Longues-sur-Mer battery

The Longues-sur-Mer battery was a World War II artillery battery constructed by the Wehrmacht near the French village of Longues-sur-Mer in Normandy. It formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications.

The battery was completed by April 1944. [cite web
url=http://www.atlanticwall.polimi.it/museum/bunker/bunker_france.php?inventory_ID=95
title=Wiederstandnest n° 48
work=The Atlantic Wall Linear Museum] . Although constructed and manned initially by the Kriegsmarine, the battery was later transferred to the German army. [cite book
title=D-Day Fortifications in Normandy
isbn=1841768766
pages=p. 28] The site consisted of four 150-mm navy guns, each protected by a large concrete casemate, a command post, shelters for personnel and ammunition, and several defensive machine-gun emplacements.

Normany landings

The battery at Longues was situated between the landing beaches Omaha and Gold. On the night before the D-Day landings of June 6, 1944, the battery was subject to heavy bombing from allied air forces. The bombing was followed from 0537hrs on the morning of the landings by bombardment from the French cruiser "Georges Leygues" as well as the U.S. battleship "Arkansas". The battery itself opened fire at 0605hrs, forcing the headquarters ship HMS "Bulolo" to retreat to safer water. Three of the four guns were eventually disabled by British cruisers "Ajax" and "Argonaut", though a single gun continued to operate intermittently until 1900hrs that evening. The site was captured by the 231st Infantry Brigade the following day. [cite book
title=D-Day 1944
isbn=1841763683
date=2002
pages=p. 50]

External links

* [http://web.ukonline.co.uk/gaz/longues.html The Batterie at Longues sur Mer] at Kremm's world military interest website
* [http://www.war44.com/forum/longues-sur-mer-battery/ Longues sur Mer Story]

References