Marmalade
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Joined: 28 Apr 2009
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 Posted: 13:17 - 30 Aug 2014  Post subject: ww2 gun emplacements Boulogne |
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On the way back from the south of france yesterday, i stopped by Boulogne. On the top of the cliff to the north east of the town are the remains of German ww2 gun emplacements.
I had a head torch with me and went for a nosy, A few pics below. The rest can be found here - Clicky
Google maps link
Quote below from https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ww2peopleswar/stories/97/a4117097.shtml
| Quote: | After taking part in the D Day Landing at Arromanches in Normandy, progress was halted about 20 miles inland by the stubborn resistance of the Germans. It was a further 2 weeks or so before the towns of Bayeux and Caen were secured. Only then was it possible to move into France and along the coast. On the cliffs overlooking the town of Boulogne a battery of German naval guns had made life unpleasant for the townsfolk of Dover and Folkestone, by cross channel bombardment. Attempts to put a stop to this by the RAF had come to nought, as the bombs and shells just skidded off the surface of the concrete dome shaped housing, which protected the guns. If the guns could not be silenced from the sea or air then an assault from the land would have to be tried. This task was assigned to the 200 Canadian infantry soldiers, to whom at that time I was attached. For lightly armed foot soldiers without benefit of artillery or armoured support the task ahead appeared nigh on impossible. The Major in command of the Canadians was undeterred however. He advanced to within hailing distance of the enemy and called on them to surrender or face the consequences. He stated that he could call upon the most enormous firepower, which would reduce the concrete bunkers to rubble in no time. This was of course sheer bluff, as no such weaponry was available within miles if at all. However the bluff seemed to work, as within a short while a German officer holding a white flag came forth to surrender and state terms.
We were informed that the senior officer commanding the guns, together with his second in seniority, had elected to stay behind after the garrison had given themselves up as POWs. It was the intention of the C.O. to set a charge off in the breech of the main gun which would blow that gun to bits and also the tons of ammunition stacked inside the dome. Provision had been devised for the explosion in the main gun to spread to the rest of the guns and ammunition, which made up the battery. The spokesman for the POWs strongly advised a complete withdrawal of all personnel to a distance of at least a mile, due to the danger presented by the magnitude of the expected explosion. The Major would hear of no such thing. He made the German POWs lie down in front of us where we awaited the “Big Bang” with our hands over our ears and our hearts in our mouths.
When the big bang did erupt it was certainly a whopper. However the explosion was confined to the number 1 gun and did not, as expected, spread to other emplacements. Just as well for us as we could have been too close for comfort, to say the least.
After the Canadians and their German prisoners had departed it was decide to explore the inside of the blown up main gun emplacement. Within it was very dark. The air was thick with smoke and the acrid smell of cordite. Advancing to the gun platform, it was clear to see that it was kaput and no longer a threat to the people of Dover and Folkestone. There was no sign of the two gallant men who had chosen death rather than surrender. The floor around the gun platform was thickly covered with debris and inadvertently my foot came in contact with something, which to my horror was a human head. Hampered by the darkness and the rubble we managed to find and assemble the scattered remains of the two naval officers. These were placed on makeshift stretchers with two of our men acting as bearers. The atmosphere was grim and pretty spooky. As we made our way towards the exit I was directly behind Bert who was the bloke supporting the rear end of the stretcher: Uttering a blood curdling ghostly cry I placed my cold fingers across the back of Bert’s neck. To say it gave him a fright was putting it mildly; his reaction caused the rest of us to laugh at what seemed at the time a great joke. Not so funny now, but then a good laugh helped to relieve the tension we were all feeling. |
After exploring the first building and climbing over the top and past the second one, it seems they have preserved the third and are charging for visits.
There was nobody around, seems i'd effectively jumped the fence (it was actually just a little wooden farm gate)
https://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac17/Marmalade43/boulogne%20guns/20140829_181844_zps3zbvqalv.jpg
https://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac17/Marmalade43/boulogne%20guns/20140829_182546_zps5wzyunrj.jpg
The blown up emplacement mentioned in the above text.
https://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac17/Marmalade43/boulogne%20guns/20140829_185855_zpsxhux53vw.jpg
https://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac17/Marmalade43/boulogne%20guns/20140829_184428_zpsfbkikfpq.jpg
https://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac17/Marmalade43/boulogne%20guns/20140829_184305_zpsnvqbfgmp.jpg
https://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac17/Marmalade43/boulogne%20guns/20140829_184502_zps3io2oycn.jpg
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Diggs
World Chat Champion
Joined: 03 Apr 2007
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Posted: 16:51 - 12 Sep 2014  Post subject: |
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I remember similar ones in Suffolk when I was a kid. Always had a porn mag in them and smelled of wee....
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Wobbling Dog
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