Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer (Juno Beach)
K.V.U. Gruppe Courseulles (Juno/Gold Beach) · AOK 7 Normandy · France
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
5. Kp (Hauptmann Rudolf Gruter - CP: (Saint-Aubin/Bernières-sur-Mer)
1 x Nr.1694 Ringstand.
1 x U type Ringstand for a Pz.T. FT-M.G.311(f).
2 x VF.69 ringstands.
17 x Feldm.
1 x Pakstand.
4 x Lc.116 ringstands.
1 x MG. Stand.
1 x Gr. W Ringstand.
1 x 5cm Pak 38.
1 x 5cm KwK L/60.
3 x 8.14cm Gr.W.278(f) mortar.
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
All the Wn defences along this coast.
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Plan showing a front row of defence positions backed by two and three strands of barbed wire and covering the rear three mortars and a long anti-tank ditch..
Plan
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
A better quality air photo..
WO 205-1108 21st Army Group - Aerial Recon
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Possibly the first house liberated by the Canadian army.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Mf.58 and Mf.57 the two minefields to left and right of Wn28. .
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
A very good picture of the existing beach defences around Bernières.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal´s report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Walking in a clockwise direction, this is the first bunker an Lc.116 Tobruk, now only half its original size.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
You can see the way the rear half has been removed.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Queens Own.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
The view down the beach where it fired.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
I think this is the same Lc.116 just after the landings with Canadian Infantry sheltering under the sea wall and an aluminum ladder used to clime the sea wall. It looks as though it has a MG.08 only able to fire down the beach and not out to sea as that side has a wooden and probably sand box to absorb bullets.
Int
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Another picture taken at a different angle and you can see how the barbed wire has been used to make an infantry attack very hard..
Int
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
How it looked post war before the rear was removed to make the promenade larger.
Post Card
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Picture taken from the 5cm gun position.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
This was an open Ringstand that as the war progressed and the threat of a landing became reality extra cover was needed from the sea and a wall was built and a cap put over the top. This gun survived the landings and was removed later.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
The gun looks as though it was captured and not destroyed. The machine guns hit the Canadians as they landed, belt fed MG.09´s, MG.34´s,MG.42´s, 8.14cm mortars, a 5cm KwK Pak and 5cm Pak A/T gun that I believe took out six Sherman’s.
Int
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Looking into the Ringstand Quite a strong front wall and smaller cap over the top holding a 5cm KwK gun.
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Camouflage on the concrete lip.
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Camouflage, steel supports and boxes filled with sand to help add protection but I am not sure if the gun can traverse or not??
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
The front wall does not look too damaged.
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Almost the same angle photo as the one above and showing a scaling ladder used to climb the sea wall.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
2ingstand base where the gun fitted in and ammunition niches around the outside.
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
A group of army intelligence experts visited the beaches and photographed what they felt was important.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
This has been completely removed but was between the Nr.1694 Ringstand and the Lc.116 Tobruk.
A table removed from a house also bottles.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
A table removed from a house also bottles and looking closer a few pistols, a sub-machine gun and a field telephone.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
This Lc.116 Tobruk was slightly modified to make the crew room bigger.
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
11 November 2016
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Not a very good picture later on with the Modified Tobruk and the guard post.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Probably an M.G.34 on a heavy tripod.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
An FT turret with an M.G.311F machine gun.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
U type 2ingstand for a Pz.T. FT-M.G.311(f). Notre the barbed wire and screw pickets attached to the hooks on the U - 2ingstand
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
One of the threads to hold down the turret mounting.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
This is a very interesting picture, after D-Day with the barbed wire supports cut down and the U type 2ingstand for a Pz.T. FT-M.G.311(f).
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Another post war picture of this Ringstand It shows a stone/concrete trench leading to the Ringstand and a covered area for a second person to shelter. U type 2ingstand for a Pz.T. FT-M.G.311(f).
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Here was a field bunker made from logs to protect a 5cm Pak 38 anti-tank gun.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
How it may have looked.
17 June 2017 DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
5cm Pak anti - tank gun.
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
5cm Pak
DEFE 2-430 - Prof Bernal's report - photographs
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
This would have been blocked off and barbed wired in.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
To the left of the bus you can see the petrol station, this I believe was here in WW2.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
I have found out from Jean-Pierre that there were mortar Tobruks where the petrol station has now been built.
