Thursday 31 March 2016

Occupation remnants in Waterworks Valley

(Updated with new photos)

A little parking spot near the bottom of Les Charrieres Nicolle. Up on the hillside over the stream is some German concrete...
.. a telephone network bunker (looking back to the road junction).
Another parking spot just a little way farther up the valley, and there's a footpath up some steps to the right...
.. head along at least 150m or so, and there's an obvious pit to take a look at (requires climbing). On closer inspection the hole here has a "wriggly tin" roof. Some kind of WWII shelter we presume.
Along a bit more, before a hollow tree trunk right by the path, another shelter just big enough to crawl into.
Lots of pits have been dug around here, probably more to find if I had the energy to climb around. And then here are two more shelters in one shot! Does anyone know what the Germans were up to in this area?

Aerial view of the area thanks to Bing. Could the question marked items in the fields above the valley be more remnants?




UPDATE 1
Great comment from Tim - thanks! :
 "There was an air force anti-aircraft heavy battery "4./GemFlakAbt 364" at Mont Gavey (see name of lane just to north) comprising 6 x 8.8 Flak 36/37 Guns in reinforced field positions (pits dug in the ground 3'-5' deep, with timber posts, wriggly tin and sandbags forming the 'walls'; the ground from the hole would have been piled around the outside of the hole to provide more cover) and 3 x 2cm Flak 38 (on your question marks?) and 1 x Würzburg Reise Radar. These personnel shelters would have provided simple refuge in case of nearby bombing or shelling, but wouldn't have survived a decent direct hit. Regards, Tim"

UPDATE 2
Another comment from 'AbductedByBrambles' tells us that there is concrete at the right question mark. Here are some excellent photos from him that I'm delighted to present:

It's not like any other German construction I've ever seen, but I can't come up with any other explanation for what it could be. The tracks and the embedded metal fixings each side on top - interesting?


From the other direction. There was nothing visible at the other question mark location.
A bonus shot from AbductedByBrambles showing a bunker on the south side half way along the part of Westmount Court closer to Overdale. There's another farther along but very overlooked by nearby properties so he didn't feel able to take a shot! The part of Westmount Court closer to the bay doesn't have anything obvious visible from the road. Many thanks for the photos! The more we can show the lesser known bunkers the better! Too much secrecy out there :)


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Saturday 12 March 2016

Resistance Nest Hohe 212

The remains of RN Hohe 212 (Height 212ft) can be found to the east of Rue des Teurs Champs overlooking the Royal Bay of Grouville (map). Very well concealed, I can imagine most islanders would be completely unaware of the bunkers here.

Not far from the road, on the north side of the hedge is an overgrown mortar pit, what concrete is still visible isn't too hard to spot.

At the end of the hedge heading towards the distant houses, a circular one, just an edge visible.

Find a way down into the lower field (south of the hedge) and chances are you've probably picked the route right next to this shelter...

.. plenty of room in there. If you're willing to get down and dirty on all fours, you could probably get in there if you have younger more supple joints than mine!

Right in the corner of the lower field, another shelter...

.. with something blocking the way.

And if you go down in the woods today, and head north from the last shelter, you may eventually stumble across yet another shelter (not far north from the hut visible in the smaller field above).

There may be more to discover, but this was enough to keep me happy, a load of concrete I'd never seen before. There's another Resistance Nest Hohe 190 (just 22ft lower in altitude), a field or two away, but that can wait for another day. Yes, it's private land of course, but stay off the crops and there's no harm done.

These two RN's and Battery Brauchitsch (not far away between Les Monts and Le Cotil Vautier) gave good defensive cover overlooking this part of the bay.