Wn130 Fort Joret

K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost · AOK 7 Normandy · France

Wn130 Fort Joret

Originally a French fort which had fallen into disrepair then the Atlantikwall needed a strong point and the ruin's were turned into WN130.

It may have looked like Le fortin de la guerre des Sept ans at Réthoville.

Wn130 Fort Joret

The car park.

14 April 2003

5cm KwK L/42 is probably the type used here.

Wn130 Fort Joret

This is the site of an old French Fort to keep out the English. There are and were many forts all around the French coast almost a precursor to the Atlantikwall but a few hundred years earlier. There are many remains of fortifications built from the 17th to the 20th century along the coast of la Manche.

22 November 2008

Wn130 Fort Joret

At the entrance to the old fort is one of Rommell´s concrete anti-tank anti-shipping defences, now used as a fence post. There are many all around the Normandy Manche coast.

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Wn130 Fort Joret

Note the French Military boundary stone marking that they owned the fort and area until quite recently. The mounds of earth/sand are all well camouflaged bunkers of some kind. They probably were part of the old fort and used to hide defences in them.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

1 x Nr1695 Ringstand.

1 x 5cm KwK gun.

1 x Vf69 mortar Tobruk.

1 x 81mm Mortar.

4 x Vf58c Tobruk.

4 x S/Vf bunkers.

3 x Sk bunkers.

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Wn130 Fort Joret

From a 1958 air photo I think I have found the four Tobruk´s. The main defence was the Nr1695 ringstand for a 5cm KwK anti landing/tank gun. An 81mm mortar was also sighted here for all round defence and was a very powerful combination. Then four Tobruk´s covering the four corners. There were also living accommodation in several bunkers made probably by the soldiers stationed here and were just squarish concrete bunkers of one or two rooms.

1958 Geoportail

Wn130 Fort Joret

German defence plan of the area showing Wn130 to Wn129 and the extensive mine fields MF.70 to MF.67b.

Wn130 Fort Joret

The first things we found were two round concrete blocks.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The only thing we could imagine they could be use as were bases for aerials??

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The layout.

22 November 2008

Wn130 Fort Joret

Ringstand for a 5cm KwK type gun, an ex tank gun. When tanks were up gunned to the 7.5cm & 8.8cm guns, it made the 5cm redundant. But as there were so many of them being used and continued to be made, to use of them in the Atlantikwall was an obvious choice. There were two types 5cm KwK 39 L/42 & 5cm KwK 39 L/60. The L/60 is a longer barrel & includes a muzzle break. Here I would think it was an earlier L/42 type.

22 November 2008

Wn130 Fort Joret

An octangle bunker with four ammunition niches to store around two wooden boxes of 5cm rounds.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The ringstand socket and hold fast bolts.

14 October 2017

The bottom of the gun mounting to fit into the socket.

The gun would be lowered onto the centre pintail.

Wn130 Fort Joret

Built by the 40924B possibly a Todt organisation or a RAD group.

14 October 2017

Wn127 Réthoville Plage, K.V.G.U.Gruppe Barfleur, Normandy also was built by the same workers.

Wn130 Fort Joret

The gun had a 360° rotation and could cover not only the seaward side but also the landward side.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

Entrance to a Vf/SK bunker. There were: - 4 x S/Vf bunkers. 3 x Sk bunkers.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

The entrance in. No steel doors just wooden doors stolen from a local house or farm.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

The first room.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

The second room.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

80/81mm mortar Tobruk with attached observation Tobruk and an ammunition space.

22 November 2008

Wn130 Fort Joret

The left hand Tobruk is for the mortar and the right is for an observer and defence machine gun.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

The entrance.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

The entrance passage way splitting with the mortar Tobruk on the left and the observation Tobruk on the right..

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

Ammunition store.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

Details

14 October 2017

Tobruk Pit 80mm Mortar Mounting No. 974-57.

Markings around the side to help aiming.

Wn130 Fort Joret

Small ammunition niches around the walls.

14 October 2017

The mortar would sit on a central turntable and swivel on the centre pin.

Wn130 Fort Joret

Note the way the lip of the Tobruk is shaped to allow the mortar shells to be fired easily.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The pintail to sit the mortars base on and it would have a securing pin through the hole to stop it jumping out on recoil.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The view into the mortar Tobruk.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

Observation and defence machine gun Tobruk.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The inside.

14 April 2003

Wn130 Fort Joret

How to get out.

14 October 2017

Wn130 Fort Joret

The only remaining defence Tobruk of the four that were here. I have a sneakie feeling that a bit of archaeology here and maybe two more could be found.

22 November 2008