Re137 Pointe St Mathieu radar

The large deep water port of Brest was large enough to receive battle ships like the Tirpitz. Also a U-boat pen was constructed inside the harbour. That meant that the whole area around the entrance to the Rade de Brest had to be defended. After the attack on the lock gate at St Nazaire the defence was again increased. Pointe St Mathieu is the site of the Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre and Wn Re137.

 

We parked in the car park at the Abbey and walked the Abbey & the Vauban fort and a small battery of French guns red arrows. Then we walked yellow arrows along the coast path. At the blue circle we found a French emplacement, yellow square a bunker & an ancient lookout and the red square a searchlight and its garage bunker at Wn Re307.

The 56meter lighthouse built in 1835 and the Abbey church was built from 1157 to 1208. (It was burnt down by the English in 1558). Those English get around.

Abbaye Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre

The semaphore (far tower) was built in 1905 to watch the entrance to Brest and may have had the Seetakt radar placed on the top. So far I cannot find any information about its whereabouts..

This type of gun was used all around the coast of France and we often find the hold fast fittings at many coastal places.

A gun emplacement hold-fast.

After a brisk walk we came upon this gun hold fast and as there are no other works around here we presumed it to be a one gun battery position of WW1 era?

We did not find any radars.

It was very cold and wet.

The RAF new this was a radar site and had it as a target to attack.

SK/V256 (energy bunker for the radar) this could be the power generating bunker for a radar.

Tank or ships type hatch? well that is what we thought but it looks like it is the base of a radar.

Tank or ships type hatch? well that is what we thought but it looks like it is the base of a radar.

Behind the bunker is a French 18/19th cent. guard lookout?

V 256 (energy bunker for the radar) this could be the power generating bunker for a radar.

V 256 (energy bunker for the radar) made from Formstein (breeze block shuttering, filled with concrete).

Three doors to the left, first for access to the foot entrance, second to the crew room and third the fuel store room. The square hole in the end wall is the breather chimney and escape tunnel. A generator may have sat in front of the chimney/escape mounted on the floor.

Three large air pipes and a single door, a 19P7 type door was fitted here.

Three large air pipes and a single door, a 19P7 type door was fitted here.

The metal fittings of the anti-gas filter still on the wall next to the close combat window.

This is the rest of the crew room.

Chimney air vent/escape

Looking at the garage with the door to the crew room & foot entrance. The vent in the door of the crew room is an equalizer vent.

V 256 (energy bunker for the radar).

Freya early warning radar.

Walking the coast path this is the first fortification of Re305 a field type bunker. There is supposed to be a V256 and I have no idea what one looks like yet?

In the distance is an M182 searchlight emplacement looking out over the cliffs, These searchlights, three of them in this area would have been working with the local batteries of 'Holtzendorf ' and the large gun battery 'Graff Von Spee'.

Emplacement for a 150cm Searchlight.

Peep oh!

Emplacement for a 150cm Searchlight.

View through the emplacement from the back.

In the undergrowth is an Sk searchlight garage we could not get down there to look inside.

In the distance is an M182 searchlight emplacement looking out over the cliffs, These searchlights, three of them in this area would have been working with the local batteries of Holtzendorf and the large gun battery Graff Von Spee.

Note the steel ladder rungs have all been cut off.