Merville Gun Battery: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Coastal fortification in Normandy, France}} |
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{{cleanup}} |
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{{Infobox military structure |
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| name = Merville Gun Battery |
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| partof = [[Atlantic Wall]] |
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| location = [[Normandy]], France |
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| coordinates = |
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| image = Merville_Gun_Battery_(6818465782).jpg |
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| caption = Largest casemate of the Merville Battery today |
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| image2 = |
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| caption2 = |
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| type = [[Artillery battery]] |
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| code = |
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| built = [[World War II]] |
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| builder = [[Organisation Todt]] |
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| materials = Concrete, steel, barbed wire |
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| height = |
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| used = 1942-1944 |
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| demolished = |
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| condition = Several casemates and trench system |
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| ownership = {{flag|Nazi Germany}}<br>1942–44<br /> |
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{{flag|France}}<br>1944–present<br /> |
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| open_to_public = Yes |
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| controlledby = |
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| garrison = [[Wehrmacht]] |
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| current_commander = |
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| commanders = |
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| occupants = |
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| battles = [[Normandy landings]], [[Operation Tonga]] |
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| events = |
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}} |
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The '''Merville Gun Battery''' |
The '''Merville Gun Battery''' is a decommissioned coastal fortification in [[Normandy]], [[France]], which was built as part of the Germans' [[Atlantic Wall]] to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion. It was a particularly heavily fortified position and one of the [[Battle of Merville Gun Battery|first places to be attacked]] by Allied forces during the [[Normandy Landings]] commonly known as D-Day. A British force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel [[Terence Otway]] succeeded in capturing this position, suffering heavy casualties. |
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==Defences== |
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It was put out of action on [[D-Day]] in the Allied invasion of Normandy codenamed [[Operation Overlord]]. |
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{{further|Battle of Merville Gun Battery}} |
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It was captured by D company of the [[Oxs and Bucks]], a part of the [[British 6th Airborne Division]]. |
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The Merville Battery is composed of four {{convert|6|ft|m|adj=mid|-thick}} steel-reinforced concrete gun [[casemate]]s, built by the [[Todt Organisation]]. Each was designed to protect [[First World War]]-vintage Czech-made [[Skoda houfnice vz 14|leFH 14/19(t) 100 mm (3.93-inch) mountain howitzers]] with a range of 8,400 m.<ref>Zaloga and Johnson 2005, p. 29</ref> |
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{{WWII-stub}} |
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Other buildings on the site include a command bunker, a building to accommodate the men, and ammunition magazines. During a visit on 6 March 1944, to inspect the defences, [[Field Marshal (Germany)|Field Marshal]] [[Erwin Rommel]] ordered the builders to work faster, and by May 1944, the last two casemates were completed.{{cn|date=January 2024}} |
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[[File:Merville2 web.jpg|thumb|Side view of another casemate]] |
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The battery was defended by a [[2 cm Flak 30/38/Flakvierling|20 mm anti-aircraft gun]] and multiple [[machine gun]]s in fifteen gun positions, all enclosed in an area {{convert|700|by|500|yd}} surrounded by two [[barbed wire]] obstacles {{convert|15|ft}} deep by {{convert|5|ft}} high,<ref>Ford, p.41</ref> which also acted as the exterior border for a {{convert|100|yd|m|adj=mid|-deep}} [[minefield]]. Another obstacle was an [[Anti-tank trench|anti-tank ditch]] covering any approach from the nearby coast.<ref name="Gregory108">Gregory 1979, p. 108</ref> |
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==Notes== |
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{{Reflist}} |
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==References== |
