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Map
number |
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Location |
The best way to reach this strongpoint is to leave the A16
motorway at Saint-Inglevert. At the town's main crossroads take the Rue
de Hauteville going south. Drive through Hauteville. When the road bends
right and then left again, park your car (where the road bends left
again). On your right (at the highest point) you will see a path leading
westwards. First, you will come past the large headquartersbunker/air
control tower of Stp 140a
Godesberg. After the path takes a sharp turn right and then left
again, you will arrive at where
Wn 530 Schneeberg once was. If you see an open
flak emplacement on your left, you have
Wn 141 Magdeburg. The remains
are located around the T-junction. Proceed towards the next crossroads.
You have now reached the location where the strongpoint was once
located. If you turn left and go down the hill, you will see the bunkers
of the southern part. Proceeding along the main track, you will find the
bunkers of the northern part, initially on your left but later (when you
see the antenna) on both sides. |
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Tactical function |
The strongpoint was managed by the Luftwaffe and
offered radio guidance to the German bombers attacking Britain, as well
as enemy radar jamming. In addition, the strongpoint was also able to
monitor and jam enemy communications. |
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Unit(s) |
1940:
Luftnachrichtenregiment 3
25.03.1943: At this this time the strongpoint was coded Stp
148 Osnabruck
6 Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West
1
Zug/3Batterie/Flakabteilung 765
Zug/Landesschützenbataillon 214/XI
Beobachtungsstelle B/Artillerieregiment 107/106 Infanteriedivision
4
Kompanie/Reserveregiment 26/156 Reservedivision
1944:
6 Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West
3
Kompanie/Grenadierregiment 558/331 Infanteriedivision? |
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Troops |
25.03.1943: At this time the
strongpoint commander was Leutnant Heiks
1/13/64= 78 Mann
6 Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West: 0/4/11
1
Zug/3Batterie/Flakabteilung 765: 1/3/11
Zug/Landesschützenbataillon
214/XI: 0/4/33
Beobachtungsstelle B/Artillerieregiment 107/106
Infanteriedivision: 0/1/3
4 Kompanie/Reserveregiment 26/156
Reservedivision: 0/1/6
1944:
6
Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West: 0/4/11
3
Kompanie/Grenadierregiment 558/331 Infanteriedivision: ? |
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Weapons
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25.03.1943:
6 Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West: sGrW (f), 2x lGrW 36,
4x lMG (t), MP 40, 3x Pistole 7.65mm, 2x Pistole 08, 14x Gewehre
1
Zug/3 Batterie/Flakabteilung 765: 3x 2cm Flak, 2x lMG (t), 2x MP 40;
Pistole 08, Pistole 7.65mm, 13 Gewehre
Zug/Landesschützenbataillon 214/XI: 2x lMG (t), 4x MP 40, 3x Pistole 08,
35x Gewehre
Beobachtungsstelle
B/Artillerieregiment 107/106 Infanteriedivision: 1 Pistole 08, 2x
Gewehre
4
Kompanie/Reserveregiment 26/156 Reservedivision: 2x Pistole 08, 5x
Gewehre
1944:
6
Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West: sGrW (f), 2x lGrW 36, 4x
lMG (t), MP 40, 3x Pistole 7.65mm, 2x Pistole 08, 14x Gewehre
3
Kompanie/Grenadierregiment 558/331 Infanteriedivision: ? |
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Bunkers |
Barracks (5x), bunker for generators (2x), light bunker (3x),
ruins, 2x tunnel, 2x water reservoir |
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Remaining bunkers |
Barracks (5x), bunker for generators (2x), light bunker (3x),
ruins, 2x tunnel, 2x water reservoir |
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Radar |
X-Gerät Vielstrahlbake,
Nachtfalter |
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Comments |
The history of this strongpoint is very rich. Already in 1940
the Luftwaffe selected the strongpoint for installing its
X-Gerät Vielstrahlbake offering radio guidance for German night
bombers. Developed as a successor of the short-range Knickebein
system. The X-Gerät used a series of beams to locate the
target, each named after a river. The main beam Weser was
located just to the West of Cherbourg. When the aircraft was riding the
beam, it would encounter the cross signal. The latter consisted of three
separate beams, called Rhein, Oder and Elbe.
These were operated from the strongpoint. About 30 km from the target,
the radio operator on board the aircraft would get a signal from
Rhein and set up his equipment. This consisted of a special
stopclock with two hands. When the Oder signal was received the clock
automatically started and the two hands started to sweep up from zero.
When the signal from Elbe was received the clock reversed, at which
point one hand would stop and the other would start moving back towards
zero. Oder and Elbe were aimed to be roughly 5 to 10 kilometres (3.1 to
6.2 mi) from the bomb release point along the line of Weser (the
exact distance depending on the distance from the transmitter), meaning
that the clock accurately measured the time to travel between the first
two beams along the flight path. Since the time taken to travel that
distance should be the same as the time needed to travel the last 5
kilometres (3.1 mi) from Elbe to the target, when the moving hand
reached zero the bombs were automatically released. To be exact, the
Elbe signal was adjusted to correct for the distance the bombs would
travel between release and impact. X-Gerät was used to great
effect in a series of raids known to the Germans as Moonlight Sonata,
against Coventry, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. In the raid on
Birmingham British post-raid analysis showed that the vast majority of
the bombs dropped were placed within 100 yards (91 m) of the midline of
the Weser beam, spread along it a few hundred yards. This was
the sort of accuracy that even daytime bombing could rarely achieve. A
similar raid on Coventry with full support from other units dropping on
their flares nearly destroyed the city centre. X-Gerät was
eventually defeated by way of a "false Elbe" which was set up to cross
the Weser guide beam at a mere 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) after the
preceding Oder beam — much earlier than the expected 5
kilometres (3.1 mi). Since the final stages of the release were
automatic, the clock would reverse prematurely and drop the bombs
kilometres short of the target. Setting up this false beam proved very
problematic as the Germans, learning from their mistakes with
Knickebein, didn't switch the X-Gerät beams on until as
late as possible, making it much more difficult to arrange the "false
Elbe" in time. Consequently, in early 1941 the system was gradually
given up and eventually dismantled.
However, from September 1940
another system was introduced on the Mont de Couple. This was the
Nachtfalter system designed to jam English radars. The system was
operated by a special group of the 3 Luftnachrichtenregiment.
The emitter station was connected with a Beobachtungszentrale
near Calais, which collected and processed all information received. The
system was successfully deployed in operation Donnerkeil, the
escape of the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau, and Prinz Eugen
through the Channel.
In 1943 the strongpoint was occupied by the
6 Kompanie/Luftnachrichtenfunkhorchregiment West. The companies of
this unit were located along the entire Atlantikwall, while the
regimental headquarters were located in Paris. The regiment's main
function was to listen in on enemy communications and possibly also jam
them, since one source refers to its function as Funkstör.
In 1944 important changes affected the strongpoint. Firstly, the coding
was changed from 148 to 140. Secondly, installations to the east of the
strongpoint became independent strongpoints (Wn 141 Magdeburg, Wn
530 Schneeberg, Stp 140a Godesberg). Also, a German map of 20 May
1944 reveals the strongpoint to be a Heer strongpoint and not
Luftwaffe. However, Luftwaffe units were still
present.
The allies were well aware of the importance of the
installations and bombed them on 20 May 1944, and again on 31 May 1944,
destroying the antennae. Of the bunkers, only the generator bunkers were
destroyed (see below), depriving the installation of electricity. |
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