Houlgate battery
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| Houlgate battery | |
|---|---|
| Part of Atlantic Wall | |
| Normandy, France | |
| Location | |
 | |
| Coordinates | 49°18′17″N 0°04′04″W / 49.30472°N 0.06778°W |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1941 |
| Built by | Organisation Todt |
| In use | 1944 |
| Materials | Concrete and steel |
| Battles/wars | Invasion of Normandy |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders | Major Fritz Günther |
| Garrison | 1255 Heeres-Küsten-Artillerie-Abteilung (HKAA) |
The Houlgate battery (also called the Battery de Tournebride) was a World War II German artillery battery constructed close to the French village of Houlgate in the Calvados department in the Lower Normandy region. Built into the top of a 300 ft (91 m) cliff, the bunker complex was created to protect the western bank of the mouth of the River Seine and was 10 mi (16 km) east of the Normandy landing beach Sword which it shelled. The former fire control post has been turned into an orientation table. The battery is 8 km west of the Mont Canisy battery.
The Organisation Todt constructed concrete pits to protect six 155 mm K420 cannons in 1941. Each pit was linked via tunnels to ammunition stores and by telephone to a range-finding post. The Germans aimed to place all the First World War vintage French guns inside H679 casements but by the time of the Normandy landings only two had been completed.
Garrison
The Houlgate battery was garrisoned by the 3 Company of the 1255 Heeres-Küsten-Artillerie-Abteilung (HKAA) and commanded by Major Fritz Günther.
Operation Sunstar
The battery was the target of a raid by British commandos of No. 9 Commando in late November 1941. Their attempt to destroy the battery failed.