Wn203 Pointe du Brick

WN · K.V.U.Gruppe Cherbourg See · AOK 7 Normandy · France

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

I have lots of favourites and this is one. The R667 was an early find and we also managed to enter a tunnel that may have been dug to connect the trenches of Wn203 and the large tunnel. (more of that later). We also found some very well made concrete trenches linking the R502a and an Nr1694 ringstand and the more trenches cut into natural stone, covering the right flank.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

1 - Tank Turret ?
2 - 5cm mortar
3 - Light shelter                               Vf.
4 - Large shelter                              R502a.
5 - 5cm Casemate                           R667.
6 - Casemate under construction.
Tunnel.
Personally I am not convinced the captions are correct. SHM I believe was a French reconnaissance mission taken in 1945 and they photographed and drew plans of many of the German defences all along the coast of France but named items as they saw them and not from the original German plans. They are a great resource to us as researchers though.

SHM

2 - 5cm mortar? - more likely observation.

6 - Casemate under construction.
Tunnel. — 6 - Casemate under construction. Tunnel.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Anse du Brick beach with the sea defences still in place in 1944/45. This shows the Rommel's defence of all or nothing. Every beach, every promontory, however likely of an attack coming that way is. There is no way an attack would have come in on a beach so narrow and with rocks each side. But it had to be defended and an inordinate amount of money and effort was spent protecting it. The railway line that ran from Cherbourg to Barfleur to Saint Vaast to Sainte-Mere-Eglise. It is now a lovely road. The cutting on the far hill was cut through for the railway.

1944

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The same view of Anse du Brick beach 2019.

Google Street View July 2019

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

1 x R502a bunker.
1 x R667 casemate.
2 x Ringstands for M.G.'s.
1 x Vf58c Tobruk.
1 x Nr1694 ringstand.
2 x 5cm KwK Pak.
6 x wooden barrack blocks.
Water reservoir - Wasser.
Lengths of trenches.
2 x 5cm KwK 39 L/42 or L/60.

IGNF 1955

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

A plan of where the defences were, Wn203 Anse/Pointe du Brick with MF125 minefield covering open ground and the beaches.

German Army plan of the defences

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Looking down from the hill towards Wn 202 & StP Cap Lévi..

19 July 2020

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Green the route that is walk able. 1 - Observation. 2 - Nr1694 ringstand. 3 - R502a crew bunker. 4 - site of barrack block. 5 - site of four barrack blocks.

19 July 2020

Wooden barrack hut near here. Archives Manche.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Made of concrete blocks.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Inside.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The view west.
1 - R667 casemate.
2 - Tunnel entrance.
The road is where the railway used to run.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

1 - Nr1694 5cm KwK.
2 - R502a bunker

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

There are several concrete positions around the area and connected to a trench system.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Inside may have had a stove/heater in place.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

A trench concrete tunnel and guard niche.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Unknown piece of concrete.

07 October 2013

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Anse du Brick

07 October 2013

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Trench cut into the rock.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The walk down to the ringstand.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Observation or mortar pit?

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Luckily it had been cleared out for my visit.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

More length of trench.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Concrete trench to the 5cm KwK ringstand out on the Pointe.

06 March 2016

Crewed by around four men: crew commander, gunner, loader and ammunition handler.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

A simple ringstand to hold a 5cm KwK gun. 360° rotation and a very good gun.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The view across the bay.

07 October 2013

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

A lovely hot and sunny October.

07 October 2013

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Nr1694 Ringstand for a 5cm KwK 5cm KwK L/42 - Barrel length: 2103mm - Max velocity: 685 m/s. 5cm KwK L/60 - Barrel length: 3000mm - Max velocity: 1180 m/s - (with muzzle break)

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Nr1694 Ringstand for a 5cm KwK Socket for the gun mounting to fit into and also two of the four ready ammunition niches set into the walls.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Nr1694 Ringstand for a 5cm KwK Hold fast with at least four mounting threads

06 March 2016

This is the top of the base where the gun assembly fits.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

More concrete trenches to the R502a crew bunker.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Firing point for a machine gun or rifle man.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Ammunition niche for rifle or machine gun ammunition.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Inaccessible trenches.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

R502a crew bunker for around 15 men.

07 October 2013

Plan of this R502a (copy from BELFRA team)

A plan of a standard R502 15man crew bunker,

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Two rear entry doors and a door to the defence Tobruk.

