Wn21/22 Octeville le Moulin

WN · K.V.Gruppe Le Havre · AOK 15 Haute-Normandie · France

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Here there are two Wn's very close together. One Wn21 has several bunkers, but Wn22 has only one and a Tobruk and that now seems to be missing.

The picture is the start of 'Astonia' the attack on Le Havre. Churchill tank crews, watching the initial bombing.

IWM

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 - we start at the Vf/B Stellen and the Vf Skoda bunker. So we have: - A Verstärkt feldmäßig (light reinforced field bunkers) half a Vf3 type bunker. A Verstärkt feldmäßig Skoda bunker for a 4.7cm Pak 36(t). To the right of the road an R622 twin group shelter.

Google

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

WN21: -

1 x R630 machine gun bunker with armoured plate.

1 x R622 twin group shelter.

1 x Vf58c Tobruk.

1 x Vf/B Stellen.

1 x Vf/Skoda casemate.

1 x Skoda 4.7cm PAK 36(t).

IGNF 2001

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 SHM 1946 plan. Red are the bunkers remaining. On the SHM plan it shows a row of four open emplacements + a Tobruk and a line drawn through them. I pressume this was or was going to be a batterie position and the guns and emplacements removed by 1944, as there are no signs of it in the 1944 air photo.

SHM

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 30 September 1944 air photo. A lot of bomb craters about.

IGNF 30 September 1944

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf/B Stellen a sort of half a Vf3.

14 October 2022 MKB

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf/B Stellen.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 With a machine gun that could fire to the front and both sides.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 the viewing and firing slit.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 the entrance at the rear that would have run down to a trench connecting it to the Vf/Skoda and the R622 bunker.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t).

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). On the left the guns commanders viewing slit and right the hole for a 770P4 metal plate to hold the Skoda fortress gun.

14 October 2022

770P4 ball joint to carry the 4.7cm Pak Skoda gun.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). Gun room.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). Gun room. Not sure what the round mark is for.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). "Eaten by dragons". Quite a lot of battle damage probably around the 11 September by the 51st Highland Division advance to the coast.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

The attack by the 51st Highland Division on the 11 September 1944.
Operation Astonia the plan.
A. Break through the enemy defences between the 53 & 54 Eastings.
B. Destroy all enemy on the two high features west of R Lezarde.
C. Exploit this success by penetrating into Le Havre within Division boundary and, in conjunction with 51 Division, complete the capture of the town.

11 September 1944

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Advancing Churchill tanks in Operation Astonia..

11 September 1944

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). Rear entrance, also it took a lot of shooting from behind.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). Rear entrance me fighting the brambles to get in..

14 October 2022 MKB

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t).

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). The view of the 'Field of Fire'.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 Vf Skoda 4.7cm Pak 36(t). Gun commanders observation slit.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 R630 machine gun bunker. with armoured plate.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 R360 underneath all the trees.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 R630 machine gun bunker. with armoured plate.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 R630 machine gun bunker with armoured plate. The side wall.

14 October 2022

726P9 plate that may have been fitted here.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21R630 machine gun bunker. with armoured plate. Rear entrance and ventilation.

14 October 2022

Plan.
1. Entrance.
2. Crew room.
3. Ammunition room.
4. Gun room.
5. Close combat room. — Plan. 1. Entrance. 2. Crew room. 3. Ammunition room. 4. Gun room. 5. Close combat room.

Steel plates and domes stacked in a railway yard somewhere in Europe.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn21 R630 machine gun bunker. with armoured plate.. Close combat defence covering the rear door.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

R630 machine gun bunker. with armoured plate. Rear entrance and almost as far as we could get.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

R630 machine gun bunker. with armoured plate. View through the gap.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

R630 machine gun bunker with armoured plate.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22: -

1 x R634 six embrasured turret bunker.

1 x Vf58c Tobruk.

1 x 7.5cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun.

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 all that is left.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634 six embrasured turret bunker. You can just see the turret still in place.

14 October 2022

Machine gun through one of the embrasures.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634 six embrasured turret bunker.

14 October 2022

R634 six embrasured turret bunker plan elevation.

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634 six embrasured turret bunker. Tobruk. Entrance. Crew room. Gas lock. Vetalation. 6 Embrasured turret. Close combatdefence.

Plan Kurt

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634 six embrasured turret bunker.

Plan Kurt

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634 six embrasured turret bunker at StP12 Ravenoville StP-Hurbert, K.V.U.Gruppe Marcouf, K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost.

SHM 1946

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634 six embrasured turret bunker at StP12 Ravenoville StP-Hurbert, K.V.U.Gruppe Marcouf, K.V.Gruppe Cotentin Ost.

R-9751-2 Report on German Concrete Fortifications Sept/Oct 1944 Page190

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

Wn22 R634, 20P7 dome six embrasure. On three levels, a periscope where the guns commander could spot for the machine gunner, other crew members would carry forward boxed ammunition and brush away spent cartridges or empty a spent cartridge bag. Another crew member would turn the handle on a fan to remove the foul gases made by the machine gun. So in the heat of battle a lot would be going on.

Plan

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

14 October 2022

Wn21/Wn22 Octeville Le Moulin

14 October 2022