StP121 Barfleur le Cracko, K.V.G.U.Gruppe Barfleur, Normandy.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

Barfleur.

R677.

R667.

Vf58c Tobruk.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Plan

Details

My plan of StP121, the yellow line is where the wall of Belgian gates was sighted. The red line, the anti-tank wall.
1 x R667 5cm casemate.
1 x R677 8.8cm Pak 43/41 casemate.
1 x Vf69 mortar Tobruk.
1 x Vf/MG
1 x 5cm Ringstand.
6 x Vf58c Tobruks.
2 x Wellblech
1 x R35 Pz.T 3.7cm KwK 144(f).
2 x 5cm KwK L/42.
1 x 8.8cm Pak 43/41.
1 x 4.7cm Pak K.36(t).
1 x 2cm Flak 30.
1 x Mortar 8cm or 5cm.

R677 Casemate.

R667 casemate.

Vf69 mortar Tobruk.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Map

Details

This is the Barfleur area, with all the Wn & StP's along the coast. MF. 62 & 63. are the two large minefields that covered the gaps between defences.

 

 

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Barfleur

Details

Barfleur is situated to the east of Cherbourg, it is a very interesting little fishing port with many bars, shops and restaurants.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
From WO 252/151 file

Details

Allied photo taken a year after D-Day.
Barfleur was an important little fishing town prior to 1940. In wartime it was not used by many fishing boats (maybe the odd one or two under guard would be allowed) but by coastal craft plying around the Atlantikwall's small ports. It was also a port that if captured could be used to supply an invading army, so it had to be defended. It was too small though for E-boats as the harbour dried out at low tide.

Fishing today.

 

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank wall

Details

This is a very extensive wall that runs from L to R across this picture.

Plan.

Plan of a concrete anti-tank wall.

Wall with barbed wire on the top.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank wall

Details

With the tide out you can see the extensive make up of this wall.
After the Dieppe Raid went very wrong, the Allies decided never to attack a port.
The German attitude to the Allies was that they would attack a port. So ports were strongly defended.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank wall

Details

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank wall

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StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank wall

Details

You can see here extended steel rods coming out of the concrete wall to attach barbed wire to.

Barbed wire.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank wall

Details

This maybe where a small anti-tank gun could be used.

2.5, 3 or 5cm Pak gun.

5cm Pak.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R667 casemate

Details

This casemate would have held a 5cm KwK Pak 42. This gun covered the inner harbour.

Plan.

5cm KwK Pak 42.

R667 casemate.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R667 casemate

Details

This casemate would have held a 5cm KwK Pak 42. An earlier picture.

 

5cm KwK Pak 42.

R667 casemate.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Anti-tank barrier

Details

This is one end of an anti-tank barrier, whereby a row of Belgian Gates would be linked together and tied into this block and another on the harbour wall.

Belgian Gate being placed.

Belgian Gates linked together.

The Belgian Gate is designed to link together. They have fittings on each side that link together and either a piece of rod, a bolt or even strips of barbed wire wound around.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 plus the wall of Belgian gates

Details

This shows the harbour wall end with the R677 camouflaged with a covering of turfs and grass. The Belgian Gates locked together.

The Belgian Gate is designed to link together. They have fittings on each side that link together and either a piece of rod, a bolt or even strips of barbed wire wound around.

One side of the Belgian gate that l;inks with the next one.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Wall of Belgian gates

Details

The block at the bottom of the picture is the harbour wall side of the Belgian Gate wall.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Wall of Belgian gates

Details

Here is the block on the harbour wall.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Harbour wall

Details

At the end of the harbour wall is an Nr1694 ringstand with a 5cm KwK L42 Pak.

Nr1694 ringstand.

 

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Harbour wall

Details

This is how it may have looked sat at the end of the harbour covering all angles.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Harbour wall Nr1694 ringstand

Details

Now a harbour light has been fitted inside the ringstand.

Nr1694 ringstand.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Harbour wall

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As seen from the seaward side with the tide out.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Harbour wall

Details

Now looking at the part of Wn121 that runs along the beach front.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

The house in the middle was a 4.7cm Pak gun bunker built into it.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

This looks like a defended position.

 

 

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

This is a picture of the house.

SHM.

A 4.7cm Skoda Pak inside.

