Wn03 Franceville-Plage

WN · K.V.Gruppe River-Bella (Sword & Juno Beaches) · AOK 7 Normandy · France

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

3., Grenadier-Regiment 736.
1 x R643 fire control post with dome.
3 x Feldm shelters.
4 x Tobruk's ,1 x Ic116 Tobruk,
3 x Vf58c Tobruk's.
1 x R622 twin Gruppe bunker.
1 x SK/Doppelshartenstand
1 MG. Stand
2 x Nr1694 for 5cm KwK.
1 x Ringstand for 5cm KwK.
3 x 5cm KwK L/40 Pak guns.

3P7 dome the type that would have been here.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Google Maps

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Franceville is a summer village between Cabourg & Ouistreham and Wn03 is the strip of dunes (now backed by houses) and runs along the beach front.

06 March 2012

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Defences around Franceville-Plage.

Air reconnaissance photo May 1944.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Air reconnaissance photo.

Air reconnaissance photo May 1944.

The American USAAF also used Lightening’s for reconnaissance missions.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Bigot map of Wn03 showing the beach defences and known gun positions. Known through aircraft reconnaissance or from the French resistance, via radio or carrier Pigeons.

Bigot

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

A three embrasure R643 bunker covering the left flank, a long anti-tank wall with a Tobruk defence. A machine gun stand and then a Doppelshartenstand 5cm KwK L/60 Pak. now missing. Behind a large concrete barracks, another and an R622 tin Gruppe bunker.

Air reconnaissance photo.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Anti-tank wall interestingly it has a form of camouflage built into it as it has an undulating top. Usually the wall runs along with a straight top.

06 March 2012

Churchill Ark tank bridge and Churchill tank negotiating an anti-tank wall. One of the ways the British dealt with anti tank walls.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

The tank wall and the R643 three embrasured turret bunker. Three embrasures covering about 160/180 deg. but could be used for observation.

06 March 2012

R643 three embrasured turret bunker. [SHM]

A 3P7 three embrasured dome for a machine gun.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

R643 observation bunker uses an 3P7 three embrasured steel turret (un movable) set into the concrete of the bunker.

06 March 2012

Close combat embrasure MG mounting covering the rear door.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

R643 three embrasured turret bunker. The nose of the bunker a solid block of steel reinforced concrete.

06 March 2012

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

R643 three embrasured turret bunker. The turret has now been removed and scrapped and the shape on the concrete is where it was set in.

06 March 2012

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

R643 three embrasured turret bunker and this is where the turret would have sat. Now removed and sold for scrap.

06 March 2012

Bunker construction with a dome/turret in place.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

R643 three embrasured turret bunker. This is the armoured top of the periscope outer tube a panzerteil. The periscope would pass through this tube and it could be raised or lowered as is needed in battle. From here the bunker occupants would have been able to zoom in on the whole of Sword Beach and watched the bombing/shelling and then the landings.

06 March 2012

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

Nr.1694 Ringstand with covered lid.

1940's

An open Ringstand with a lid to cover the rear and top of the Ringstand.

This is how it would have looked, this picture is of Wn02 Franceville-Ost.

Wn03 Franceville-Plage

A very nice Crazy Golf course is situated behind the defence and look what is one of the features.

06 March 2012