Amfreville battery
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| Amfreville battery | |
|---|---|
La Batterie d'Azeville | |
| Part of Atlantic Wall | |
| Querqueville, Normandy, France | |
| Site information | |
| Code | Stützpunkt (Stp) 277 |
| Open to the public | No |
| Condition | Private ownership |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 49°39′50″N 1°42′28″W / 49.6638°N 1.7078°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1943 |
| Built by | Organisation Todt |
| In use | 1944 |
| Materials | Concrete and steel |
| Battles/wars | Invasion of Normandy |
| Garrison information | |
| Garrison | 260th Marine Artillery Battalion |
| Occupants | German |
Amfreville battery (also known as York battery) was a World War II German artillery battery constructed close to the French village of Querqueville, 5 km (3.1 mi) west of Cherbourg Naval Base, in northwestern France. It formed part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications and protected the western entrance to the port of Cherbourg. The battery engaged British and US ships towards the end of June 1944 before the battery fell to advancing US forces on 26 June 1944.
The battery had originally been a French artillery position dating from 1898 constructed to protect the port of Cherbourg. The French installed three canon de 164 mm Modèle 1893 artillery pieces in 1926. During the German advance into the Cotentin Peninsula on 18 June 1940 the French guns fired upon advancing German units in the Martinvast region. The guns were destroyed by the French before they could fall into German hands.
In 1943 the Germans used the site as part of their Atlantic Wall fortifications. Concrete casemates (based on the Regelbau M271 design) were constructed to house four First World War-era 17 cm SK L/40 guns which had a firing range of over 27 km (17 mi). A two-storey fire control tower was built to the rear of these bunkers. The battery was protected by a minefield, mortar pits and machine gun positions.
Garrison
The battery was manned by elements of the 260th German Artillery Battalion.