4.7cm Skoda Pak plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

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StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Concrete barrier

Details

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Gun emplacement

Details

Details

 

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

There is quite a lot of remains along this side.

Mines.

Barbed wire.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Beach defence

Details

A hook set into the rocks to hole barbed wire entanglement.

 

Angle iron picket post.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Tobruk

Details

A strengthened wall around this Vf58c Tobruk.

Vf58c Tobruk.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Tobruk

Details

The top flush with the ground.

Vf58v Tobruk.

 

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Vf/MG

Details

Vf Machine gun post.

Plan.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Vf/MG

Details

Vf Machine gun post.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Vf/MG

Details

Vf Machine gun post. Also note the steel posts set into the concrete to hold barbed wire.

MG.08.

MG.34.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Vf/MG

Details

Machine gun embrasure that has had the embrasure bricked up, I am assuming that just a rifle could shoot through it.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Vf/MG

Details

A machine gun on its tripod could fit on the concrete table.

MG.08.

MG.34.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Tobruk

Details

Another Tobruk.

Plan.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Search light emplacement

Details

At night the defences were blind, so searchlights were integrated into the defences. From small to 60cm to 150cm searchlights could be used.

Plan.

Small search light.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Search light emplacement

Details

At night the defences were blind, so searchlights were integrated into the defences. From small to 60cm to 150cm searchlights could be used.

60cm searchlight in its emplacement.

60cm searchlight in its emplacement.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Tobruk

Details

Vf58c Tobruk.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Tobruk

Details

Vf58c Tobruk.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

One part of a set for making a tetrahedron beach anti-tank defence.

 

 

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

R677 anti-tank gun casemate with an 8.8cm Pak covering the beach.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

Flanking wall and embrasure.

R677 casemate.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

The field of fire of this casemate.

Plan.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

Most R677 do not have added Tobruk defences. This is quite a rare version. The Tobruk allowed for AA defence, local defence and also observation. The soldier in the Tobruk, could use binoculars to tell the gunners where targets are and also adjustment of their fire.

AA.

Defence.

Observation.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

Added Tobruk.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

Inside the attached Tobruk. There would have been a voice communication tube connecting the Tobruk to the gun room to and the machine gunner would help lay the gun on its targets.

Sprachrohr another would be in the gun room and they could talk to each other.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

The rear entrance where the gun could be pushed in. Two ammunition niches on each side to hold ready ammunition.

8.8cm At gun in an R677.

8.8cm Pak 43.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

When the gun fired, fumes & smoke from the gun would fill the gun room.

Extraction from the gun room.

A fan exactly like this fitted to the bunker.

200mm breather vent on the rear wall.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

Gun room embrasure.
The 8.8cm anti-tank gun was, one of the best AT guns of all time. But by mid war, advances in tanks and mobile warfare made them almost redundant. They were very big and heavy. They needed a large tractor to tow them in and out of positions. When in position in modern warfare, they probably only manage two rounds to fire before the enemy had spotted, where they were and either brought a gun/tank/aircraft to bear on them. The crew could not extract the guns quickly enough and the gun was often blown up. The small hand held rocket launcher became the cheapest and easiest way of killing tanks. So a lot of 8.8cm guns were moved into the Atlantikwall to be placed in fixed casemates and that gave them their strongest defence. On D-day they proved a phenomenal weapon. Omaha Beach was a great example with two guns, one at each end inside casemates just like this one.

Tank on fire on Gold Beach.

2

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
R677 casemate

Details

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
FA Munitions

Details

Ammunition bunker.

FA Munitions.

2cm ammunition.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
2cm Flak emplacement

Details

An emplacement for a small 2cm Flak 30. Not only giving good AA coverage, but could be a very effective ground defence gun.

Plan.

2cm Flak 30.

Flak.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

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StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
2cm Flak emplacement

Details

Looking into the position.

Plan..

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Tobruk

Details

Covering the rear.

Plan.

 

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
FA ammunition

Details

Two ammunition niches

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko
Vf69 mortar Tobruk

Details

Usually an 8cm mortar were in these bunkers. others a smaller 5cm mortar could be used. An ammunition room, a gun room where the mortar sits and a Tobruk defence and observation.

Details2

Vf69 Mortar Tobruk.

8cm mortar crew.

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Information

StP121 Barfleur le Cracko

Details

© 2013 Richard Drew