STRONGPOINT CORBIERE 10.5cm COASTAL DEFENCE GUN CASEMATE “KANONE 2”
CIOS BUNKERS OPEN THIS WEEKEND!
STRONGPOINT CORBIERE – La Corbiere headland, St. Brelade.
Sunday 9th July 2-5pm
Admission £5 – CIOS members and under 16s free.
Bonus!
Sample acorn coffee, Panzerplatten (armour plate!) crackers and Scho-Ka-Kola chocolate which formed a key part of German rations!
With construction staring in late 1942, Strongpoint Corbiere formed a key part of the defences of St. Ouen’s Bay and also boasted several bunker designs unique to Jersey. The CIOS have currently restored three bunkers within the Strongpoint which a authentically restored to their original wartime condition and displays are based around information given by the soldiers who actually served there! There is also information on the forced labourers who constructed the site and interactions between the soldiers with nearby civilians as well as an escape attempt which ended in failure on the causeway to the lighthouse in September 1944. The sites gives a ‘working atmosphere’ feel to the visitor and you are allowed to touch and interact with some of the exhibits.
Knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand to guide you and give details of the fortifications and the actual soldiers who manned the complex and what they got up to along with an audio commentary explaining the original crew.
5cm M19 AUTOMATIC FORTRESS MORTAR BUNKER AND INTERCONNECTED 6-LOOPHOLED HEAVY MACHINE GUN TURRET BUNKER
The M19 mortar bunker has been restored to a high standard, and thanks to the post war return of its wartime commander, Engelbert Hoppe, tells the story of the crew who actually manned the bunker and what they got up to during the last year of the Occupation. The bunker is uniquely connected to a neighbouring 6-loopholed heavy machine gun turret bunker by an impressive underground corridor. This bunker also served as the Strongpoint’s Command bunker as well as the main hub for both telephone and radio communications.
10.5cm COASTAL DEFENCE GUN CASEMATE “KANONE 2”
Strongpoint Corbiere was unusual for have two ex-French 10.5cm K 331 (f) coastal defence gun casemates, one facing south (designated “Kanone 1” = Cannon 1) which was decimated in the post war scrap drives and the north-facing “Kanone 2”. This bunker, which is hard to access, escaped the post war scrap metal drives and not only retains the original gun but also a wealth of other rare armoured parts. Restored to near operation condition it also tells the story of former crew member Horst Herrmann who manned this casemate from late 1943 and was involved in several live firing exercises of the gun.
