The Füherhauptquartier Wolfsschlucht 2 is known for its enormous variety of bunker designs. There are local designs for machine gun turrets and plates and one can discover Luftwaffe Regelbauten never built anywhere else. A not so rare Luftwaffe design is the L 410, a command bunker for small Flak batteries. However near Margival this type was built ten times on only 9 km²!

L 410 locations near Margival.

L 410 locations near Margival.

And not only was the type built a lot of times, they were also heavily equipped with communication devices. You will find L 410s here with a Festungsvermittlung zu 30 Ltn, the large telephone exchanges for 30 lines, which you will normally find in large command bunkers (117, 608) along the Atlantikwall. Some boost four Festungsfernsprecher in a row, which really shows the importance given to these small Flak batteries. (According to Rhode and Sünkel in their book Wolfsschlucht 2, Autopsie eines Führerhauptquartiers, 21 light Flak batteries were built around the headquarters!)

L 410 (Vx 436) of Flakstellung 8 had a Festungsvermittlung zu 30 Ltn. (Photo: 2008, Arthur van Beveren)

L 410 (Vx 436) of Flakstellung 8 had a Festungsvermittlung zu 30 Ltn. (Photo: 2008, Arthur van Beveren)

A Festungsvermittlung zu 30 Ltn. with two battery boxes and fusebox. (Photo: 2004, Arthur van Beveren)

A Festungsvermittlung zu 30 Ltn. with two battery boxes and fusebox. (Photo: 2004, Arthur van Beveren)

Normally an L 410 has a Flak emplacement on top and in the Atlantikwall it was usually built with two Flak/Crew bunkers like the L 409A. Around Margival you’ll find most L 410s without emplacement on top. Three either early square shaped open emplacements or later war L 2 emplacements formed the actual battery and the L 410 really served as an HQ.

L 410 (Vx 436) of Flakstellung 8. No emplacement on top. (Photo: 2008, Arthur van Beveren)

L 410 (Vx 436) of Flakstellung 8. No emplacement on top. (Photo: 2008, Arthur van Beveren)

Of the ten L 410s, seven are accessible and six are on the website. We’re still updating our old 2002 and 2003 images with newer ones, so stay tuned.

http://bunkersite.com/locations/france/margival/l410-flak16-marg-1.php

http://bunkersite.com/locations/france/margival/l410-neuv.php

http://bunkersite.com/locations/france/margival/l410-flak12-neuville-1.php

http://bunkersite.com/locations/france/margival/l410-laf.php

http://bunkersite.com/locations/france/margival/l410-flak6-vauxaillon-1.php

http://bunkersite.com/locations/france/margival/l410-flak8-vauxaillon-1.php

We’ve started working on the area around Ørland and Trondheim half way up Norway. Very interesting strong points and bunkers including the famous MKB Ørlandet or Austrått Fort with it’s triple 28cm Gneisenau turret. We’ll add it to the website in the coming weeks.

Ørland on Bunkersite.com.

634 with a 35P8 Sechsschartenturm of Stp Berg on Ørland. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

634 with a 35P8 Sechsschartenturm of Stp Berg on Ørland. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

Some weeks ago we came into contact with a Marineflak veteran which was stationed at Trégastel, south of Brest in Bretagne, France.

Wolfgang Weber came in from the Flakschule at Misdroy at the Baltic Coast at the age of 19. His story combined with our fieldwork can be found here.

I must say, you do know a lot more about MFlak 811 than I ever had the opportunity to gather while I was there. And that is now long ago. Memories fade. [..] Perhaps I can shed a little light here or there.

I arrived  at 396 in about March of 44 coming from the Flak Training Center near Misdroy at the German Baltic Sea coast. During that short span of time until the Allied invasion and subsequent advances, there really wasn’t much time getting acquainted with the area and location of units. I knew that the heavy guns were of the 10.5 double barrel type. There were 2cm positions in the area but not in our immediate vicinity, to my knowledge.

About 5./MFlak (my unit), I don’t know of any other guns of that caliber in the area besides the 3 at BR 396. [..] There were no bunkers at our location. However, close to one of the guns a natural rock formation had created a small low ceiling cave that was utilized as storage place for non-military items of sorts. Each of the guns was positioned on top of three rock plateaus with a low concrete wall around it with storage space for the ammo.

The location of the Bt staff of 5./MFlak 811 was at the western limit of Plougastel proper near the water tower. As I was told, French labor was used building a defense trench system around the position. To no surprise, when enemy troops arrived in the area, well targeted artillerie barrages created havoc. The water tower received a direct hit. I have no knowledge of the number of 2 cm guns as well as the location the Bt staff.

[..]
The Abteilungsstaff was positioned at Plougastel. I was transferred there from 396 to help establish a unit to use forward observer reports about enemy troop advances converting those into coordinates and transmitting them to the batteries for ground defensive fire. After the enemy artillery succesfully destroyed that unit, we were relocated to an empty cinder block building south of Plougastel in an open field area to continue our work. Soon after, a targeted bombing raid leveled this building putting us out of business. With the enemy now advancing south towards the tip of the peninsula, the batteries were ordered to fire at will, we were attached to a small infantry unit which a few short days later had to surrender. I do remember the small Fortress Corbeau. I was there only once for a few hours of work detail.

After staying at POW camps in Landerneau, Morlaix, Rennes, and Tourlaville (Cherbourg) I was sent to the US and was at POW Camp Howze in Gainesville, near Dallas, TX until Feb 1946 when the POW’s were transferred to England, where I stayed at a POW Camp near Cockermouth in the Lake District until discharge to Germany in August of 1947.

