Wn71 Vierville-sur Mer est Omaha Beach
WN · K.V.U.Gruppe Percée (Omaha Beach) · AOK 7 Normandy · France
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This Wn is situated on the hill above the Vierville valley and covering its eastern side and the sea front. Two 8cm Gr.W.34 mortars situated in field positions, two Ic116 Tobruk´s, one covering the rear and the other the eastern flank using s.MG.34 machine guns. There were more machine guns in the two Doppel MG Stands and in trenches along the top of the cliff edge.
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Vierville to the rear of the picture and the plateau where Wn71 was situated.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
11., Grenadier-Regiment 726
2 x MG Tobruk´s.
2 x mortar field positions.
2 x Doppel Vf/MG positions.
2 x 8cm Gr.W.34 mortars.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Wn71 as it fitted into StP Vierville with Mf39 (Mine field) covering the beach front coloured in red.
German plan of StP Vierville
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This is the track up to Wn71 an easy walk up the slope.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
On the eastern side of the cliff edge looking across the defence and on to Wn73 on the other side of the valley.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This an Ic116 Tobruk, one of many designs and held a centre mounted s.MG.34 machine gun.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
The centre pin to hold the machine gun. The small entrance is down to the small living/store space. Some even had a stove inside them.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Looking into the hexagonal gun pit.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
A field position overlooking the beach.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
The view down the beach and towards Wn70 on the cliff just past the house with the red roof.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Looking down at the beach with an s.MG.34.
April 1944
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Feldmässig small accommodation bunker.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Feldmässig set into the ground and would have been linked with trenches to the cliff edge and other positions.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Feldmässig a combination of small bunker, an ammunition niche and a water reservoir.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Entrance into the water cistern.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
The door in.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Living room, sleeping room, food preparation and also a shelter.
There may have been a Wt80k heater.
Gasdichter und druckfeter ofen Wt 80 k.
Gas-tight and pressure oven Wt 80 k.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Emergency exit or a window? Most bunkers have an emergency exit and in this style of bunker, often a window acts as an emergency exit if the front door is blocked.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Out in the field to the south and covering the rear of the defence is another Ic116 Tobruk with a centre pivot machine gun mounting.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Walking along the plateau where a trench would have run
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Looking down the valley towards the sea.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Above the Doppel machine gun Stand no way to get into it.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Vf twin machine gun emplacement.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This is the inside of Wn68 showing the entrance going out into a filled in trench, the other end turns into a Tobruk. The one here we could not get inside.
Wn68 24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This is the inside of Wn68 and a machine gun embrasure. Bolted to the six threads in the wall would be a steel bunker embrasure fitted. Under the window is a steel angle iron to fit a machine gun fitting onto.
Wn68 24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This is what may have been bolted to the window of the bunker a 422P01 type. A sliding door can be slid either way to open or close off the space. There is a fitting underneath for a machine gun to be fitted. The picture above has a piece of steel angle set into the wall to make a machine gun mounting.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
The view from the valley.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
British LCA's collecting Americans for Omaha Beach. By D-Day the Americans did not have enough assault landing craft so the British leant them several of their own, on the other hand the British did not have enough LST´s and many a British soldier landed in France upon an American LST.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
Six British Landing Craft Assault (LCA´s) carrying Company A into battle. Captain Taylor Fellers, the company commander, led the men from his craft directly in front of two pillboxes protecting the draw. Inaccurate enemy mortar rounds fell all around as they waded to the beach. The men crawled forward, staying ahead of the rapidly incoming tide. Suddenly, German machine guns raked the beach, killing Feller and all 31 men in his LCA. Other units landed off to the left and managed to land almost unopposed. C Co/2 Rangers landed to the west and almost lost half their men getting across a rocky beach and then with some miss landed Infantry, climbed the cliff and started to move on Wn73 from the west.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
A & B Cos/ 2nd Rangers & 5th Rangers and C Co/116inf with Gen. Cotta started moving up the grass covered cliffs and on into the village of Vierville. Gen. Cota later in the day continued down the Vierville Draw down to the anti-tank wall. He than got the engineers to blow the wall and vehicles started to move off the beach.
That is a very potted history of what happened. Read the books and find out more that happened here.
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
This was the reason why the Valley (Draw) was kneaded by the Americans. The quarry was re opened and used as hard core on the roads and parking and unloading DUKW's.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
The traffic using the Draw and also the unloading their DUKW's.
24 September 2005
Wn71 Vierville-sur-Mer
