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.
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 MarshalErwin Rommel ordered the builders to work faster, and by May 1944, the last two casemates were completed.[citation needed]
Side view of another casemate
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]
merville, battery, decommissioned, coastal, fortification, normandy, france, which, built, part, germans, atlantic, wall, defend, continental, europe, from, allied, invasion, particularly, heavily, fortified, position, first, places, attacked, allied, forces, . 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 Merville Gun BatteryPart of Atlantic WallNormandy FranceLargest casemate of the Merville Battery todayTypeArtillery batterySite informationOwner Nazi Germany1942 44 France1944 presentOpen tothe publicYesConditionSeveral casemates and trench systemSite historyBuiltWorld War IIBuilt byOrganisation TodtIn use1942 1944MaterialsConcrete steel barbed wireBattles warsNormandy landings Operation TongaGarrison informationGarrisonWehrmacht Contents 1 Defences 2 Notes 3 References 4 Further reading 5 External linksDefences editFurther information Battle of Merville Gun Battery 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 nbsp Side view of another casemateThe 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 Zaloga and Johnson 2005 p 29 Ford p 41 Gregory 1979 p 108References editFord Ken 2011 D Day 1944 3 Sword Beach amp 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 editThe Day the Devils Dropped In Neil Barber Pen amp Sword Books 2002 ISBN 978 1 84415 045 8External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Merville Battery The Merville Battery Official Site The 6th Airborne Division in Normandy49 16 10 N 0 11 52 W 49 26944 N 0 19778 W 49 26944 0 19778 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Merville Gun Battery amp oldid 1206129564, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
