StP111 Port de St-Vaast
STP · K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost · AOK 7 Normandy · France
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Defence of a small port.
Port de St-Vaast
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Plan.
1 x R667 casemate.
1 x R622 SK twin group bunker.
2 x Vf/M.G. emplacements.
2 x Tobruk's (Vf8?).
3 x SK Abri.
1 x 5cm KwK.
Abri- Shelter.
Plan
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Abri on the left and a Tobruk on the right.
Abri - Shelter.
26 July 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Abri with defence embrasures.
26 July 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Possibly a Vf8 type.
I am not very good identifying Tubruk's,
they are a nightmare.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Anti tank block stopping any access from the sea.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Extended sea wall and block with a small shelter on the right.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Shelter.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Further along another shelter.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Inside the shelter.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Another strengthened wall by the house.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
This is the lovely old house. It was empty for a while.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Parts of its wall.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Part of the sea wall with hooks in to attach barbed wire,
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
The gun was originally fitted into Mk.IV tanks. They started to be out gunned, so a 7.5cm Pak gun was found could replace them. That left quite a lot of 5cm KwK guns, so they were sent to the Atlantikwall as an antitank gun and anti ship gun. Ideal on a beach head. With a muzzle break added, this uprated the original gun and made it easily take out Allied tanks and Allied landing craft on D-Day.
KwK - Kampfwagenkanone - Tank Gun.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
Side view.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
Note the camouflage in the concrete. The guns embrasure is behind the steps. Also the flanking wall shows up well here.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK Pak gun.
Another view of the front of the casemate.
10 March 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Plans of a standard R622 and the R622SK here.
R622
was destined in 1942 as accommodation for 2 'groupen' bunker and usually held about 20 men. The two rooms had heating and ventilation gas filter. There were niches for up to four radio aerials to be installed if need be, an escape route out. Two 434Po1 armoured steel doors, two 19P7 steel doors (all gas tight) and two 483p2 close combat defence embrasures.
My plan
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Here we have an R622SK, SK 'standing' for 'Sonderkonstruktionen' or special (different). Here two rooms were added. One for extra space and the second for a water citerne. Also an added escape, a periscope and one extra 19P7 door. Also outside a second defence Tobruk was added.
CCD - Close combat defence embrasure.
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
This is a video clip the opening up of the bunker after many years sealed. In French but worth seeing.
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Part of one of the escapes from inside.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Under all this is the R622 SK twin group bunker.
26 July 2008
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
The fisherman's chapel.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
There was a block of some kind across this entrance up the slipway, there are several methods that could be used, one is to link together several Belgian Gates. These were a semi mobile gate that was on steel rollers and could be pulled by a horse. They could be used singly or in multiples, by passing a steel rod between links on the sides. I am presuming that is what was here.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
In the centre is this concrete block, now used by the shipwrights today as an anchor point.
You can see the four rings that could be used to attach a Belgian gate to it by a long steel bar.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
In the centre is this concrete block, now used by the shipwrights today as an anchor point.
You can see the four rings that could be used to attach a Belgian gate to it by a long steel bar.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Block.
Looking out into the harbour.
25 September 2005
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
Fishermen selling their fish, turn of the century.
Post card
StP111 Port de St-Vaast
franceinfo: "On avait l'impression de descendre dans une grotte" : l'étonnante découverte d'un bunker oublié dans le Cotentin.
15 April 2003