I really don’t know if my notes are of any value or use to you. However, I had fun doing it.

Best wishes for now.
Wolfgang W.

Wolfgang Weber off duty in March 1944. (Private collection of Mr Weber)

Wolfgang Weber off duty in March 1944. (Private collection of Mr Weber)

We’ve added the interesting command complex at Rijksdorp, Wassenaar to the website.

This complex used by different German staffs throughout the war and later on, in the Cold War, it was reused by the Dutch air force. Also some small additions at Wassenaarse Slag like a Tobruk for tank turret. Wassenaar at Bunkersite.com.

118a hospital bunker at Rijksdorp. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

118a hospital bunker at Rijksdorp. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

We’ve been working on our new house style for quite a while. It’s a painstaking job but we’re getting there.

What has been updated in the past months? In the Altantikwall part all of Norway, Belgium, Channel Islands and France are now converted. The same goes for Other Locations except for Poland. With the conversion came lots of additions and new photos.

What to expect next? After Denmark, Holland and Poland all the locations are done. What’s left is the Panzeratlas which will receive a huge update with lots of corrections and new pictures. It will be more complete than it is now, and the best source on armoured material on the net.

For now some of our favorites: Île de Ré, V 143, Cable special, Todt, M 159 Arros, De Punt, Kristiansand, B-Werk, Wn Perleberg, Rocquaine Bay, 617 Torteval, Wissant, Barbara, U-Bootbunker St Nazaire, 40.6 cm SK C/34 and so on and so on!

667 Isnain, Pontrieux, Bretagne. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

667 Isnain, Pontrieux, Bretagne. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

Besides the tour guide and bunker per locations we have more information for you. Bunkeroptik is one of them.

Bunkeroptik is not an official term but it’s obvious, optics used in bunkers. The German fortress design included fortress weapons like the MG-34 on a special mount (Schartenlafette 34) in both armoured turrets and behind armoured plates, the fortress grenade launchers/howitzers like the M19 and leichte Turmhaubitze and the Czech 4.7cm Festungspak 36 (t). For all of these, and more, weapons and armour special optics were designed which could observe 360 degrees, round a corner or right at the target.

The navy and airforce used optics as well for their coastal and Flak batteries. Much more bigger ones than the army optics but just as interesting.

The “don’t try this at home” section is the repair shop where Lenco gives you information on how to fix your dirty Flakglass, with examples.

Take a look at Bunkeroptik.

Panzerbeobachtungswinkelfernrohr in a Sechsschartenturm, great words. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

Panzerbeobachtungswinkelfernrohr in a Sechsschartenturm, great words. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

There’s so much still to discover in Dieppe. The steep chalkstone coast and the concrete bunkers make some beautiful scenery.

We start at the inland Vaudricourt about 70 km east of Le Touquet at radar site “Skorpion” with a big L 479 night fighter control bunker and several radar emplacements. We go further south to Mers-les-Bains where the bunkers, just like everywhere along this coast, are dangerously close to the edge, some even overhanging. South of Dieppe is Le Pont Rouge, at a great spot with some rare bunker types. Back up north to Saint-Valéry-en-Caux and Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer overlooking the high cliffs.

Special 636 with armoured plate on the observation room at Mers-les-Bains. (Photo: Henk Adriaanse)

Special 636 with armoured plate on the observation room at Mers-les-Bains. (Photo: Henk Adriaanse)

Together with the new layout come new photos. This time from a trip made by Henk Adriaanse to the Dieppe area and some updates in the Bergen area from back in 2007.

Dieppe got the honor to be the first part which was updated to the new layout. Locations were extended and added. Janval is a highlight in my opinion. But Mont Robin stays the big eyecatcher of Dieppe. Have a look I would say!

The Bergen area in Norway has been updated with some new pictures from Osøyro.

Beautiful number plack which is characteristic for this area. (Photo: Henk Adriaanse)

Beautiful number plack which is characteristic for this area. (Photo: Henk Adriaanse)

 

In the past two months Lenco worked hard to put all pictures by Henk Adriaanse online. It’s a huge amount of bunkers which have been visited in a short time.

In the meantime we’ve been working on the new website. It will be coded up-to-date which will lead to the biggest win: getting rid of the frames. It will be easier for us to update the website, easier for you because you can directly link to certain pages and it will be accessible across all browsers. The main template has been built but it will take another couple of weeks to finish it and start adding photos.

For now take a look at www.bunkersite.com -> Updates for the big list on updates from the last two months including Gironde-Nord (La Coubre, Royan), La Rochelle (Île d’Oléron, Île de ré, and the festung La Rochelle), Nantes, Boulogne-sur-Mer, a very special Widerstandsnest at Goeree, Holland, and new pictures of the late war Pantherstellung in Holland.

Last but not least we’ve made a side trip to Oradour-sur-Glane, a village that was massacred by troops of the Waffen-SS ‘Das Reich’ division.

The garage of Mr Désourteaux, Oradour sur Glane. (Photo: Henk Adriaanse)

The garage of Mr Désourteaux, Oradour sur Glane. (Photo: Henk Adriaanse)

Added the village of Vregny in France. It is one of the villages which was incorporated into the Führerhauptquartier Wolfsschlucht 2. Lots of Tobruks, covered personnel bunkers and a huge bunker for the Reichsführer-SS.

Vregny

Updated STP XX II H in Stp Gr Voorne in Holland. Late in the war, a Wassermann radar was moved to this locations. Again lots of Tobruks, Vf, St bunkers and more.

Voorne

Großbunker Reichsführer-SS, Vregny, France. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)

Großbunker Reichsführer-SS, Vregny, France. (Photo: Arthur van Beveren)