Wn83 Fontaine-la-Mallet les Monts-Trottins R622

1 x R622 twin group bunker.
1 x extensive tunnel system and underground communications rooms.
Red - the batterie position.
Yellow - the R622 and tunnels.
Blue - an extensive camp with many buildings and I presume un recorded where the tunnel starts.
Since then a new road has been placed between the camp and the bunker, cutting off the tunnel.

An Allied Defence Overprint Edition of 5 September 1944 plan of the defences around Monts-Trottins.

An Allied Defence Overprint Edition of 5 September 1944 plan of the defences around Monts-Trottins.

"Malepartus" (the den of the fox) is the name of the camp.

The Bois Des Marettes seems to have been an artillery HQ of some kind for the Artillery Group Nord. Seen on 1943 maps a set of blockhouses (bunkers), a garrison and barracks. There was a connecting tunnel from the woods in the south to the top of the hill, north. Connecting the the two parts. The northern part seems to have been an observation as in the use of periscope/periscopes. There was one in the R622 and another in a niche in the tunnel.
Details taken from the Association Fortification 76's leaflet.

On the side of a wooded valley, a small steel door. Behind: a tunnel lined with concrete. It runs straight up the hill some hundred and fifty yards. And there it divides into two branches, each of about twenty or thirty meters. Along the corridors are dormitories and refectories containing all the desirable supplies: butter, champagne. Each of these branches ends in a spiral staircase which leads to a small carefully camouflaged cupola, disappearing in the middle of a field of potatoes. And in each cupola, a periscope, nothing more. An artillery command post: the incredible work that consisted in tracing and digging this tunnel was ultimately only intended to install two periscopes!
'Captain Alastair Borthwick of the 5th Seaforth Highlanders (51st Highlander Division), '

The capture of the works in the Bois des Marettes in September 1944: Eddy Florentin, in "Le Havre 44, à feu et à sang", recounts the capture of the Marettes wood works on September 11, 1944 by B Company of the 5th Cameron (51st Highlander Division): At Fontaine-la-Mallet, a Scottish officer approaches Father Thomas: - Do you know if there are still German defenses on the edge of the Bois des Marettes? Can you guide me there?
A company of the 5th Cameron approached, coming from the western heights of Fontaine-la-Mallet: B Company had the mission of clearing the sector “between D Company, on the heights of Fontaine-aux-Cailloux, and C Company heading towards the wood of Fréville, all operations which will not be completed until 10:30 am. As for us, Fontaine is the first village we come across inside the entrenched camp, and which it is up to us to clear”, logically, for its western portion”. 10:00 a.m., remembers Lieutenant-Colonel Andrews My B Company enters the Bois des Marettes. We discover a large number of perfectly camouflaged blockhouses. The defenses make it like a mini entrenched camp.
A large number of equipment is dropped by the enemy. To my astonishment I found an old Citroön which contained two signal flags which seemed to have belonged to the commander of the German artillery”.

The new main D6382 cuts across the old road from Les Monts Trottins. There is now a nice foot path and cycle track, take this pathe east to just over the brow of the hill to the bunker.

R622 twin group bunker.

Nicely laid out on the very top of the hill with views (in 1943) all around the countryside.

R622 twin group bunker.

The flanking wall to hold back the earth and allow access into the bunker.

R622 twin group bunker.

The left hand entrance with a drain and step in front of the entrance, I have noticed several bunkers in this area that have this form of step/drainage. There was no actual door but a 491P2 Gittertür a steel gate.

R622 twin group bunker.

Looking down the entrance at the close combat embrasure.

R622 twin group bunker.

Close combat embrasure, where a machine gun, sub-machine gun or a rife can shoot through it at any intruder trying to enter the bunker.

R622 twin group bunker.

Turning right there are two fittings, either side where a radio aerials can be fitted. Most bunkers of this period had two fittings by each door. Not all were used but here some were. The aerials were telescopic, raised and lowered by winding a cable and pulley system. Blanking plugs on the roof would need to be removed and the aerial wound up.

R622 twin group bunker.

Plan showing where on this style of bunker the aerials would fit..

R622 twin group bunker.

Plan showing where on this style of bunker the aerials would fit..

R622 twin group bunker.

To see if an aerial has ever been fitted, as very many do not. Look out for the earth strips and the fitting brackets. It shows that here one was fitted.

R622 twin group bunker.

Looking towards the other entrance, note that the door apertures have rounded edges. This is very odd for this type of bunker. They should be squared off and 434P01 doors fitted, but here they may have had 882P7 doors fitted, a naval style door (as in ships type). The reason may be that Le Havre being under naval (Marine) command that there were stocks of this type of bunker in the stores, where as the 434P01 type may have been hard to get.
Just a thought.

