Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer les Moulins (Omaha Beach)

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

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

3./Gren. Rgt 726 Oberfeldwebel Schnüll

1 x R677 casemate.

1 x Vf221/223.

1 x Pz.T.R35 3.7cm KwK [f].

2 x Vf58c Tobruk´s.

1 x Nr1694 ringstand.

1+ x Feldmässig kitchen/sleeping/office..

1 x Wellblech bunker.

1 x Vf/MG.

1 x 8.8cm Pak 43/41.

1 x 5cm Gr.W201 (b) mortar.

1 x 5cm KwK L/60 Pak.

Pz.T.R35 3.7cm KwK
[f]. — Pz.T.R35 3.7cm KwK [f].

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Google

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

HWM 1944 - High Water Mark in 1944. MF - Mine Fields. Red - Barbed wire defence. 2 Reds - Anti Tank Ditch half filled with water.

Google Plan

Inside a Wellblech ( corrugated iron) shelter.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

StP Colleville a major defence on the right flank of this area. The names Ursula, Anna, Frieda are targets for inland artillery to fire onto the beach at any army trying to land and exactly where the artillery fired on D-Day. An artillery observer could ask any of the batteries in range to fire on these pre determined targets and they would have practiced many times for accuracy.

German plan

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

This is the view on a wet November 2008 when the tide was a long way out and it shows that the 8.8cm Pak 43/41 could shoot flanking fire right down the beach. I am about 1000m from Wn61well within killing range of between 100% to 85%.

23 November 2008

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

This photo is showing the R677 casemate construction about finished. A railway line was laid from a sand filling plant just below Wn62 and transported on narrow gauge railway trucks to the cement mixers at the bunker being constructed. Also you can see the long anti-tank ditch almost finished.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Another picture showing the beach defences out on the sand taken on the 10th May 1944.

10 May 1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The first Tobruk, sited just outside the defence covering the western side.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The first Tobruk, probably completely covered in sand and grass grown around it. It would be very hard to see out at sea as a target.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The first Tobruk, entrance for the crew. There would have been a trench to attach it to the main defence with a tunnel going under the barbed wire..

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The first Tobruk, inside the small crew room

26 March 2015

Originally they would have been equipped with a heater, door and some creature comforts. But here I am sure they just had a box to sit on, some shelving to stack ammunition for the MG.38 and personnel kit.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The first Tobruk, ringstand where the gunner and his mate would man the one machine gun.

26 March 2015

A slip ring for a machine gun to fit into the ringstand above.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Wn61 from out on the beach. The R677 could just shoot at us at this angle

23 November 2008

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

R677 casemate fr an 8.8cm Pak 43/41.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

I have just found this picture taken before D-Day I am sure. It states Wn62 but Wn62 did not have a casemate like this and also that its a 75mm gun. I think this is the R677 casemate and 8.8cm Pak 43/41.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

R677 after capture. Sand bags were stacked up prior to knowing D-Day was about to happen. This was done in lots of casemates to make embrasures smaller so less chance of being hit inside.

June 1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

R677 the area covered by the gun looking down the beach to the west and Pointe de Percee.

24 September 2005

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

R677 casemate from above showing this side covered in earth to help to camouflage it.

24 September 2005

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

R677 the view from the roof.

24 September 2005

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Possibly one of the four Sherman DD´s to arrive on this beach at Fox Red/Green. It crawled along towards Wn61 and fired at the embrasure knocking out the crew. 32 Sherman DD tanks of the 741st Tank Battalion were to land on the Easy Red and Fox Green Beaches. 29 DD tanks that were launched, 27 quickly sank due to weather and distance from the beaches. Only five landed. A DD Tank commanded by Staff Sgt Sheppard disabled the R677 with the 8.8cm Pak 43/4. This could be his tank.

June 1944

A Sherman DD off the Dorset coast being used in Operation ´Smash´.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

R677 casemate showing the rear door and a vent for the casemates ventilation system.

06 October 2013

Bauform concrete blocks in a casemate unfinished.

Bauform concrete blocks would be the outer wall and inner wall and then the steel re bars fitted in between and the pipe work and cabling. And then the concrete poured in.

Plan of the extraction of foul gases from the gun man when it fires.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The gun half removed from the casemate after D-Day. Looks like a holiday maker has come to visit. If you go to my links page there is a very good French website “OMAHA BEACH MEMOIRES” with stories from a villager who lived throughout the battle in St Laurent.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The 8.8cm Pak 43/41 pulled out of the bunker and placed just outside the Wn.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Pz.T.R35 3.7cm KwK [f] Tobruk stand.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Now its nicely camouflaged into the house.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Where now the square manhole is it would have been round.