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Behind was an anti-tank ditch.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
The last Lc.116 Ringstand I completely missed it behind the bicycle. Getting old.
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
In this patch of land were two Unterstands of some type, probably small concrete bunkers of no determined design to hold about six men or ammunition.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
And back to the house again.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
June 1944
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Sea wall.
17 June 2017
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
The problem here was that Les Iles De Bernièrs a shallow area of water that meant that the landing time had to be slightly adjusted to allow the ships to sail over the reef.
Bigot
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
The Canadian Beaches.
Plan
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Queen's Own Rifles in the centre at Bernièrs (Nan White beach) near Bernièrs at 8:05. The enemy fortifications on the 'Nan White' sector had been barely dented by the preliminary bombardment. The DD tanks were supposed to 'swim' in ahead of the infantry to diminish German resistance but were forced by high waves to land after them. When the QOR regiment stormed the beaches, they received the worst battering of any Canadian unit on D-Day. ‘A’ Company landed to the west of Bernièrs. Charlie Martin, Company Sergeant-Major, ‘A’ Company described the landing in his book Battle Diary: "As we moved farther from the mother ship and closer to shore, it came as a shock to realize that the assault fleet was disappearing from view. Suddenly there was just us and an awful lot of ocean, or English Channel if you prefer. All that remained within sight was our own fleet of ten assault craft, moving abreast in the early-morning silence in a gradually extending line facing the shore, the ‘A’ Company boats on the right and the B Company boats on the left. "The moment the ramp came down, heavy machine-gun fire broke out from somewhere back of the seawall. Mortars were dropping all over the beach. The men rose, starboard line turning right, port turning left. I said to Jack, across from me, and to everyone:" "Move! Fast! Don't stop for anything. Go! Go! Go!" We raced down the ramp, Jack and I side by side, the men closely following. We fanned out as fast as we could, heading for that sea wall. None of us really grasped at that point, spread across such a large beach front, just how thin on the ground we were. Each of the ten boatloads had become an independent fighting unit." "Our part of the beach was clear but there were mines buried in the sand. On the dead run you just chose the path that looked best. Bert Shepard, Bill Bettridge and I were running at top speed and firing from the hip. To our left we spotted a small gap in the wall. They had placed a belt-fed machine gun there as part of the defence and only one man was on it. We knew from our training that you cannot be on the move and fire accurately at the same time. If you stop you become a target. In any case, Bill did stop for a split second. He took his aim and that seemed to be the bullet that took the gunner out, although Bert and I were firing too. We got to the wall and over it, then raced across the railway line."
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
In the story above it mentions the mortar fire, they would have all come from the
June 1944
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
LCIL299.
D-Day
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
A knocked out Sherman tank 94 2H and a road way made from Sommerfeld tracking.
D-Day
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Infantry landing from LCIL299. (Landing Ship Infantry Large). A tank bridge has been laid over the sea wall.
D-Day
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Another view.
D-Day
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Rue du "Régiment de la Chaudière"
These curb stones date from before June 6 1944: June 6 and 7, there was a big congestion in Bernièrs and
all vehicles (including tanks) landed piled into this street now the Rue du "Régiment de la Chaudière" before going past
the church to disperse then towards Basly, Bény, Douvres, Villon-les-bushes, Authie, Carpiquet where they to continue the fight.
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Infantrymen of Le Régiment de la Chaudière-moving-through-Bernières-sur-Mer on the now Rue du "Régiment de la Chaudière".
June 1944
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Tank damaged curb stones.
The damage done to the curb stones along the Rue du "Régiment de la Chaudière".
June 1944
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Here the first general headquarters of Canadian and British photojournalists and filmmakers who made the landing was established in this establishment on June 6, 1944, at 10:30 in the morning, the first reports for the press and world radio were kept there.
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
Here the first general headquarters of Canadian and British photojournalists and filmmakers who made the landing was established in this establishment on June 6, 1944, at 10:30 in the morning, the first reports for the press and world radio were kept there.
Jean-Pierre 2018
Wn28 Bernières-sur-Mer
