Wn56 Port-en-Bessin,
K.V.U Gruppe Bessin, K.V.Gr Bayeux.
KVAH1, AOK7.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Le Port.

 

 

 

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The Navy's view. A reconnaissance mosaic of the mouth of the La Drôme river.

 

F-5 Lightning Mount Farm, 7th PRU.

 

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The Town 1943.

Spitfire taking off from RAF Benson on a photographic mission.

High flying Spitfire taking photos.

Cameras being fitted.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The port and some of its defences.
1 x Vf/Skoda casemate.
1 x R612 (under construction) casemate.
1 x Vf67 Tobruk.
1 x Pz.T. FT17 3.7cm KwK144(f).
1 x 4.7cm Pak K36(t).
1 x 4.7cm Pak 181(f).

4.7cm Pak 181(f).

Pz.T. FT17 - 3.7cm KwK144.

Vf/Skoda casemate. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Rue Torteron.

 

 

 

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Bullet marks in the wall of one of the houses in Rue Torteron probably due to street fighting in the area, although a lot of towns people were still living here when the Commandos arrived.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Parking

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Car park at the end of the Rue Torteron.

Plan of Rue Torteron and the Skoda bunker.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Western Feature

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The path shown was the one that with moral very low the remaining soldiers took the captured Commando (Marine Amos) with them down into the port to surrender. There were 23 in all under a white flag ,they worked their way down a path to the port.

This side of the defence shows the trench system and the positions of two casemates (Skoda bunker & the R612 under construction). The Flak barges are left overs from the battle for the town and an Allied anti-aircraft Balloon placed here by either he British or later the Americans.. This picture was taken after D-Day

3.7cm Pak K36(t).

R612 under construction.

British troops training for D-Day on these smaller balloons. The Americans also used these balloons.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate.

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At the far side of the small flat area is the Vf/Skoda casemate. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

Vf/Skoda casemate plan. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

4.7cm Pak K36(t) gun.

4.7cm ammunition.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate

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Vf/Skoda casemate. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate

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The front face, the guns commanders viewing slit and the 770P4 type embrasure.

The gun commanders viewing slit

The gun commanders viewing slit .

770P4 type embrasure.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate

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Gun commanders viewing slit on the outside.

Gun commander and crew member. There would be one more to load/carry the ammunition.

Gun commanders view.

Gun commander looking through his visor slit.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate

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Photo. # 10 says a 47mm & a 7.92mm in concrete.

4.7cm fired ammunition is ejected via pipe work out to a large vat in front ff the embrasure. hen the battle was over, the guns crew were to retrieve the shell cases for recycling or re use. Here that never happened.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate

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770P4 steel embrasure set into the concrete wall.

4.7cm Skoda fortress gun.

770P4 embrasure.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Vf/Skoda casemate

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Inside the usual detritus.

Inside.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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This is the area the gun covers although I am not too sure of its range, possibly 1000m to 1500m. From here to the small lighthouse is around 500m.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Yellow circle the Skoda casemate.
Red circle the site of the R612 casemate.

R612 casemate with flanking wall.

How it may have looked inside.

The front of an R612 with wooden doors on.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Aerial photo of the R612 casemate under construction with the long ramp to bring up building materials up. An R612 would have held an LAG gun. LAG gun is an Anti Landing Gun. This would be a 7.5cm to a 10.0cm field gun.
The second photo is of the plateau where the casemate was being built.

7.62cm IKH290(r).

7.62cmFK39(r).

Ammunition for a 10cm cannon.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin
Casemates

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Yellow circle the Skoda casemate.
Red circle the site of the R612 casemate.
There was to be another R612 sighted on the top of Wn55 and these two guns would have created a cross fire of highly effective armoured piercing and high explosive rounds.

R612 under construction.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The view from the western Jetty.

 

 

 

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The western Jetty that had a gun on its tip at the end and it may have been the 4.7cm Pak 181(f).

4.7cm Pak 181(f).

4.7cm Pak 181(f).

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Harbour mouth.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Le Port

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The lock to the inner bassin.
The red marks on the right show how the large concrete anti-tank walls were laid out and an Allied bulldozer removing it.

The three walls.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The anti-tank walls in place, just after capture. Note the bashing the houses had from the several bombardments by ship, aircraft and artillery (artillery from both sides).

 

 

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Another view across the port to the east side and a red line where an anti-tank wall was built and a yellow dot where the Pz.T. FT17 3.7cm KwK144 in its own tank turret.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The anti-tank wall on the eastern side of the port and it looks like the British engineers have already removed the tip of the wall to allow access to and from the port.

 

 

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Panzer Tobruk Vf67 on the foundations of the Vauban tower.
With a Pz.T. FT17 MG 311(f) turret.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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Pz.T. FT17 MG 311(f) turret. A two man crew, one to fire the gun and another to keep the machine gun in ammunition and to help change hot barrels.

Turret.

Mitrailleuse Mle SMG 331(f). A French pre war machine gun.

Pz.T. FT 17 MG 311(f). variant KwK144(f) elevation.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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

Turret fittings.

 

The FT 17(f) tank that the turret came from.

StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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StP55 Port-en-Bessin

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This is where I think StP55 ends and Wn56 starts.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The anti-tank walls.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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The army had to cut through he wall.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

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