Wn127 Réthoville Plage
K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost · AOK 7 Normandy · France
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The north coast to the east of Cherbourg is probably an area less visited by Atlantikwall visitors, but it actually has quite a lot of very interesting Wn's & StP's. This one on a hot sunny July day was lovely. Sun bathers and families playing Pétanque.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Taking the D116 that runs west to Cherbourg and East to Barfleur. Turn off North to Réthoville. Then continue towards La Mer.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
La Mer.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Troops of the 709th Static Infantry Division. Probably a platoon stationed here.
3 x Ringstands.
2 x Vf51a.
6 x Unterstands.
2 x Vf58c Tobruk's.
1 x Searchlight bunker.
3 x 5cm KwK Pak L/42.
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Ringstand for a 5cm KwK Pak L/42 gun.
When the Germans arrived along this coast in 1940, it was wide open. As they did not have the troops to defend it. As the war progressed and the Hitler order to create the Atlantikwall filtered down to the field commanders in the area. Divisions were moved in. They just had field positions, no concrete and were allowed to make their own bunkers & trench systems. Thus here you can find stone made bunkers made by the troops themselves. This is possibly when the (almost British designed ) pillbox may have been added. Then the start of the bunker building plan and small defence positions like Wn127, gradually were allowed more heavy weapons. As they became available. And here, three 5cm KwK Pak L/42´s were issued. The concrete ringstands that were used at the time, were Nr1694. The only protection was a low concrete wall and the guns thin armoured shield. A Tobruk was sighted on both flanks and a searchlight bunker added in the middle. Then the real bunker building started but this Wn was left behind and no heavy gun bunkers were thought necessary. The Infantry became a static division. That meant they were just to defend their immediate area and hold out until re enforcements arrived. The fit and young men were posted out to the Russian front and the recovering wounded and sick were moved into these static divisions. Their fighting quality dropped dramatically, but they only had to defend from fixed positions and that helped.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Ringstand for a 5cm KwK Pak L/42 gun. This looks like it was attacked from a ship at sea with a direct hit. Between D-Day and the capture of Cherbourg. This area came under quite a lot of interest from Allied aircraft & war ships. With two large batteries to the East and the outer ring of the Cherbourg defence to the west, made it an easy target.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Searchlight Bunker (Stellung Scheinwerfer). With large heavy gun batteries, StP 234 MKB HAMBURG Fermanville Haute to the West and StP 126 MKB Blankensee Neville to the East. Also anther Batterie further East StP 152 Gatteville HKB. So this searchlight may have been used to illuminate sea targets so these batteries could shoot at and also may have been used as an aircraft searchlight.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
A ramp to bring a searchlight up onto the roof of the bunker.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The square shaped bunker with a passage down one side and two rooms on the other side.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The ramp to take the Searchlight onto the roof.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The ramp now rather damaged.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Up on the roof. This is where the searchlight would have stood.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The other side. I think the two cut outs on the side are for winches to be fitted to be used to draw up the searchlight up the ramp.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
These cut outs I think are for hand winches to be fitted and then the two cables to attach to the searchlight and handles wound and the light drawn up the very steep ramp.
00-00-00
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Rommel’s Asparagus.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
5cm KwK ringstand and a small unterstand bunker behind. There were three 5cm guns in Nr1694 emplacements. They would have been open to all the elements and need constant maintenance to stop the workings rusting up.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Now its at right out in the waves, but when it was built, it was quite a way from the sea.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
There are four niches for ready ammunition around the wall of the emplacement.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
This was probably built by the 5cm KwK ammunition bunker.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
With the high tides and winter storms washing away the beaches, barbed wire and even new bunkers are found.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Vf51a small bunker for nine men sleeping with a a small passage entrance covering the door to the living room.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Side view.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Passage way.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Living room. Where two rows of beds each side. These beds could be hinged up against the walls and then it leaves a reasonable area for the soldiers to eat and rest.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
All that is left of the ringstand is the guns base plate and pivot.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
This is the centre pivot of a 5cm KwK that would have been set into a
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
There are very few Atlantikwall pillboxes that are very like British types. This one could be seen on any British beach and would not look out of place.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Embrasure for a rifle.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Embrasure for a machine gun giving enfilading fire down the beach.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Embrasure for a machine gun giving enfilading fire down the beach and rear door.
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Details
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Heating. Inside was a stove, it has a chimney going out of the roof. A hand grenade could be dropped down the chimney and blow up the soldiers inside. So a new chimney design was used in bunkers and this had a second tube. So a grenade would enter the chimney and then get diverted to outside the bunker and down into a small concrete box that would constrain the blast. The stove was specifically designed to be used in confined spaces and not only heated but could also be cooked on.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Looking into the room.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The double entrance.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
There were two Tobruk´s here, but this is the only one remaining. I would think that the other Tobruk was on the western flank.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Details
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Back inland are these two Unterstands and a family playing Pétanque.
With the eventual landings on D-Day, the Americans advanced from Utah beach, first to the West coast and then moved North to Cherbourg. As the tightening ring around Cherbourg became obvious to units in the East Cotentin, that they were being pinched out. They gradually moved into the Cherbourg defended area and left their Wn’s to be mopped up by Americans who were clearing out this quarter of the peninsular.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
22 February 2009
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The first of two Unterstands.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
The second Unterstand, just a small square box, possibly used for storage/ammunition or fuel for the electrical generator.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Rear door.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Not a large place inside.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Eisenpfahel a barbed wire post used in vast numbers along the Atlantikwall and still in use on many French farms.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Back to the searchlight bunker. This is the passage that runs through the bunker. There are two rooms to the right, but we could only enter one.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Inside the first room. These may have been crew rooms or they could have held a generator.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
Door to the second room.
18 July 2019
Wn156 Réthoville Village
The view towards Réthoville and Wn156 Réthoville Village
18 July 2019
Wn156 Réthoville Village
Kriegsmarine, B. Stellen dans le clocher
I believe that the church tower was used as a lookout by the navy and fire control post. Built around XVIIth century but had the balustrade rails removed and a concrete wall placed around it.
B. Stellen = is the B type of concrete strength, in other words probably made by the troops stationed here.
18 July 2019
Wn127 Réthoville Plage
18 July 2019