Longues-sur-Mer battery
The Longues-sur-Mer battery was a World War II artillery battery constructed by the Wehrmacht near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy. It formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications.
The battery was completed by April 1944.[1]. Although constructed and manned initially by the Kriegsmarine, the battery was later transferred to the German army.[2] The site consisted of four 150-mm navy guns, each protected by a large concrete casemate, a command post, shelters for personnel and ammunition, and several defensive machine-gun emplacements.
Normany landings
The battery at Longues was situated between the landing beaches Omaha and Gold. On the night before the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, the battery was subject to heavy bombing from allied air forces. The bombing was followed from 0537hrs on the morning of the landings by bombardment from the French cruiser Georges Leygues as well as the U.S. battleship Arkansas. The battery itself opened fire at 0605hrs, forcing the headquarters ship HMS Bulolo to retreat to safer water. Three of the four guns were eventually disabled by British cruisers Ajax and Argonaut, though a single gun continued to operate intermittently until 1900hrs that evening. The site was captured by the 231st Infantry Brigade the following day.[3]
References
- ^ "Wiederstandnest n° 48". The Atlantic Wall Linear Museum.
- ^ D-Day Fortifications in Normandy. pp. p. 28. ISBN 1841768766.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help) - ^ D-Day 1944. 2002. pp. p. 50. ISBN 1841763683.
{{cite book}}:|pages=has extra text (help)