06 March 2016

Taken from the BELFRA plan of this R502a bunker that is here.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The passageway along the rear of the bunker and the first thing you fall into is the drainage hole.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Picture 1 - the entrance into the Tobruk where a steel gate would have closed off the entrance.

06 March 2016

The steps up to the Tobruk.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Inside the defence Tobruk showing the ring for the gunner and three either shelves or steps to enter or depart from above. The niche for a speaking tube or field telephone connecting the Tobruk to the inside of the bunker.

06 March 2016

Niche for a speaking tube or field telephone

Three either shelves or steps to enter or depart from above.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Drain.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Lip of the Tobruk to take a metal ring that a machine gun could be set into.

06 March 2016

How it may have looked.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The steps out, I am not that big (HuH!), but with heavy boots, a small pack or gas mask holder. A machine gun and some ammunition. Oh and a steel helmet, this is a very tricky move getting out.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The two rear door entries.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Steps into the bunker with another niche for a speaking tube or small field telephone to connect to the inside of the bunker. When under attack, the bunker locks down. The two main doors are locked and the two close combat defence windows closed. Then the air filter would be started up by hand to suck in air from outside and filter it. Filtered for smoke or gas, if gas has been used. The doors have a rubber seal and the close combat defence embrasures have gaskets that when the pump gets going, the air pressure increases and that alone will stop any gas seeping through the door or embrasures. The air is filtered and clean. In most of these bunkers there is NO way of looking out. You are locked inside. But on an R502 type there is a periscope, which helps.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Close combat embrasure.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Into the main passage where the door here would have been a 434P01.

06 March 2016

The door comes in a left and right hand hinge, so two doors need to be manufactured for one bunker? Left & Right type.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The entrance to the left hand room showing the thickness of the wall. The door here is a 737P3 thinner steel door and in one piece.

06 March 2016

Plan Kurt

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Left hand room.

06 March 2016

The plan shows an added Tobruk defence not usual on an R502. The internal layout is slightly different in that it has a water tank room and a small attached room and the third room is bigger than usual.
Also the Periscope is in the main room and not the third room as in a standard R502. So that is why it is numbered R502a.

Based on a BELFRA group plan.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Gas filter remains.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Main room with door, fittings for anti-gas filter and then the close combat defence window. The Wandstütze is the wall support for the HES anti gas pump and it fitted to the wall with the six holes.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The hole in the roof is for a periscope, this allowed 360° view around the bunker when it is closed up.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The second small room.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Water tank and still in place.

06 March 2016 - Kurt

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Way out.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

491P2 Gittertür (Screen Door) mounting. The idea of a gate and not a door is that the crew inside could fire from their close combat defence embrasures inside and out through the gate. Thus keeping the enemy at bay.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The rear.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

John and more trenches.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Now we move away from the large defence to the western side where an R667 casemate covers the Anse du Poulet.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Trenches now almost covered up and possibly a machine gun post. It looks like they used the ballast off the railway line, to fill in the trenches.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Looking from where the trenches were to the casemate.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Trench and the R667.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

The trench and entrance into the casemate.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Note the slightly raised wall probably made by the crew of the bunker as they must have felt rather vulnerable from being shot at from the railway line as there was no door to the back of an R667.

22 October 2004

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Into the bunker.

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Gun room with ready ammunition storage on the right side.

06 March 2016

Targets:
Landungsboote.
Pz.Kampfwagen.
m.Pz.Kpfw. Shermann.
Schw.Pz.Kpfw. Churchill. — Targets: Landungsboote. Pz.Kampfwagen. m.Pz.Kpfw. Shermann. Schw.Pz.Kpfw. Churchill.

The range diagram show s that it was possible to hit a landing craft at a range of 2400m. That is over a mile away.

Schartenstand: W.129 (R667)--Notch position: R667
Waffe: 5cm KwK.39----------------Gun: 5 cm KwK. 39
Range card.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Gun room, the small square hole in the right side is to allow the spent cartridge cases to be pushed out of the bunker. To be removed at a later date.

06 March 2016

The square hole to drop out spent cases.

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Two classic views of this bunker.

06 March 2016

06 March 2016

Wn203 Pointe du Brick

Snap. Then & Now.

06 March 2016

SHM