STRONGPOINT CORBIERE 10.5cm COASTAL DEFENCE GUN CASEMATE “KANONE 2”
CIOS BUNKERS OPEN THIS WEEKEND!
STRONGPOINT CORBIERE – La Corbiere headland, St. Brelade.
Sunday 29th December 1-4pm
Admission £10- CIOS members and under 16s free.
Just turn up!
BONUS!
****Sample chicory coffee, Panzerplatten (armour plate!) crackers and Scho-Ka-Kola chocolate which formed a key part of German iron rations plus weapons, equipment and a military vehicle along with Force 135 Living History Group!!!****
Come and see some of the best preserved German fortifications in Europe!
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 four bunkers within the Strongpoint which are 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 site 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.
GROUP PERSONNEL SHELTER
A bunker that sat outside of the actual Strongpoint and was only manned at times of high alert by a squad of twelve men, the personnel shelter is supplied with provisions for 7 days along with various light infantry and anti-tank weapons for the 12 men who would ‘sit out’ an initial bombardment and attack ready to be called out to deal with an enemy who was moving inland. The bunker would also serve as the Strongpoint’s combat dressing station if fighting had broken out.
Admission £10 under 16s and CIOS members free. Just turn up!
