Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

WN · K.V.U. Gruppe Bessin (Gold/Omaha Beach) · AOK 7 Normandy · France

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Le Port.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The Navy's view. A reconnaissance mosaic of the mouth of the La Drôme river.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The Town 1943.

WO 205/1108 21st Army Group - Aerial Recon

Spitfire taking off from RAF Benson on a photographic mission.

German defence plan of the port.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The port and some of its defences.
1 x Vf/Skoda casemate.
1 x R612 (under construction) casemate.
1 x Vf67 Tobruk.
1 x Pz.T. FT17 3.7cm KwK144(f).
1 x 4.7cm Pak K36(t).
1 x 4.7cm Pak 181(f).

WO 205/1108 21st Army Group - Aerial Recon

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Rue Torteron.

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Bullet marks in the wall of one of the houses in Rue Torteron probably due to street fighting in the area, although a lot of towns people were still living here when the Commandos arrived.

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Car park at the end of the Rue Torteron.

Google

Plan of Rue Torteron and the Skoda bunker.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The path shown was the one that with moral very low the remaining soldiers took the captured Commando (Marine Amos) with them down into the port to surrender. There were 23 in all under a white flag ,they worked their way down a path to the port.

This side of the defence shows the trench system and the positions of two casemates (Skoda bunker & the R612 under construction). The Flak barges are left overs from the battle for the town and an Allied anti-aircraft Balloon placed here by either he British or later the Americans.. This picture was taken after D-Day

WO 205/1108 21st Army Group - Aerial Recon

British troops training for D-Day on these smaller balloons. The Americans also used these balloons.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

At the far side of the small flat area is the Vf/Skoda casemate. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

11 November 2016

Vf/Skoda casemate plan. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Vf/Skoda casemate. 4.7cm Pak K36(t).

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The front face, the guns commanders viewing slit and the 770P4 type embrasure.

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Gun commanders viewing slit on the outside.

11 November 2016

Gun commander and crew member. There would be one more to load/carry the ammunition.

Gun commander looking through his visor slit.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Photo. # 10 says a 47mm & a 7.92mm in concrete.

4.7cm fired ammunition is ejected via pipe work out to a large vat in front ff the embrasure. hen the battle was over, the guns crew were to retrieve the shell cases for recycling or re use. Here that never happened.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

770P4 steel embrasure set into the concrete wall.

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Inside the usual detritus.

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

This is the area the gun covers although I am not too sure of its range, possibly 1000m to 1500m. From here to the small lighthouse is around 500m.

11 November 2016

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Yellow circle the Skoda casemate. Red circle the site of the R612 casemate.

11 November 2016

The front of an R612 with wooden doors on.

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Aerial photo of the R612 casemate under construction with the long ramp to bring up building materials up. An R612 would have held an LAG gun. LAG gun is an Anti Landing Gun. This would be a 7.5cm to a 10.0cm field gun. The second photo is of the plateau where the casemate was being built.

WO 205/1108 21st Army Group - Aerial Recon

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Yellow circle the Skoda casemate. Red circle the site of the R612 casemate. There was to be another R612 sighted on the top of Wn55 and these two guns would have created a cross fire of highly effective armoured piercing and high explosive rounds.

11 November 2016

SHM

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The view from the western Jetty.

18 July 2019

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The western Jetty that had a gun on its tip at the end and it may have been the 4.7cm Pak 181(f).

18 July 2019

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Harbour mouth.

18 July 2019

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Le Port

18 July 2019

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The lock to the inner bassin. The red marks on the right show how the large concrete anti-tank walls were laid out and an Allied bulldozer removing it.

18 July 2019

Anti-tank wall

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The anti-tank walls in place, just after capture. Note the bashing the houses had from the several bombardments by ship, aircraft and artillery (artillery from both sides).

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

Another view across the port to the east side and a red line where an anti-tank wall was built and a yellow dot where the Pz.T. FT17 3.7cm KwK144 in its own tank turret.

18 July 2019

Wn56 Port-en-Bessin

The anti-tank wall on the eastern side of the port and it looks like the British engineers have already removed the tip of the wall to allow access to and from the port.