StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

BATTERIE · Berck - Le Crotoy K.V.A. D2 · AOK 15 Nord Pas de Calais · France

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

HQ II./H.K.A.R.1245 batterie.

1 x R119a Batterie Commander's Bunker.

1 R600b Ringstand.

1 x 5cm KwK 38.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Google

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The bunker can just be seen behind the pole, this is before the house was built.

Google

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The position of the bunker in sand dunes in 1971. I am not yet sure where the 5cm KwK gun position was but feel it may have been on the western side on the top of the next sand dune. It would have been in a perfect position to cover the R119a from attack from the seaward side.

Geoportail 1971

Part of some concrete I found where the R600 ringstand may have been.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

This is an R119 in mirror so is numbered R119a. A Batterie commanders bunker for II./H.K.A.R.1245 just down the coast at StP Pte De St Quentin.

1 - Gas Lock.

2 - Close Combat Defence.

3 - Crew.

20 - Wireless.

26 - Observation Room. Periscope.

28 - Communications.

32 - Commander.

MKB Bunkertour

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

To the right of the house you can just see the curved side of the bunker.

26 January 2020

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The view around the back. Two aerial fittings can be seen

26 January 2020

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Behind the raised wall is the close combat embrasure covering the two rear doors.

26 January 2020

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The two rear doors.

26 January 2020

A gate entrance would have closed off the bunker called a Gittertur.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

A model off the bunker showing the close combat defence on the far left and the two entrance doors. The close combat machine gun could fire across the rear doors to stop an enemy getting into the bunker.

Plan Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

This looks like the crew room (these pictures are from Kurt at and I was not there at the time). A larger main door to allow either machinery through or ease of access by soldiers coming and going. The close combat embrasure covering the right hand entrance stairway with a machine gun.

MKB Bunkertour

This could have been the door, one standard door plus a half door. The number may have been 685P01.

Close combat embrasure machine gun fitting.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Crew room bunk fittings on the walls.

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Gas was thought to be a real problem before the start of WW2, both German and British planned for the event if it was to be used. Most German bunkers were seals and had a filter system to bring in air from outside, filter it and the using over pressure and the seals on doors, etc. Would make the bunkers safe. Each soldier would have his personal gas mask as well. The gas filtration in German bunkers were electrically powered, but if there was no electricity. They could be manually used with a hand handle.

MKB Bunkertour

Gas filter. An electric motor can be attached or the handle has to be used if not. They are surprisingly easy to keep moving.

room or round filter. Roumfilters S2,4 on the top and a G2,4 underneath. Some filters are for certain gases and others are to clean smokie air and clean it through filter agents and allowing fresh air inside the bunker.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Close combat defence embrasure. On the plan you can see two embrasures, one in the crew room and the other in the small room on the left and both cover the two entrance stairs..

Kurt

48P8 Close combat embrasure. The sliding shutter can be slid to the left (open) and a gun can cover the stairs or closed (right) to seal it off if there is a gas attack. There is a heavy gasket between the plate and the wall sealing the C C Embrasure.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The back of the door to the crew room. It has a small opening to see who wants to come in, or allows you to shoot through it. The red ring shows it was a gas tight door, the sliding opening has a filter gasket to stop gas seeping through and the door has a rubber seal all around it. It comes in two parts. Top and bottom. If rubble has stopped the bottom door from opening, the top can open and you can climb out.

Kurt

The red circle states that the door is a gas tight door. A safety feature.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Keep the door closed when shooting.

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The batterie commanders room. This would be his sleeping, living and possibly work room. His private space. There is even a slot in the wall where messages can be passed back and forth between the commander and the communications room.

Kurt

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The area here is a sort of passage way connecting the Commanders, Wireless rooms to the Crew room.

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The filtration system..

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Connect with O take out.

MKB Bunkertour

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

More writing on the wall and pipe fittings.
'Do not operate this fan in case of gas leaks'.

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Suction??. The mind boggles.

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

More writing on the wall and pipe fittings..

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Periscope fitting in the roof..

Kurt.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

Kurt squeezing out, this is as it was before the house was built.

Kurt

Gittertur, gate fitting on the front doors.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

The German plan of K.V.A D2 sud. The HQ bunker

Plan K.V.A D2 sud.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

II./H.K.A.R.1245, the batterie was situated at StP Pte de St Quentin
1 x R636 Fire Control Post.

4 x Offen Bettung Ringstand's.

4 x R671 casemates (destroyed).

2 x R600 Ringstand's.

4 x 10.5cm K.331(f) guns.

2 x 5cm KwK guns.

3 x Tobruk's.

Google

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

II./H.K.A.R.1245, the batterie was situated at StP Pte de St Quentin
10.5 cm K331(f).

Bundesarchive

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

II./H.K.A.R.1245, the batterie was situated at StP Pte de St Quentin
There were I believe, four R671 casemates. Now removed, but some bits of broken concrete can be found.

StP Fort Mahon, K.V.A D2.

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

II./H.K.A.R.1245, the batterie was situated at StP Pte de St Quentin
10.5cm K331(f) inside an R671 casemate.

Bundesarchiv

StP Monchaux Quend Plage route principale

22 February 2014