Idea #315 – Visiting the gunbattery of the Roule in Cherbourg
The German Cherbourg’s fortifications count a site exceptional, made of 750 meters of underground galleries, giving access to 4 batteries and an observation post, dug in the rock under the fort of the same name. If galleries with ammunitions already existed from 1920, the Germans gave them another dimension by making dig in the dynamite, by Russian and Ukrainian prisoners, a formidable defensive group which dominates the natural harbour in 86 meters in height. The Germans installed along the cliff four bunkers of type Regelbau 671 which sheltered each a 105 mm standard gun and which were connected between them by tunnels.
Confirming the proverb of Louis XIV which said ” which holds the Roule, holds Cherbourg “, batteries are neutralized by the Americans on July 25th, 1944 after violent fights, they obtained the surrender of the German garnison and its 39 000 men. In the years which follow, the site is left open, neglected, and regularly plundered. In 1995, galleries are classified as “Historic Monument”.
Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Cherbourg, Manche, France