpünktgruppe Port-en-Bessin the amalgamation of the four defences. British Commandos were tasked with taking the port and assaulted the town and cliffs on D-Day, but attacked later on D+1 from the rear of the town and taking Wn58, Wn57, the town Wn56 and StP55 last..

British Commandos.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

1943/4 air photo -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bigot map of the defence.

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin
Bigot

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The word Bigot was the code word, if you had been informed about Bigot (the secrets of D-Day) you became a Bigoted person.

The Bigot map (bottom) was drawn from the air photos (top).

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

Statement on the plinth --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Commando training in Scotland

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Copied from the plinth.

Captain Terence Frederick COUSINS.

'A' -Troop Royal Marine Commando May 1944.

Commandos moving up.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

10 October 2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Air 14/2904 Bayeux Electra

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Dreh-Elektra? = Sonne? Sonne ["Sun"]: long wave (several LF frequencies between 270 and 330 kHz vs 300 kHz nominal and 250-350 kHz), long-range system of the Kriegsmarine (navy). Lorenz. It was based on "Elektra", but rather than physically rotating a loop antenna, Sonne used three stationary antennas spaced about 1 km (about 3.86 wavelengths) and a single transmitter + goniometer, to electronically sweep the direction of the beams. Range over land 1200 km. Range over sea 2000 km. Transmitter power: 1.5 kW. Ref. 230A-230C, 230K, 230L, 230M, 164B (p. 8, 9)). Collapsed hyperbolic system (extreme case of hyperbolic). Became operational June 1942.

Aerials.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

10 October 2018

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Site of the R612 casemate due to start construction (Bw.Nr.486) [Bw - Build number when this is shown it means it is ordered or under construction]. By the looks of it this position was started, but not finished. The gun a 7.5cm F.K.235(b). was there and used in an open position but ready to go inside when the casemate was finished.