Cherbourg 1944 by Steven J. Zaloga

Author:Steven J. Zaloga
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Cherbourg 1944: The first Allied victory in Normandy
ISBN: 9781472802736
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

The artillery duels between US and German forces around Montebourg forced many civilians to flee their homes. This scene took place on the road between Montebourg and Le Rôti on June 21, 1944. The wrecked 75mm Marder I belonged to Leutnant Max Ogroske’s 1. Kompanie/Panzerjäger-Abt. 709, which took heavy losses in the fighting from Ste Mère-Église to Montebourg. Ogroske was killed on June 12. (NARA)

CHERBOURG LANDFRONT

Cherbourg is located in a shallow bowl surrounded by hills on all sides, making it very difficult to defend close to the port itself. As a result, as part of the Atlantikwall fortification program, a separate Cherbourg Landfront, known officially as KVU Cherbourg-Land, was built in 1943–44. This defensive line consisted of about 85 defense nests (Widerstandsnesten) in a hemispherical shape about 25km wide, 10km deep, and about 45km long (15 x 6 x 28 miles). These defense nests were built in a similar fashion to those on the coast and typically contained a gun casemate with an anti-tank gun or field gun, supported by Tobruks or other small defense positions with mortars and machine guns and extensive trenches. Besides the defense nests on the periphery, the interior zone had a significant number of Flak positions for city defense. The Cotentin Peninsula had also been selected as the site for V-1 cruise missile launch sites, and although most of these sites were not yet functional, they often had an assortment of concrete shelters and defenses that could form improvised defense works. On D-Day, the Landfront was manned at minimal levels by four battalions, two from the 243. Infanterie-Division, one from the 709. Infanterie-Division, and the fourth, a Georgian battalion.

The 79th Division history describes a typical Landfront defense nest:

So-called pillboxes in the first line of German defenses which the 79th Division assaulted in the attack on Cherbourg were actually inland forts with steel and reinforced concrete walls 4 or 5ft thick. Built into the hills of Normandy so their parapets were level with surrounding ground, the forts were heavily armed with mortars, machine guns and 88mm rifles. Around the forts lay a pattern of smaller defenses, pillboxes, redoubts, rifle pits, sunken well-like mortar emplacements permitting 360 degree traverse, observation posts and other works to enable the defenders to deliver deadly cross-fire from all directions. Approaches were further protected by mine fields, barbed wire and anti-tank ditches at least 20ft wide at top and 20ft deep. Each strongpoint was connected to the other and all were linked to the mother fort by a system of deep, camouflaged trenches and underground tunnels. The forts and pillboxes were fitted with periscopes. Telephones tied in all the defenses. Entrance to these forts was from the rear, below ground level, through double doors of steel armor plate which defending garrisons clamped shut behind them. The forts were electrically lighted and automatically ventilated.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.