Gatteville Chemins des Vastines R612 Casemate
WN · K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost · AOK 7 Normandy · France
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
Rear defence bunker of the defences of Gatteville Batterie.
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
The R612 casemate covers the SE side of StP152. 7./Heers Kusten Artillerie Regiment1261. StP152 was a huge, six open emplacement (Geschützstellung) for 15.5cm K.420(f) guns and then four R679 casemates plus ammunition and crew bunkers. All round defence were four Wn's123, 124, 125 & 125a.
German plan June 1944
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
1 x R612 Casemate.
1 x 7.5cm F.K.
Geoportail 1972
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
This is a 1975 air photo of the casemate showing the flanking wall and the glasses plate in front of the guns embrasure.
Geoportail 1975
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate side view.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
The view of where the gun covered. Wn123/Wn124 to Wn122 Barfleur. T
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate the rear wall.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate. Camouflage nets were extensively used and the reinforcing rods were left proud and then bent over so that a net could be hooked over them.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate the full rear view.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
Rear (ventilation). Before firing the rear doors are opened, gun fires, fumes from the gun fill the gun room. A fan in the rear corner would be started up and the smoke & fumes sucked out of the gun room via the rear vent. The vent is a heavy steel construction and a perforated cove is places over the top to stop explosives placed into to the system such as a grenade.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
This is the information stenciled to the casemate wall in Brittany, explaining to open the rear doors.
21 November 2009
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
Extractor fittings, an electric fan would have been fitted between these two pipes.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate rear door with two ammunition niches each side.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate ammunition niches in the side.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
There would have been a turntable, often made of a metal frame that the gun pivoted on.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
Plan.
Plan
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
F.K. Field Kannon about to shoot. The sort of field Kannon that may have been used here.
7.5cm F.K.
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate view out of the rear door.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate slightly extended side walls on this model with earth piled up around the sides to add to camouflage and also some extra protection..
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate the concrete in front of the embrasure is the Glacés plate. This was designed to deflect incoming shells away from the embrasure.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate how the gun may have looked inside the casemate with wooden doors covering the embrasure.
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
R612 casemate the gun would have been part of a four gun batterie of horse artillery, split up and placed in different bunkers along this coast. The horse and limber may have been retained and the horse used to collect the rations and the limber to store extra ammunition. Stored usually in local stable/barns of the farm the bunker was sat on. Also the crew of the casemate may also have been billeted in the farm house.
04 April 2019
Gatteville Chemins des Vastines
04 April 2019