Ca03 Brighton Phare Radar

RADAR · StP Gruppe Cayeux · AOK 15 Haute-Normandie · France

Ca03 Brighton Phare Radar

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

1 x R612 Casemate.

3 x R668 (355, 356 & 357) small six man bunkers.

1 x V229 Radar socket.

1 x Giant Würzburg?

? x Vf58c Tobruk.

1 x 7.5cm F.K.231(f)?

Plan of an R668 six man bunker.
Plan of an R668 six man bunker.
R612 casemate for an assault gun.
R612 casemate for an assault gun.
Giant Würzberg.
Giant Würzberg.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
 

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

A plan of roughly where the bunkers are and were.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Here is a low level reconnaissance photo taken on the 14 February 1943 about 71 years to the day we visited. Note they name it Brighthon? that may be an error or the name was adjusted post war.
The Phare is a very prominent feature in this area and it seems odd that a defence and radar site should be placed where it can be seen from far out at sea?

Bing

Spitfire PRU.
Spitfire PRU.
Side mounted camera being located.
Side mounted camera being located.
Vertical images of Utah Beach.
Vertical images of Utah Beach.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
This is taken from a British target map dated March 1944 and I have just added some more details. The spelling of Giant Würzberg on the English plan was Wuerzberg.

00 February 1944

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Water reservoir.
I have seen them either on radar sites or V1 rocket launch sites. There is also one at Maisy battery.

21 February 2014

Hawker Typhoons.
Hawker Typhoons.
Hawker Typhoon attacking radars at Berk Plage sud H.K.B.
Hawker Typhoon attacking radars at Berk Plage sud H.K.B.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
 

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R668.
There were over 100 built in the A.O.K15 area and the plans for allowing these to be used are dated 1943.

21 February 2014

R668.
R668.
These are pictures inside an unknown bunker and they look very crowded.
These are pictures inside an unknown bunker and they look very crowded.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R668.
Ca - part of StP.Gruppe Cayeux. 03 - Wn 03 defence position 03. 357 - the bunkers build number.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R668.
Set on the side of the roadway and semi sunk into the ground with a nice bank of sand protecting it from an attack from the seaward side.

21 February 2014

The escape tunnel.
The escape tunnel.
Possibly a chimney outlet or a periscope tube.
Possibly a chimney outlet or a periscope tube.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R668.
And it has been cleared and looks a lot better.

25 March 2017

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R668.
The camouflaged concrete covering..

25 March 2017

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R668.
The escape has also been re built.

25 March 2017

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

FA Unterstand.

21 February 2014

Plan of a Vf2a.
Plan of a Vf2a.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Demolished wall. This could be either a farm dwelling or part of an earlier defence.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Shelter of some kind.
A bricked wall with a heavy concrete roof.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Shelter.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Shelter.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Brighton.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
A V229 is the plan number of the base of a Würzberg Radar set. The dish is on the front and behind a wooden cabin where the operators could sit at their controls and direct the scan of the beams.

21 February 2014

Giant Würzberg.
Giant Würzberg.
Inside a cabin.
Inside a cabin.
The cabin on the back.
The cabin on the back.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
This is where the radar would have sat and wires would have gone through the concrete to an electrical source (a generator or mains power) & signal wires to a main control room.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Würzberg.
Würzberg.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
I have no idea what the added concrete notches are, they may be original but no others that I have seen have them?

21 February 2014

Würzberg.
Würzberg.
Planes had to fly very low to get under the radar beams but with the radar at ground level I wonder if you could get under them.
Planes had to fly very low to get under the radar beams but with the radar at ground level I wonder if you could get under them.
V229 plan..
V229 plan..

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
The small entrance inside, when the radar is on the top this would be used as access to cables and connections.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Sunset in February.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Note the style of concrete camouflage.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Made in brick and re enforced concrete roof.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

FA personnel bunker. Inside with several rooms and a couple of windows.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

FA personnel bunker.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R612 Casemate.
A 7.5cm Field Cannon would possibly be used here and may have been a captured French type.

21 February 2014

7.5cm F.K.
7.5cm F.K.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
Ammunition and boxes.
Ammunition and boxes.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

R612 Casemate.
Its a shattered bunker, it looks as though ammunition was exploded inside after its capture.

21 February 2014

R612 casemate for an assault gun with rear door and two ammunition niches each side.
R612 casemate for an assault gun with rear door and two ammunition niches each side.
Ammunition storage.
Ammunition storage.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
You would not know from here that its a Wellblech shelter.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
These are shelters using a corrugated steel half round thick sheeting and a coat of thick concrete, bury it in the ground and cover it over with sand or earth and you have very good bunker.

21 February 2014

Steel sheeting.
Steel sheeting.
Many uses from crew to ammunition to storage.
Many uses from crew to ammunition to storage.
Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
A view across the sand dunes looking north.

21 February 2014

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.

Ca03 Brighton Phare de Cayeux.
 

21 February 2014