06 October 2013

A U type Tobruk but it shows the turret ring in place and gives an idea how this one should look.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Bolts to hold down the turret ring.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Its odd that this turret has had its field of fire cut out by the new R677 built in front of it. The Atlantikwall was being upgraded constantly from 1942 onwards. This position had been here about a year and two shelters and semi-sunk bunkers were constructed. Then 5cm KwK was also built about the same time. But the R677 casemate was brand new and the camouflage effects of earth thrown over it had not started to sprout grass. As can be see from the air photos.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

This is a post battle photo taken by US and British intelligence officers who followed the advance and photographed anything important.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Another picture of the turret in place.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

This picture shows the turrets field of fire completely cut off with the casemate and could only fire out to sea or to the east shore.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Wellblech bunker entrance. There would have been a cut trench system to take you from emplacement to bunker in relative safety. This would be camouflaged over to hide it from air reconnaissance.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Wellblech bunker entrance.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Wellblech bunker inside with walls made of steel sheets. This could be a crew shelter, ammunition, anything that was needed of it.

06 October 2013

Wellblech translates to Corrugated iron, this type is a much heavier type than the British tin.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

I think this could be a Vf221/223 type mortar Tobruk. It has a small ammunition room to its right and seven ammunition niches for ready ammunition lockers. The Tobruk would be open and 5cm mortars could be fired at quite a high rate out onto the beaches. A 5cm Gr.W201 (b). Belgian captured mortar.

06 October 2013

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Vf221/223 type mortar Tobruk entrants via a trench from the Wellblech in front. There was mention of the beach being drenched with small mortar bombs and they may have come from here.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Vf221/223 type mortar Tobruk. The gun room where the mortar sat and the seven niches that a wooden box could slide in and 5cm mortar bombs placed in them as ready ammunition.

24 September 2005

An observer in a Tobruk watching for fall of shot.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Vf221/223 type mortar Tobruk. This one looks like the forward ammunition niche has been made into an embrasure for a gun?? I am also unsure about the lip of the Tobruk with the windows all around. They could be contemporary but without glass in??

24 September 2005

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Another concrete shelter or ammunition space.

24 September 2005

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Over the back are several concrete Feldmässing (field bunkers).

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

More Feldmässing bunkers with a kitchen, toilets and accomadation.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

I think this is the base/plinth for a generator??

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Top - picture the bolts an nuts sticking up and Below - picture of a base plate bolted down onto a concrete plinth like this one. The generator would then sit on the steel plate.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

5cm KwK L/60 as it looked after the battle. This gun must have done quite a lot of damage as there are at least eleven used shell cases to be seen and boxes of ammunition all over the place. The Wn was captured by Company E and they used several Bazookas to subdue the area.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The 5cm still in its ringstand with the R677 behind.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

The beach in wild weather.

26 March 2015

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Troops in England looking at model of Omaha beach, it looks as though they are on the top floor of an old barn somewhere in Dorset.

1944

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Another model of Wn61 and the anti-tank ditch possibly at a D camp where US troops went prior to being loaded onto their shipping.

Bigot

Area 'W' with D1 Dewlish, D3 Yellowham and D6 Piddlehinton Camp. Three of the D-Camps.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

Bombing target number for Wn61. BOMBING - The USAAF sent over hundreds of B24's. These were taken off bombing strategic targets in deepest Germany to bomb Omaha beach with little or no training for this mission. They were routed via Scotland and were in the air for more than three hours before heading south over the channel. This was because there were so many aircraft in the air forming up for bombing, parachute drops, etc. The pilots and bombardiers were ordered NOT to bomb short onto their own soldiers and sailors below, running in to land on the beach. The lead bombers (Pathfinders) carried H2x a British bombing aid radar set that would show up the coast even through clouds. The clouds were 10/10ths and when the lead planes started to drop their first bombs and marker flairs, they held off for as long as they could. This was between three and thirty second.

Bigot

USAAF Shidham, 41 circular dispersals and 18 spectical dispersals, four (red) T2 hangars..

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

This is one of the maps used by the Americans prior to landing, showing all the defences along the beach. First the bombers went in, then the navy opened up and last the LCT(R)´s fired their streams of rockets on the beach. None of all this fire was very effective on Omaha unfortunately except the naval bombardment.

Bigot May 44

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

A very good picture showing the narrow gauge railway coming in off the beach into Wn61 now completely captured. A roadway has been laid from the beach which would cross the anti-tank ditch and head up to E3 Draw exit. Three DUKW´s are leaving and a truck.

1944

One of the battleships firing a broadside.

Wn61 Colleville-sur-Mer, (Omaha Beach)

26 March 2017