Wn81 Grandcamp-Maisy ouest

Wn81 Grandcamp-Maisy ouest, it is situated within walking distance of the port, heading west along the Coast path. A small defence it overlooks the Grand Vey estuary and Utah beach. The defenders would have been on the receiving end of the bomber attack that bombed all the beaches on D-Day morning. They then would have been able to watch the Utah beach landings going in. They may have tried to call down artillery fire from the Maisy batteries, Stp83 and Stp84 if any of the guns survived the onslaught or any of the other gun batteries in field positions behind them. There was a field batterie, 1./Artillery-Regiment 352 with 4 x 10.5cm guns at Houteville south of Wn81 and this may have escaped any bombing, as they were field art. and not casemated. The Allied intelligence found it hard to find them. Due to fact that they moved around and had very good camouflage. Several landing craft went astray and headed down past Wn81 and the Americans were captured, one of the senior Officers was carrying a full set of Bigot plans for 'Operation Neptune'. These were very quickly sent to the German HQ and passed on to Rommel’s HQ. Bigot was the code word for anybody in the know about Overlord/Neptune and if you were in the know you were a Bigot or Bigoted.

 

The bombing of this area on D-Day. A friend of mines father was a Lancaster bomb aimer and was there with q60 Sqn RAF.

The view to Wn 87 along the coast.

Reconnaissance photos of Wn81.

SK/Doppelschartenstand.

SK/Doppelschartenstand.

SK/Doppelschartenstand.

SK/Doppelschartenstand. The entrance on the left. These Doppelschartenstand seem to be all slightly different, some have an attached Tobruk and this one does not.

SK/Doppelschartenstand. A passageway runs in from each side and a connecting door on the left to the gun room.

SK/Doppelschartenstand. Gun room, the gun can fire through one embrasure and then if needed it can spin around through and fire through the other embrasure. So this casemate can cover both lengths of the beach. This design of casemate was gradually being replaced by R667 casemates.

SK/Doppelschartenstand. Gun room.

SK/Doppelschartenstand. Looking towards Grandcamp.

Vf unterstand. This could be the command bunker for the defence and would have had a field telephone link to their HQ..

Vf unterstand. (Vf. For V (erstärkt) f. (eldmäßig).

Tobruk? I am not too sure exactly what or where, it was near the Vf bunker and the tank turret Tobruk. All this area has now been cleared and built over.

Tobruk for a Pz. T (f) tank turret.

Some bits?

Sea wall, may be an earlier defence.

Sea wall, may be an earlier defence. I have seen these before and they may be a small wall for an anti-tank gun to use earlier in the occupation.

Sea wall, may be an earlier defence. SK/Doppelschartenstand.

Tobruk. There should be two here.

R667 casemate for a 5cm KwK L/60.

R667 casemate. Rear entrance.

Beach defence tetrahedra.

Beach defences of the Vey, along the shore of the large bay.

View from Grandcamp and the coast path.

Well it was a long day for John, so a beer and what maybe a short sleep? The Bar at Brasserie 'L Estran' on the west side of the port.