Azeville.
AOK 7, KVA J1, KV.Gr. Contentin Ost, KVU Gr. Marcouf, H.K.B. Azeville Stp. 133.
Driving towards the village of Azeville, you will see road signs leading you towards the battery.
The battery is located just outside the small village of Azeville and is spread over both sides of the road. When coming at the battery, now a days also a nice museum, you get an impressive first look over the site.
In one of the R650 gun casemates is the museum, shop and entrance to the museum and the special underground tunnel system.,It is made of new and also old concrete tunnels all the way trough. Following the tunnels and the shield with numbers and the audio handheld set with good explanations of the objects and the battery, you will cross the complete terrain with tunnels, hideouts and bunkers.
The battery was started in Feldmässiger Bau in 1941 and got in several steps, starting in 1942, the heavy current state with Ständiger Bau art.
The battery was equipped with 10,5cm K331(f) guns, put on a fixed pivot. For the necessary air defence they got Flak guns in 20 and 37mm. An extended tunnel system was for hand connecting several bunkers behind the main battery bunkers and it was crossing the road. In front of the first R650 lies a special R134 bunker as SK. Originally a 134 is an ammo bunker, but it was also used as a kitchen or first-aid post. This one is used as ammo, but also as an electric power station, a so called E-werk. The walls and sealing are also specially built in 2,80cm instead of 2,00cm.
The gun casemates have some special camouflage that had to give the impression that it were "just ordinary regular local houses"
In advance of the landing in June 1944, the battery was bombed and during the landing it got heavy shell fire from some battleships.,There are some major hits to see, placed by those battleships. Duelling with the battery of Marcouf they kept on shooting on the landing beaches, leading to heavy casualties. After 4 days the battery was captured and the fighting stoped here and also the shooting on the landing beaches.
Types:
4x 650 Casemate for medium pivoting guns (120º).
1x 134 SK Ammunition bunker I, with E-werk.
1x 621 Group bunker.
1x Flak 18 3.7cm emplacement.
1x Vf2a Group shelter.
2x Vf observation.
2x Vf ammunition bunker.
1x Tobruk58c.
1x Big tunnel system.
1x Wellblech, old tunnel entrance
1x Water well.
1x Fire pond.
1x Casino remains.
