StP12 — Ravenoville St-Hubert
K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost · AOK 7 Normandy · France
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
4./919. Grenadier Regiment, 709th ID.
1 x R667 casemate.
1 x R634 casemate.
1 x R612 casemate + searchlight.
1 x Wellblech bunker.
1 x Munitions bunker.
4 x Pz.Drehturm Bf.67 neu Tobruk.
1x 5cm KwK L/60. 1 x 7.5cm F.K.
3 x (APX R) R35 3.7cm KwK144(f) co-axle M.G.3 11 (f).
1 x (APX 1 CE) S35 4.7cm KwK173 (f) co-axle M.G.311 (f)
1 x Searchlight (Scheinwerfer) 150cm.
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
I suppose ART not Graffiti.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Built in 1943/4 as an extra defence between two smaller Wn´s. This StP was built around an R667 casemate very different from any other I have seen. The casemate has extra embrasures for machine guns. Its rather unique. An R634 a six embrasured steel turret covering 360° around the StP. Four Bf.67 neu tank turret Tobruks also able to fire 360°. An R612 finished off the defence with a 7.5cm F.K. horse drawn gun. The red lines are the anti-tank ditches dug all around the rear plus two spurs running out from a Tobruk and the R634. The whole area would be wired in and a mine field added.
Geo
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The map shows Wn13 & Wn11 with StP12 in the middle. On the seaward side a mine field Mf.55 along the sea shore.
German plan of the beach defences.
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
A very good air photo taken in May 1947 with all the anti-tank ditches filled in but all the bunkers look extant.
Geo 09-05-47
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This is the first Tobruk set against a small anti-tank sea wall was an R35 turret from a captured French tank that would have been fitted on its top. There are three Tobruks of this type within the defence.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The view out to sea.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This bunker has an M.G.34 machine gun fitted into a 20P7 cupola with six embrasures. Inside the turret the M.G.34 could be moved from one embrasure to another as it is needed.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
A large crew room for about nine men, commander, gunner, ammunition handlers, one man in the Tobruk and another covering the rear door with the lose combat machine gun.
The 20P7 dome has been removed I have added one for effect and a Tobruk gunner in his place.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The rear entrance has an embrasure and defence room with a machine gun covering the rear door. A small wall has been added here and at the two other bunkers of this style covering the entrance so they may have found a week spot and filled it with the wall??.
Ventilation room had up to three ventilation pumps, usually hand operated by turning a handle. Anti gas and smoke filters filters can be used. When the gun fires the smoke and fumes would be very high, so the ventilators would be started and fresh air from outside is sucked through the filter and pressurises the bunker, thus no fumes or gas can enter.
Int 1945
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This picture shows a 20P7 dome after the battle hit many times by 3” shells, a 3” shell is a 75mm Sherman's main gun at StP16..
R-9751-2 Report on German Concrete Fortifications Sept/Oct 1944 Page190
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
20P7 dome six embrasure. On three levels, a periscope where the guns commander could spot for the machine gunner, other crew members would carry forward boxed ammunition and brush away spent cartridges or empty a spent cartridge bag. Another crew member would turn the handle on a fan to remove the foul gasses made by the machine gun. So in the heat of battle a lot would be going on.
Plan
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Just after capture this photo was taken also showing the battle damage.
Report on German Concrete Fortifications Sept-Oct 1944 Confidential Page189
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The more I look at this photo the more I believe its from the gun above. The page with the above photo is 189 and this one is 190 so, very coincidental. Except its a 5cm NOT an 8.8cm gun???.
Report on German Concrete Fortifications Sept-Oct 1944 Confidential Page190
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The basic R667 sits on the top of a small embrasure and machine gun room under the lip of the glasses. The sea wall still at the same height running along. Plenty of battle damage can be seen today.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This is looking from the rear with the sea wall looking as though its cutting through the bunker and another embrasure has been built into the rear wall.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The entrance to the embrasure. also battle damage from the rear.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Looking in through the rear passage at the machine gun embrasure and on the right the entrance to the casemates gun room.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The rear embrasure.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The view the gunner would have had out of the rear at the sea wall.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Embrasure.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Gun room and you can just see where the gun was bolted down a circle on the floor which means the left hand side of the guns embrasure was concreted over so the gun did not have as much traverse to the left.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Report on German Concrete Fortifications was a coming together of all forms of intelligence about the beaches and their defence. This shows an after battle picture of a 5cm KwK with its shield very badly damaged at StP16.
R-9751-2 Report on German Concrete Fortifications Sept/Oct 1944 Page189
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Gun room.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Rear of the gun room this slot is for spent shell cases to be thrown out of the bunker down this shoot. Keeps the place clean and tidy in battle.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The entrance to the small combat room.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Combat room and another close combat embrasure in place.
00 00 00
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The main casemate again and you can see the embrasure has been bricked up the seward side giving the gun more cover but not allowing the gun full travers. Note the close hit on the flanking wall.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The view from the beach.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
After its capture and it does look a shambles.
Int
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The rear of the casemate.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Bf.67 neu Tobruk with an S35 turret on its top. 4.7cm KwK 173 (f).
06 October 2003
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Bf.67 neu Tobruk.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Bf.67 neu Tobruk.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Bf.67 neu Tobruk the turret ring bolted down on the eight bolts still standing..
00 00 00
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Looking into the ringstand showing ammunition niche and the entrance back into the Tobruk.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
An R612 casemate for an assault gun (anti landing gun).
The gun was an old horse drawn Field Kannon 7.5cm probably from WW1.
21 October 2004
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The casemate and the end of the battle showing the 150cm searchlight on its roof. A cable ran back into the StP and to a small generator bunker/shed. The light would have been used to light up targets at sea at night. Rommel had ordered more searchlights.
1944
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Just the foot print of the casemate left.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Allied report on the casemate.
Secret Martian Report No.14 02-09-42 Copy No.22 --------- 48 copies only
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The plan shows two niches for ammunition, usually case and shot. The half round arcs are for the guns trails to sit in to stop the gun from going backwards when fired.
Secret Martian Report No.14 02-09-42 Copy No.22 --------- 48 copies only
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The view from the beach.
06 October 20113
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
The third Tobruk in the group.
06 October 2003
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This one had an APX R R35/H35 turret with a 3.7cm KwK 144(f) main gun and an M.G.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Looking north.
06 October 2013
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
Tobruk No.4 this one also had an APX R R35/H35 turret with a 3.7cm KwK 144(f) main gun and an M.G.
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StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This is how a Bf.67 neu looked.
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StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
This is the relevant part of a Bigot map dated 12 May 1944 a moth before D-Day showing the known (known to the Allies that is) defences.
Bigot map 12 May 44 Copy No.208
StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
On the evening of June 6, Lieutenant Meidam (the 4th Company of the First Battalion of the 919th GR) moves his men into Wn10 defence site. Then Wn10a and Wn11 and finally to StP12. With the survivors of the garrisons of the Wn10, Wn10a, Wn11 and StP12, StP12 holds out for several days. The anti-tank gun and the anti-landing field Kannon in StP12 are destroyed after June 7, and there is only one twin machine gun in the armoured cupola (the 6 embrasures of the R644 bunker at the back of the StP). Lt Meidam went (left unspecified date) when surrounded by numerous tanks and it has become impossible to leave the bunker in the dome but also because there is no more food and half of Germans are wounded and no ways to treat them. The testimony of Lt. Meidam was collected by Lt. Col. Keil as prisoners when they were in the same camp. EF.
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StP12 Ravenoville St-Hurbert
06 October 2013