Va300 Plouharnel M.K.B.Hella E.673, K.V.G. Vannes, Brittany. Area 1 covers two ammunition bunkers & the hospital bunker.

 

Here I will be covering the Area 1 covers the ammunition bunkers & the hospital bunker..

Beach deferences that were there in 2002.

This is the area where there are two S231 ammunition depots and an R118b large dressing station (hospital) also a defence side with some interesting bunkers.

R118b large dressing station (hospital), it is now a museum for the region.

R118b large dressing station (hospital), one of the two main doors from the inside.

Plan de l'affaire qui eut lieu sur la Falaise de Quiberon le 28 Messider An III. A battle fought many years before on the same ground. I think its the invasion of France in 1795 or the Battle of Quiberon, was a major landing on the Quiberon peninsula by émigré, counter-revolutionary troops in support of the Chouannerie and Vendée Revolt, beginning on 23 June and finally definitively repulsed on 21 July. It aimed to raise the whole of western France in revolt, bring an end to the French Revolution and restore the French monarchy. It had a major impact, dealing a disastrous blow to the royalist cause.

R118b large dressing station (hospital), front entrance with a Tobruk on the mound to the right of the bunker and further to the right an S231 ammunition depot.

R118b large dressing station (hospital), Tobruk defence.

R118b large dressing station (hospital), Tobruk defence covering the entrances. Interesting half lip around the back of the Tobruk.

R118b large dressing station (hospital), this picture is taken from the rear of the dressing station and looks to the right and straight ahead to the two S231 ammunition depots.

S231 ammunition depot, the side wall. On the wall was a small crane to lift ammunition off of the train cars onto narrow gauge trucks to be pushed into the bunker.

S231 ammunition depot, a spur railway line came down off the main line between the two S231 Depots that would have brought the railway guns onto their emplacements and also any ammunition trains would have pulled up here to be unloaded onto narrow gauge trucks to be placed into the depots. There would have been many wooden poles to hold up camouflage nets between these bunkers covering the railway to hide an ammunition train standing being unloaded.

S231 ammunition depots, 06 October 2006, entrance for a narrow gauge railway. There may not have been any engines as all the trucks may have been moved by man power?? 2006 this bunker was wide open, today it is part of a new museum I believe.

S231 ammunition depots, Iron ladder up to the crane..

S231 ammunition depots Plan. 04 - Small arms ammunition. 11 - Shell store. 12 - Case store. 21 -Heating. 99 - Fuzes. A train would pull in and the first wagon pulled up to the crane and unloaded and then the train would pull along to line up the second wagon. A long job to unload a train.

S231 ammunition depots, ''--ARTESHEN--'' not sure what it means.

S231 ammunition depots, the narrow gauge railway line where the ammunition was brought in or out. Furthest two doors on the right are the cartridge rooms. The next two are the shell stores. There was also an aerial railway system to transfer the shells and cases into their stores.

S231 ammunition depots, four doors are the ammunition rooms, the fifth possibly Fuzes and the sixth, heating.

S231 ammunition depots, cartridge room. The recess the top is to allow the overhead gantry access.

S231 ammunition depots, cartridge room. The way ammunition was passed from the narrow gauge railway to the store.

S231 ammunition depots, cartridge room. The four holes in the wall are breather vents to allow fresh warm air to pass around the ammunition. As this is the Cartridge room it would have had cordite bags that must be kept dry, so good heating and venting is very important. First the shell would go into the breach of a gun, then a cordite bag (called a charge), then a case the (brass piece) and that would hold the primer to be hit by the guns firing pin.

S231 ammunition depots, air vents outside.

S231 ammunition depots, shell room. The overhead gantry system turntable recess can be seen in the roof.

S231 ammunition depots roof with the row of vents.

S231 ammunition depots No.2, entrance in 2006.

S231 ammunition depots No.2, entrance in 2013.

S231 ammunition depots No.2, the new museum doors. These are not originals type 434P01 they were put on to close off the museum.

The old beach deferences re used.

Two bunkers for Pak cannon.

Two bunkers for Pak cannon possibly 2cm or 5cm Pak.

Two bunkers for Pak cannon I think from memory there are two bunkers shaped in a half crescent.

Two bunkers for Pak cannon one of the machine gun embrasures.

Two bunkers for Pak cannon. Very odd shapes they could have been designed by the Kriegsmarine fortress architects building Va300??

Two bunkers for Pak cannon. Gun room.

Two bunkers for Pak cannon. Gun room. It looks as though sand bags may have been used to close off a large area of the embrasure and later it was bricked up. Note the markings on the lintel.