Wn05 Franceville West

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

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

1./ Grenadier Regiment 736 Stab.
1 x Vf/Skoda casemate.
2 x L413 Ammunition bunker for 3.7cm AA batterie.
1 x R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with group shelter.
1 x R506c Casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
1 x R506d Casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t).
1 x Vf/MG.
1 x R669 Casemate for field guns (60°).
3 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Vf1a Shelter for six men.
3 x Vf2a Group shelter.
1 x Vf6a Observation post, shrapnel-proof.
2 x Vf3/SK Square MG pill box.
1 x Flakstellung.
1 Ringstand Pz. T FT17 tank turret.
1 x Vf/Gr.W mortar.
3 x 4.7cm Pak K.36(t).
1 x 7.5cm F.K.
1 x 3.7cm Flak18. Stab - Head quarters.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

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StP05 Franceville West Redoute

A 1940's air photo showing many of the features. The Redoute was a French fort covering the east side of the Orne estuary and on the other bank in Ouistreham there is another Redoute turned into a house. A large ant-tank ditch covers the rear of the Wn and some very early style bunkers in use here.

Geoportail 1944

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Tobruk defence. Right on the waters edge this Tobruk helped cover the left flank of the defence. It would have had sand almost covering it and just the rim showing.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Tobruk defence. Getting rather stormy.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

This maybe an R504 gun garage. We did not get close to it but this boy seems to have found it.

31 November 2010

R504 gun garage with an attached group shelter.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. A 7.5cm F.K.38 was assigned to this casemate and would have completely covered the Orne estuary locks and port area.

31 November 2010

7.5cm F.K.38, they used old or captured guns in these casemates and crewed by the infantry stationed here.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. Being an important gun covering the estuary, it would have become an target for allied naval and air artillery and it looks as though it did.

31 November 2010

The Allied Bigot intelligence map showing the R669 and possibly the Tobruk or a Skoda gun that was around here.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. The rear entrance with two ammunition niches each side.

31 November 2010

R669 plan also showing the pipe work to remove foul gases when the gun is fired.

The gases were sucked into the roof vents, through pipes built into the concrete and led out to a vent at the rear.

Armoured extraction vent. Nearly always set at an angle for some odd reason.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. Splinters in the roof.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. Gun room where the 7.5cm gun would have sat.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. Now covered in undergrowth, but in 1944 it would have had a very good field of fire.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. Painted on the walls are quick reminders of the main features that can be seen through the embrasure. A very handy method of targeting your gun and used on many bunkers.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. A close-up showing the channel of the Orne and the fingers of the two Moles with a marker tower on the end which would have had a navigation marker lit when ships were entering or leaving the port.

31 November 2010

2000meters.

Left --- casemate.
Right - Mole. — 2000meters. Left --- casemate. Right - Mole.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R669 casemate for a field gun. On the other-side you have the lighthouse, town and church.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

On the other-side you have the lighthouse, town and church. Lighthouse 1675meters, town 1727meters and church 2550meters.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Left --- R504. Right - R506c. The view of the Wn and you can see how hard it is to find everything.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. This is a gun garage stored in safety a 4.7cm Pak K36(t) gun. Earth/sand would be banked up to the door so a gun could be wheeled in and out easily.

31 November 2010

R504 Anti-tank garage with two crew rooms.

4.7cm Pak being pushed out of its garage.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. The hinges all that is left of the double steel door.

31 November 2010

This looks very like an R504 garage with small steel doors.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. The two grooves each side for the wheels of the gun to run in and then onto two steel channel runners sitting on two or more brick piers and then resting on the ones on the far wall. If you look on the far wall is a recess for the barrel of the gun to sit.

31 November 2010

An elevation of an R504 garage with the steel runners resting on block piers.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. Passage/gas lock.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. Close combat embrasure.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. Close combat embrasure.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. Crew room. Note the hooks on the ceiling to hang beds from.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. Close up of the bed hooks.

31 November 2010

Three high, they can be unhooked and folded up against the wall to make more space for the crew.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R504 Anti-tank gun bunker with a Gruppe shelter. Gas lock and large close combat embrasure that would be bolted onto the square hole in the concrete.

31 November 2010

This could be the type of close combat embrasure that can be bolted on. A 422P01

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). This is a huge bunker with gun room, crew room and ammunition room, with a flanking wall and a Tobruk defence.

