Early 2006 the press in Holland mentioned a new found bunker site near Grandcamp-Maisy. The British amateur archaeologist Gary Sterne had located the site when he studied some old maps. After the war it was covered with soil and used as farm ground. A tunnel system was excavated and a underground hospital found. According to Stern, the complex should be opened to the public in April 2006. It was not to be.

The exact location was unclear. Visitors to this website asked me when and where it was to be found. In October, 2006 we traveled to Normandy to search for the site ourselves. At the infocenter near the harbour of Grandcamp the friendly man behind the desk showed us the way to the complex. We did find the location but it was no more than a field filled with weeds and gras. But a year later the complex was opened for the public.

The entrance of the harbour of Grandcamp-Maisy, Then and Now

At the roundabout on the west side of town, take the D 514 to Isigny-sur-Mer. After a few hundred meters, near the church, take the road straight ahead. A couple of hundred meters further on this road is the entrance, on the right, to a small road, Perruques, take this. On the left appears after a while the complex that is fenced of. You will see nothing of Wn 83, it is all below the surface of the topsoil.

The complex, Widerstandnest Wn 84 was, according to owner Stern, an important headquarters and was known as Maisy Batterie. It was a large complex which also had Wn 83 within the boundaries. In open emplacements stood six 15,5cm howitzers, a British 25pdr cannon, (war loot from Dunkirk) and two 50mm KwK cannons. For protection of the site, the complex had two Renault tank turrets on bunker Tobruks, machineguns and mortars. Around Maisy twelve 88mm Flak guns were placed to counter the Allied airforce. These guns were under the command of Colonel Kistowski. Before the Allies landed on June 6th, 1944, they tried to bomb the complex. But unfortunately most of the bombs were dropped on Grandcamp-Maisy and 10 citizens were killed. The complex itself was unharmed.

On June 9 the complex was attacked by the US 5th Rangers A, C and F Company. There was support from the 2nd Rangers with their heavy mortars and units from the 29th Infantry Division. After five hours the complex was in the hands of the American troops. The only damage was a small hospital which was completely destroyed. There is not much more damage to the complex, like the bunkers or the emplacements.

When you enter the complex you will not find the mentioned tunnels, but trenches instead. There are some short galleries leading into bunkers, but they can hardly being called ‘tunnels’. The bunkers, among them two H 622 personal bunkers, are in great condition. The H 622 for 20 men is a common bunker in the Atlantic Wall, some 1722 were built by the Germans. During our visit we had to look out for booby traps,… a lot of dogshit in the trenches.

One of the emplacements still has it’s original turntable for the 15,5cm howitzer. This gun has a range of around 10 to 15 km. The discoverer of the complex, Gary Stern, claims that these howitzers were the killer-guns for Omaha Beach. Omaha is within reach, just, but I have my doubts about this claim. Was it possible to place accurate fire on this beach? More logical to me is to point the guns towards Utah Beach. From Wn 84 you got a free view on the estuary of the Vire river and the southern part of Utah.

But, who am I to complain. There is another complex to visit in Normandy. Gary Stern, bless him, is till working to free more bunkers from the soil. Who knows what he may discover during the excavation. (So far, after these words were written, the remains of a German soldier have been found).

A few readers told me that there are some heavy German guns placed during 2008. On one of the plateaus a well preserved 15cm sFH18/M howitzer can be found. It is a later model with a muzzle break. Beside this gun are pieces of other guns to be found in this complex. Joost Klerks told me Gary Stern is planning a Ranger museum next to the complex to exhibit the found artifacts.

In June 2009 Nico Blockx mailed me that I was confusing Wn 83 with Wn 84 (this has been corrected). I found on a German staffmap that both Wn 83 and Wn 84 were in the same boundaries (it is shown below). If you have other information, please let me know.

A hundred yards further up the road, on the north side of it, is a complex that can be visited. It is on private property, please respect this. They are used by a local farmer to store some goods. This battery consists of three Type H 669 casemats that belonged to Wn 84, but not (yet) to the excavated complex of Gary Stern.

This is a coastal battery and therefore placed more inland. They had their guns pointed towards Utah Beach and the Vire river estuary. They have little damage, except for some holes on the inside,... from a heavy machine gun?

The small road Perruques, where you are now, becomes very bad, so head back to the D 514 and turn right. After two kilometers turn right again on the D 199a and head for Géfosse-Fontenay. At the church, go right and drive to the coast.

The 'Doppelschartenstand' of Wn 90 (looking west),
below; looking east

Wiederstandsnest Wn 90 had as most important casemat a so called 'Doppelschartenstand' for a 5cm KwK L/42. cannon. Distinctive about this kind of casemat is that it has two slits to fire from, it covered both sides of the beaches. The 5cm cannon could therefor rotate 360°. Next to this emplacement was an open emplacement for a 5cm anti-aircraftgun.

Wn 90 with in front the open emplacement for a 5cm AA gun

Wn 88

Head now back to Géfosse-Fontenay and go left on the D 199a. After a few hundred meters, go left, this road leads to Wn 88. Here are some bunkers hidden in the high grass of the dunes. But they are only of interest for the diehard bunker fan.

Forgotten concrete of Wn 88, a VF6a/b observation/directionfinderpost

Advanced Landing Ground
ALG A-3

Return to the D 199a once again and cross the D 514 over. After a few kilometers you'll see on the left, in the corner of the road a small monument. This is the spot where Advanced Landing Ground A-3 was situated. Soon after the landing at Normandy on June 6th, engineers of 816th Battalion AAF Engineers started to work on a temporary airfield. It was operational on June 18, 1944 and was known as ALG A-3 Cardonville. The runway had a length of 1500 meters and was constructed out of Square Mesh Track (SMT). More on the construction of ALG's and the used materials; 'click here'

The shield of 368th FG and the monument for ALG A-3

The runway was extended and ready for use again on July 24. The first planes arrived on June 18. These were Thunderbolts of the 368th Fighter Group, 395, 396 and 397 Fighter Squadron. Later the 370th FG also came to A-3 with 401, 402 en 485 FS.

A P-47 Thunderbolt takes to the sky from A-3

With the visit on Advanced Landing Ground A-3 everything is more or less covered around Grandcamp-Maisy. You may continue the tour and head for for La Cambe, the German cemetery and next to Utah Beach.

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The most impressive monument for the killed German soldiers is the war cemetery near the village La Cambe, some 5 kilometers south of Grandcamp-Maisy (23 kilometers from Bayeux on the N13, heading to Carentan). It was originally intended as a combined American and German cemetery. However, in 1947 the American soldiers were reburied at St-Laurent or were sent back to the USA. The following year the British and French war grave organisations collected and brought the German dead to La Cambe and the other five cemeteries. The Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge was established to look after the graves. The work was and is manly done by schoolchildren and students. The Allied could take an example of this. Young people are here confronted with the uselessness of war, a lesson to future generations.

(photo; Ton van Geldrop)

Spread over the terrain stands little groups of black stone crosses, to symbolise the 'comradeship in to death'. A total of 21.200 death Germans are buried here, out of which 296 in a mass grave (a hill at the center of the terrain). The hill can be climbed for a view over the cemetery. It is quite a contrast in comparison with the Allied war cemeteries. It is very sober and robust, and that gives the visitor a heaviness to the heart and he wishes: 'THIS NEVER AGAIN'.

Two German soldiers buried at La Cambe
(killed on June 6th, 1944)

OTHER GERMAN WAR CEMETERIES IN NORMANDY: