Wn83 Fontaine-la-Mallet les Monts-Trottins - Batterie.

Wn83 started as a batterie of six 15.5cm field howitzers in open emplacements, then as the war changed due to large scale bombing. The order came down to casemate them, which meant, building gun bunkers. Usually if there were six guns in open emplacements, they were replaced by four in casemates. As this order was rather late in coming, many casemates had not been completed. Here was a case in question. Only one had been built and the foundations of two started.

Bttr. 1./H.A.A. 1149.

3 x R669/SK (2 under construction)
1 x R607SK Ammunition bunker.
1 x Z193 water bunker.
7 x R622 under construction.
4 x Geschützstellung (6).
4 x 15.5cm s.FH.414(f) guns.
2 x 2cm Flak 38.
2 x 15.5cm s.FH.414(f) guns.

An Allied Defence Overprint Edition of 5 September 1944 plan of the defences around Monts-Trottins.

An Allied Defence Overprint Edition of 5 September 1944 plan of the defences around Monts-Trottins.

Vf3 a square 360° viewing slits allowing all round view and also a machine gun can be used in any of the four apertures.

Vf3 with commanding views over the surrounding area..

Looking south on the track down to the batterie position, the six Geschützstellung laid out from right to left. Nothing can be found of them today, all ploughed out.

15.5cm s.F.H 414(f). A gun being set up for action. This is the type of gun that was used here and how it would have looked when the batterie moved here before the emplacements had been made. . The gun was a French Army 155mm C modèle 1917 Schneider. Captured by the invading German army and used for their 2nd-line artillery and coast defense units. The ammunition was, shell, powder bag & case.

Coming down the slope with the R669 casemate in front.

View from the south. The water reservoir Z193, the casemate R669 and to the right the R607SK ammunition bunker.

View from the south again, this is a picture taken in 1946 by the French Army of most of the German positions in France as a record. The Z193 and R669 show up and next is not the R607SK but I think the R621 a crew bunker with attached Tobruk that I found in the field.

Z193 Wasser bunker.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Entrance with a very pronounced step over to get into the bunker, this was to stop gas from entering the bunker as gas is heavier than air and sits low down. This would prevent it seeping into the entrance.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

MKB's plan of the bunker. An entrance, with two slots? on the right. A small room, then going into the well room. Then a third room with a plinth, that may have held a water pump, either manually, electrical or a petrol driven type.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Looking into the entrance.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

The two I call slots in the entrance. There may have been pipework in hear?

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Pump or well room.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

The well.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Preparation room which may mean that it was also a filtration room.

Manual water pump and filtration system.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Looking across the top of the two water tanks, all made of concrete and un lined.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Looking into the first tank, showing the iron steps to climb in and out to the next tank. The two tanks held a total of 15 cubic meters of water. (3299.54 gallons).

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Bunkers escape.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

Way out.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm)

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

The other side, it looks as though the lower part was hit by a 3inch shell, maybe from a Sherman's gun.

One of the water outlets and still has its cap fitted .

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

The shell went deep but did not explode and I can see no sign of it in the hole.
The angle the shell had to be fired at, my conclusion is that the shell came in from the track above the R669 casemate, or from a tank coming down the hill behind the R669.

Z193 Wasserversorgungstand (15cbm).

The angle the shell had to be fired at, my conclusion is that the shell came in from the track above the R669 casemate, or from a tank coming down the hill behind the R669.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

The rear wall to hold back earth that would have been heaped up either side and over the roof for extra protection and camouflage.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

Inside the gun room and plenty of room if the 15.5cm s.FH.414(f) gun were fitted in here. It was quite a large gun.

(A howitzer is a large gun with a short barrel, which fires shells high up into the air so that they will drop down onto the target).

15.5cm s.FH.414(f) being manoeuvred into its firing position.

Two pictures from a file WO233/56 showing the actual gun turntable fitted into the casemate here but the gun was never fitted.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

Ammunition niche.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

The second ammunition niche which held an extractor fan to remove foul gases from the gun room, when the gun fires.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

Gun room towards the rear.

R669/SK Casemate for a field gun with 60° opening.

The differences of this R669/SK against a standard R669. Why did they do this, I have no idea. But they obviously had their reasons. The direction these casemated guns would have fired was inland against an attacker coming into the rear of Le Havre. This is in fact the way the British came. It took them two days to assault the city. This position would have been captured on day one.

R607SK ammunition bunker II.

Left hand entrance, you cannot see the right hand entrance from the front as it was so overgrown.

R607SK ammunition bunker II.

R607SK ammunition bunker II.

The left hand passage way to the ammunition rooms.

R607SK ammunition bunker II.

The rear room could have been stacked with 15.5cm shells/powder bags and case. Also fuzes.

R607SK ammunition bunker II.

The second room, if there was not enough crew rooms available in other bunkers, this we believe could double as a crew room.

R607SK ammunition bunker II.

The second room, if there was not enough crew rooms available in other bunkers, this we believe could double as a crew room.

Here we found just a Tobruk sticking out. This is the Tobruk of an R621 group shelter.