R622 twin group bunker.

The second entrance with the 491P2 Gittertür (Screen Door) in place.

R622 twin group bunker.

R622 twin group bunker.

The plan of a standard R622.

R622 twin group bunker.

The large door is a 19P7 light steel door, gas tight with a rubber seal all around the outside. A small glass viewing window and two door handles. This door would have been fitted to the three inner doors.

The half door is a 434P01 type that should have been fitted here but was not.

R622 twin group bunker.

I believe a Heers-Einheits-Schutzlüfter HES 1.2. Due to gas being widely used in WW1, bunkers were made gas tight and an air filtration system was added. Filters on the top were for gas or smoke and inter changeable. Then the pump itself, hand operated (could also be electrically driven). And a shelf below to carry spare gas filters.

All details MKB Bunker tour 'Atlantikwall Veldboekje'

R622 twin group bunker.

Heers-Einheits-Schutzlüfter HES 1.2. The yellow filter housing above, the rubber hose, the main filters below, the hand operated pump and handle. There would be one in each room and vented out into the room via pipes in the walls.

R622 twin group bunker.

Heers-Einheits-Schutzlüfter HES 1.2. Details on the pump.

R622 twin group bunker.

Equaling valve. If a bomb/shell explodes close to the bunker, this valve can close very quickly and stop the pressure wave coming into the ventilation.

R622 twin group bunker.

Light switch plus brackets for possibly heating pipes.

R622 twin group bunker.

Th e door between the two rooms a 19P7 type door.

R622 twin group bunker.

The group here have tried to show what the communications would have looked like in this bunker. When the bunker was captured, the soldiers inside would have immediately been removed under armed guard and taken away. When in a safe place, they may have been interrogated to see if they knew of any secrets that could be useful. Then taken to the nearest boat and then to Portland or Southampton and on to a POW camp somewhere in Britain.

The soldiers capturing the bunker, would have had no interest in it, except any food or drink. So the knowledge of what the bunker really did was totally lost.

So this is where many groups that take over bunkers find themselves trying to work out, what exactly went on. They seem here to be doing very well.

R622 twin group bunker.

The other wall with the cable inlets and a KEV (Kabelendverschluß) (groß).

R622 twin group bunker.

Periscope hole. The fitting for the periscope is a 754P3 with a swivel cap. There was a handle that could push the cap up and swivel open, then the periscope could be pushed up for use.

R622 twin group bunker.

The fitting for the periscope is a 754P3 with a swivel cap.

R622 twin group bunker.

Now outside and a covered entrance to the Tobruk defence. On all R622's the Tobruk entrance would have a 491P2 Gittertür to close it off. But here we have also a tunnel entrance.

R622 twin group bunker.

The Tobruk from inside. There are two places here to contact the bunker inside, one a Sprachrohr or mouthpiece that is connected by a tube to inside the bunker and also a relay box or a socket to plug in a field telephone.

The outside of the Tobruk, this may have had a machine gun for close in defence. Also it could be used for observation of the surrounding area.

Tunnel system.

Going down into the tunnel.

Tunnel system.

The tunnel was shaped like a Y but now the new road cuts it in half, only the top half has survived.

Tunnel system.

The first thing we see is a scratching on the wall of A.R.J. 21.8.45. This is presumed to be an American soldier. Below the bunker to the east of the German camp was a massive American Cigarette camp. These were transit camps between the ETO. European Theater of Operations and the USA. Men were held here until a place on a ship could be found. The American cigarette firms cottoned on th the idea that if they called a camp 'Lucky Strike' or any other name. The men would remember it when they arrived home in the States.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

The pieces of wood were used to carry the cables along the wall.

Tunnel system.

Passage to the right went down to the camp in Bois Des Marattes.

Tunnel system.

This is the section that would have taken us down to the camp in Bois Des Marattes now cut off by the new road.

Tunnel system.

Niche for the periscope, this was a major part of the tunnel system. This would have been used to help range the artillery over the hill to the north.

Periscope fitting.

Tunnel system.

The periscope aperture.

Tunnel system.

Spiral stairs to the Tobruk defence. This was mentioned by 'Captain Alastair Borthwick of the 5th Seaforth Highlanders'.

Tunnel system.

Inside the Tobruk.

Tunnel system.

Tobruk from above.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

One of the rooms

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

Tunnel system.

The stairs out.

Tunnel system.

The stairs out of the tunnel system in the east.

Tunnel system.

We thought this maybe a water reservoir

Tunnel system.

These we think are the chimney from the cooker that was in one of the rooms in the R622 bunker.

Our very good guides and four bunker freak's. Thank you for a great weekend.