The German battery at Azeville was built in 1941. Its installation marked the beginning of the German presence on the Manche coast. It was built very close to the village of Azeville, using a camouflage of painted stone to blend in with the village houses. It comprised 4 casemates of the R650 type, each housing a French Schneider 105 mm gun dating from the First World War. These guns were powerful and of lesser range than the neighboring Crisbecq battery. Over 300 meters of gallery, half of it underground, linked the casemates to various shelters, bunkers, battery defense post and power generation block. Located fairly inland and with no direct view of the sea, the bunkerof fire direction was at Crisbecq. A garrison of 170 men served and defended this battery commanded by commandant Treiber and captain Kattnig. The majority of the men bivouacked near the battery, while the officers were housed in the village.
On the night of June 5-6, 1944, the Azeville battery was attacked by a group of Allied paratroopers who had fallen there by mistake. Then, very early in the morning, it went into action against the American landings on Utah Beach. It considerably delayed the Allied forces, who eventually bypassed it.
Finally, the position fell on June 9 1944 after intense fighting and many twists and turns: firing on the nearby Crisbecq battery to clear it of American soldiers ready to take control, three assaults and numerous skirmishes, bombardment by the battleship USS Nevada, one of whose 356 mm shells passed right through a casemate without exploding; killing some fifteen German soldiers and leaving the imprints of its trajectory forever.
The German battery at Azeville was built in 1941. Its installation marked the beginning of the German presence on the Manche coast. It was built very close to the village of Azeville, using a camouflage of painted stone to blend in with the village houses. It comprised 4 casemates of the R650 type, each housing a French Schneider 105 mm gun dating from the First World War. These guns were powerful and of lesser range than the neighboring Crisbecq battery. Over 300 meters of gallery, half of it underground, linked the casemates to various shelters, bunkers, battery defense post and power generation block. Located fairly inland and with no direct view of the sea, the bunkerof fire direction was at Crisbecq. A garrison of 170 men served and defended this battery commanded by commandant Treiber and captain Kattnig. The majority of the men bivouacked near the battery, while the officers were housed in the village.On the night of June 5-6, 1944, the Azeville battery was attacked by a group of Allied paratroopers who had fallen there by mistake. Then, very early in the morning, it went into action against the American landings on Utah Beach. It considerably delayed the Allied forces, who eventually bypassed it.Finally, the position fell on June 9 1944 after intense fighting and many twists and turns: firing on the nearby Crisbecq battery to clear it of American soldiers ready to take control, three assaults and numerous skirmishes, bombardment by the battleship USS Nevada, one of whose 356 mm shells passed right through a casemate without exploding; killing some fifteen German soldiers and leaving the imprints of its trajectory forever.
