Discovering and visiting a WW2 bunker in Normandy, France.

[Bennettjh]

Not to thread jack, but here are some pictures of a bunker I visited a few years ago in Okinawa. This was one of the last bunkers to fall. Yep, there was some battle damage too.


The sign speaks for itself.



A wider view. The young man in the picture just happens to be standing and have his hands about where the Japanese soldier that pulled the pin on the grenade would have been. There were some other signs in the room that said that dozens of men died in that room before the American soldiers breached the entrances to the bunker.

The soldier must have been really desperate. Suicide by grenade is a rough way to go.

 

[Sylvain]

I can't believe you actually went in the vegetation-festooned entrance that led to the dark depths. Don't you know that's how all the horror movies start, with somebody poking around a deserted structure, opening a door they shouldn't have, going in a basement they shouldn't have, and discovering long-lost entrance to the Cthullu's lair, with attendant bloody results. You're lucky you're still in one piece.


But since you survived to post the pictures, thanks! They were interesting.

When I was stationed in Germany, right on the border between Germany and The Netherlands, there were lots of leftover pillboxes and dragons' teeth and such scattered around. Not as big as the ones Sylvain found on the Normandy coast, they were more personal sized. Farmers farmed around them. On base we had many wooded areas, and the joggers were told to stick to the marked paths, as the wooded areas had never been cleared of ordnance from WWII (!). There was a lot of fighting in that area just prior to and after the Battle of the Bulge (which was just to the south of us).

I've been thinking about those hooks in the wall; I suspect they may have been attachment points for folding bunks. I notice there are hooks in the ceiling at the right point to have suspended the other side of the bunks if you hung a chain or cable from them.

Also that tunnel: Since it doesn't head in the direction of the other bunkers and it is not tall enough to walk in, I am thinking it was an emergency exit. I have been in slightly more modern German-built bunkers in the basements of barracks and such, and they had similar small tunnels that zig-zagged and extended away form the main area, so that if the building on top collapsed and the main exits were blocked, you had another way out. It was extended enough so that the exit was outside the likely collapse zone, and you had to take hand tools with you (chisels, sledge, etc) because there was no door -- they sealed the end of the tunnel with a few inches of concrete (to prevent entry by enemies, blast, and gas), and you had to use the hand tools to chop your way out.

Thanks again for posting those pics.

To be honest I didn't think I would go that far into the vegetation.I was in my normal street clothes so I didn't want to go too deep into the vegeation.
When I found the entrance and saw that it was not sealed I HAD to go in.
And yes it's a bit scary, you have no idea what's on the ground as you walk in.Some rooms had dirt on the floor, some concrete, some a few inches of water.
I had to walk on one of the steel doors who was on the ground to cross the hallway.
It moved as I walked on it and made a loud scary sound.

I think you're right about the hooks, I thought it could also have been for bed.

For the tunnel Im still curious where it goes.It's probably not to link bunkers together as you stated since it's not large enough.

 

[Sylvain]

Shame that a historic place like this got "tagged" by the idiots with their paint cans.

That's not the worst I think.The worst are the ones who leave trash like broken beer bottles and stuff.Probably the same persons though IDK.

 

[Hkindiana]

Also, all of the old bunkers I've been in smell of ****

 

[Sylvain]

I think I found the floor plan layout of the bunker.

Not 100% sure yet but I think it's matching

 

[vitamink]

This was awesome thanks!

 

[Dead Duck]

Hooks on the walls maybe for ammo storage.

Here you go -
Bunks on the walls and chains hanging from the ceiling hooks to finish supporting them. They had to sleep somewhere.




Thank You Sylvain. Very Cool.

 

[Sylvain]

Here you go -
Bunks on the walls and chains hanging from the ceiling hooks to finish supporting them. They had to sleep somewhere.




Thank You Sylvain. Very Cool.

Nice.

Link to another thread where I visited another bunker if you guys want to see more pics:

https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...2-bunkers-fortifications-normandy-france.html

 

[Dirty Steve]

Thank you very much for posting those pictures. That is really incredible to see. The guts necessary to clear a bunker like that and defend a bunker like that makes a lump in my throat. I had relatives who were in the D-day invasion shooting both ways. Some on the beach, some who may have been in bunkers like that.

Dirty Steve

 

[Super Bee]

To repeat what others have said, thank you for posting these pictures they are fascinating.

 

[GunSlinger]

Absolutely incredible post Sylvain! Thanks for taking the time to share this with all of us!

 

[Sylvain]

Great thread Sylvain,

There has go to be an entrance to the other bunkers. They couldn't supply those bunkers with weapons & ammo with just the tunnels??? Hope that you find them..

I found the entrance to one of them.

 

[Sylvain]

I went back to one of the bunkers and managed to go around it to look for an entrance.

The bunker is partially burried and covered by some thick vegetation.This was the only visible part.

I started looking at the wall, moved some plants and finally found it ... it's a really small opening.
The ground around the bunker is now higher so it's about half the orginal opening for the door.

I clear the opening to get closer and have a better look.

 

[rob63]

Best thread ever!

 

[Sylvain]

This one is a R134 type, it's a small bunker used to store ammunition.Just two rooms with two steel doors.

Detail above the door:

 

[Sylvain]

First look through the small opening.Actually just taking a picture with the flash to see what's underneath.
I see some stairs and lots of broken glass everywhere.
Also maybe you cant tell from that picture but the first step is like 50 inches from ground level.

So I need to climb down, or jump, to get to the stairs.

I take a second picture (still only using the flash) to see what's at the bottom of the stairs ... even more borken glass.Better not miss the jump and fall down the stairs.

I finally decide to just slowly climbing down to avoid all that glass.

Here is the opening taken from the inside:

The original entrance was sealed with a brick wall and someone later created this small hole in it to get inside the bunker.

 

[Sylvain]

The rest of the brick wall at the top of the stairs, it's what I will have to climb to get out.

The corridor with a steel door visible.

 

[Sylvain]

Looks like something exploded at the bottom of the stairs.

Detail of the steel door.This one is made of two parts not like in the other bunker.

 

[Sylvain]

Looks like something explode in the first room.
All four walls are covered with impacts.

 

[1911ly]

Amazing. Thanks for going the extra mile and going back. the marls on the wall make you wonder what really happened! I hope you have had a tetanus shot!