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*{{cite book|last=Ford|first=Ken|title=D-Day 1944 (3): Sword Beach & the British Airborne Landings|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford, UK|year=2011|isbn=978-1-84908-721-6}} |
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*{{cite book|last1=Gregory|first1=Barry|last2=Batchelor|first2=John|title=Airborne Warfare, 1918–1945|publisher=Exeter Books|year=1979|location=Exeter, UK|isbn=978-0-89673-025-0}} |
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*{{cite book|last1=Zaloga|last2=Johnson|first1=Steven J|first2=Hugh|title=D-Day Fortifications in Normandy|series=Volume 37 of Fortress Series|publisher=Osprey Publishing|location=Oxford, UK|year=2005|isbn=978-1-84176-876-2}} |
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==Further reading== |
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* ''The Day the Devils Dropped In''. Neil Barber, Pen & Sword Books 2002. {{ISBN|978-1-84415-045-8}} |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category|Merville Battery}} |
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* [http://www.batterie-merville.com/ The Merville Battery - Official Site] |
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* [http://www.pegasusarchive.org/ The 6th Airborne Division in Normandy] |
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{{coord|49|16|10|N|0|11|52|W|source:frwiki|display=title}} |
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{{World War II}} |
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{{Battle of Normandy}} |
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[[Category:Atlantic Wall]] |
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[[Category:Operation Overlord]] |
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[[Category:Normandy]] |
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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Calvados (department)]] |
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[[Category:Military history of France during World War II]] |
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[[Category:Military history of Normandy]] |
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[[Category:Artillery battery fortifications in France]] |
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[[Category:World War II sites in France]] |
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[[Category:Tourist attractions in Calvados (department)]] |
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Latest revision as of 01:21, 25 August 2024
| Merville Gun Battery | |
|---|---|
| Part of Atlantic Wall | |
| Normandy, France | |
.jpg) Largest casemate of the Merville Battery today | |
| Type | Artillery battery |
| Site information | |
| Owner |  Nazi Germany1942–44  France1944–present |
| Open to the public | Yes |
| Condition | Several casemates and trench system |
| Site history | |
| Built | World War II |
| Built by | Organisation Todt |
| In use | 1942-1944 |
| Materials | Concrete, steel, barbed wire |
| Battles/wars | Normandy landings, Operation Tonga |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | Wehrmacht |
The Merville Gun Battery is a decommissioned coastal fortification in Normandy, France, which was built as part of the Germans' Atlantic Wall to defend continental Europe from Allied invasion. It was a particularly heavily fortified position and one of the first places to be attacked by Allied forces during the Normandy Landings commonly known as D-Day. A British force under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway succeeded in capturing this position, suffering heavy casualties.
Defences
[edit]The Merville Battery is composed of four 6-foot-thick (1.8 m) steel-reinforced concrete gun casemates, built by the Todt Organisation. Each was designed to protect First World War-vintage Czech-made leFH 14/19(t) 100 mm (3.93-inch) mountain howitzers with a range of 8,400 m.[1]
Other buildings on the site include a command bunker, a building to accommodate the men, and ammunition magazines. During a visit on 6 March 1944, to inspect the defences, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel ordered the builders to work faster, and by May 1944, the last two casemates were completed.[citation needed]
The battery was defended by a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun and multiple machine guns in fifteen gun positions, all enclosed in an area 700 by 500 yards (640 by 460 m) surrounded by two barbed wire obstacles 15 feet (4.6 m) deep by 5 feet (1.5 m) high,[2] which also acted as the exterior border for a 100-yard-deep (91 m) minefield. Another obstacle was an anti-tank ditch covering any approach from the nearby coast.[3]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Ford, Ken (2011). D-Day 1944 (3): Sword Beach & the British Airborne Landings. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84908-721-6.
- Gregory, Barry; Batchelor, John (1979). Airborne Warfare, 1918–1945. Exeter, UK: Exeter Books. ISBN 978-0-89673-025-0.
- Zaloga, Steven J; Johnson, Hugh (2005). D-Day Fortifications in Normandy. Volume 37 of Fortress Series. Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-876-2.
Further reading
[edit]- The Day the Devils Dropped In. Neil Barber, Pen & Sword Books 2002. ISBN 978-1-84415-045-8
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merville Battery.
49°16′10″N 0°11′52″W / 49.26944°N 0.19778°W