31 November 2010

Elevation showing the gun room & ammunition room. Also the pit in front of the gun for spent ammunition shell cases can be stored until after the battle and stops them getting under the feet of the gunners.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). The guns embrasure, flanking wall on the left and Tobruk on the right. This is an early model 1939, later models used a lot less concrete.

31 November 2010

Inside a Skoda bunker, the slot on the left is a viewing slot for the gun commander.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). 770P4 embrasure for a 4.7cm Pak K.36(t) gun. An outer shield (now removed) could be wound up by a geared handle (its a heavy plate) or lowered to fire the fortress type Skoda gun.

31 November 2010

Raising and lowering handle next to the gun.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). Gun room. The door to the ammunition room and the right door is into the crew room.

31 November 2010

A plan of the embrasure from inside of a Skoda 4.7cm Pak fortress gun.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). Tobruk defence.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). Rear entrance covered by a close combat embrasure where a machine gun would cover the entrance from attack.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

R506c casemate for a 4.7cm anti-tank gun(t). A direct hit??

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Anti-tank wall. This is where the sea should be.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Anti-tank wall. Where steel screw type pickets were set into the concrete and barbed wire attached.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf6a Observation post. This was the fire direction post for the battery a Wn01 Merville, B.-St 1./A.R.1716.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf6a Observation post. A 1942 model observation post for a field artillery batterie. A very small observation room and a larger crew room behind.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf6a Observation post. The small escape which would have had a square or half round wall built up the side of the bunker and sand would have covered up almost to the roof. There are still iron ladder rungs going up the wall.

31 November 2010

The different types of walls around an escape.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf6a Observation post. Looking into the escape from outside. We did not go inside, some of these bunkers can be very unsavory here.

31 November 2010

The shutters that fitted into the outer slots.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf6a Observation post. The roof which looks as though a tar coating to seal the concrete and sad would have covered over it. The hooks were to attach a camouflage net covering the entrance.

31 November 2010

Camouflage netting being hung off a bunker.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf6a Observation post. It looks as though it took quite a battering. It would have been targeted on D-Day to help silence the Merville batterie.

31 November 2010

HMS Arethusa was directed to fire in this area.

HMS Arethusa, HMS Danae and HMS Mauritius sailing for D-Day.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak. Not at all sure what this bunker is/was????

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak. Tobruk.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak. The view through a crack in a door.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

MG. Stand and possibly a 4.7 cm Festungspak. The added concrete camouflage plastered on the top of the bunker walls.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

De la Redoute. An older fortification mobilizes the efforts of an association of enthusiasts and public authorities: the Redoute de Merville, listed as historical monuments. This little horseshoe-shaped fortress belonged to a set of three carrying artillery, built in 1779-1780 around the estuary to strengthen defences against England. La Redoute was then surrounded by the high tide. Tour occupied and abandoned tower inserted into the device's Atlantic wall and then abandoned and buried under the sand, it is the subject of an ambitious restoration program.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

De la Redoute. Main gate.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

De la Redoute. The view through the gate at the U Type Tobruk for a 3.7cm KwK144(f).

31 November 2010

F.T. 3.7cm KwK144(f) turret in a U Type Tobruk.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

De la Redoute. U Type Tobruk for a 3.7cm KwK144(f).

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

De la Redoute. Left ----- MD 8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) Mortar Tobruk. Middle - U type Tobruk. Right --- 8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) Mortar in an open position.

Internet

Mortar Tobruk with an ammunition storage behind.

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

This could be an L413. L413 ammunition storage for a 3.7cm Flak 38.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

On the horizon you can just see a Vf3 MG Stand. I would think its a position with a telephone link to the local HQ and it was used as a lookout all over the Wn and could if needed become a machine gun bunker to defend its self.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf3 MG Stand.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf3 MG Stand.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf3 MG Stand entrance.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf3 MG Stand. Emergency escape. This would have to be broken open from inside to escape if the main door became blocked.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

Vf3 MG Stand. Main door and the left the escape hatch.

31 November 2010

StP05 Franceville West Redoute

I am not sure what this was the books say a Soute (hold translated) it may have been a French gun position when France extended its Maginot line around the coast after WW1 and a field gun may have used it as a Ringstand.

31 November 2010