THE GRAND BUNKER AT OUISTREHAM A FANTASTIC SITE

Located at a stones throw from the beach and the Ferry terminal, the Atlantic Wall Museum is inside the old German headquarter which was in charge of the batteries covering the entrance of the river Orne and the canal. The 52ft high concrete tower has been fully restaured to make it look how it was on the 6th of june 1944.

A POCKET OF GERMAN RESISTANCE

On six june, intrigued by this unforeseen obstacle, the Franco British Commandos attemped to approach the tower, but were repulsed by machine-gun fire and stick- grenades being thrown from the top. They were content to skirt the bunker, which remained a permanent threat during the following days.

THE CAPTURE OF THE GRAND BUNKER

On 9 june, lieutenant Bob Orrell of Royal Engineers, 91Field Company R.E., 3rd Beach Group, 3rd Canadien Div., 2nd British Army, was given orders to invest the large Bunker. Accompagnied by three men, he placed two explosive charges one after the other to blow up armour-placed door. Altoghether it took them four hours to break it open! The garnison of two officers and fifty men then surrenderedand the liberation of Ouistreham was complete. The set of defensive works at Ouistreham shows the scate of construction work involved in the building of the Atlantic Wall.