Rue d' Ozouville-Tonneville les Maresquiers Batterie

BATTERIE · K.V.U.Gruppe Cherbourg See · AOK 7 Normandy · France

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Rue d'Ozouville to the west of Cherbourg was to be a batterie of four 10cm le.F.H.14/19(t).guns in four R669 casemates. Their target area was by the looks of it Landemer. Facing north/west. Two of the casemates were built and two were under construction, I don't think any guns were installed and may have been out in field positions.

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Of the four casemates, only two were almost finished. The other two were in the very early stages of fabrication, with the steel reinforced mesh in place.

IGNF 1947

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 2017 it was getting very overgrown.

But in 2006 it was quite clear.

15 October 2017 ‎-- 17 March 2006

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 The rear quarter.

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Rear 2017.

US Army Signals Corps 1944.

15 October 2017 -- 1944 US Army Signals Corps

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Rear gun access would have had heavy steel door frames set into wooden blocks that fitted into the six (you can see four) square holes. Then a set of heavy steel doors would have been fitted.

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

The type of doors that would have been fitted were 722P3 type.

Plan Kurt

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Inside the gun room, there is slight recess in the floor to allow a turntable to be fitted for the gun

15 October 2017

Howitzer mounted on a turntable.(WO133/56).

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 The arc on the floor where the guns trail would have swiveled.

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Cable inputs that would have connected to a cabinet on the wall. Fire instructions would come down these cables to the guns crews from a forward observer.

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Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Roof extractor vents set into the steel beams to extract foul gases out of the gun room, after the gun had fired.

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2

15 October 2017 -1944 US Army Signals Corps

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Ammunition recess or niche also doubled as the space for an extractor fan mounting and pipe work. This would have been powered by electricity, so where the power came in wartime, I have no idea.

15 October 2017

200mm Rost vent that may have been ready to fit, but their war ended before that could be done.

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 External vent pipe missing it Rost or cover. It may never have been fitted.

15 October 2017

200mm mesh type vent, used later on in the war.

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Rear door and there are three vertical pipes, one bunker has them equally spaced and the other. Two on the right and one on the left. Why???

15 October 2017

Three vertical pipes not equally spaced.

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 2 Note a railway line used to move products between storage and production and the camouflage nets hanging down over the door from hooks on the roof.

1944 US Army Signals Corps

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 1

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 1 There could be steel doors on earlier models, but later ones just had wooden doors. To keep out the weather.

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 1 Side view showing the long rear wall built to allow earth to be heaped up and act as camouflage and adding extra strength to the bunker.

15 October 2017

Plan with earth heaped up around the sides.

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 1

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 1

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 1 Gun room.

15 October 2017

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 3 If they were being built as 1234, this will be Turm 3. The shape of the bunkers embrasure is set out in wood, ready for the concrete t be poured.

1944 US Army Signals Corps

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 3 A better view of the embrasure and also the skirt running around the base of the casemate. If a near miss hits it, the shell just explodes, doing little harm. Without the skirt, the blast would have been under the casemate and may lift it out of true. Making it useless to use.

1944 US Army Signals Corps

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 3 Picture taken from a different angle, showing the way the rear was constructed.

1944 US Army Signals Corps

Rue d'Ozouville 2./A.R.1709

Turm 3 This maybe Turm 3 with a ramp to allow construction materials to be taken up onto the roof. Also concrete can be wheeled up there in barrows and poured in? The narrow gauge railway track.

1944 US Army Signals Corps, Nicholas Rudziak.(Thank you to Jim Swan)