Battlefield Sites     Merville Battery

The following pictures were taken in Spring 2002 at the WWII Normandy battlefield sites of the 6th Airborne Division. The photos were made possible by using the excellent, highly accurate and indispensable reference book, Pegasus Bridge, Merville Battery, by Carl Shilleto. This page covers the site of Merville Battery, a German position that overlooked the Normandy Landing beaches (click on the previous link to read a detailed explanation of the action). The 9th Parachute Battalion led by Lt.-Col. Otway was given the capture of the battery as their primary objective on the night of June 5th/6th, 1944, as part of the Normandy Invasion. Although after landing their numbers were only a fraction of full strength the battalion attacked and destroyed the battery, silencing the guns and keeping them from firing on the beaches that morning. Click on any image to view a full-size version of the photograph. The Merville Battery The 6th Airborne Division was assigned a number of vital tasks on the night of June 5th/6th, 1944. For the 9th Parachute Battalion the objective was the destruction of the Merville Battery, a fortified concrete artillery position that could fire on the Normandy landing beaches. The site was composed of four concrete gun pits with steel doors, several ammunition bunkers, anti-aircraft gun platforms, machine-gun pits, barbed-wire and mine fields. The location of the Merville Battery, in the low farmlands near the coast of the Channel, has been maintained as a memorial site. The battery location is several miles northeast of Pegasus Bridge. The gun pit closest to the entrace has been restored and made into a museum, and there is also a gift shop on site. At the entrace is a memorial to the 9th Parachute Battalion, shown in the picture at top. The inscription on the plaque is shown above. At the entrance to the site is a bronze bust of Lt.-Col. Otway, the commander of the 9th Parachute Battalion. Shown here is the memorial to Otway, who survived the action, but was wounded several weeks later and evacuated to England. Below is a close-up of the text on the plaque. Shown here is the gun pit closest to the entrace, which contains the museum. Each of the four bunkers contained a 105mm howitzer, which although smaller than what the parachutists expected to find were nevertheless capable of firing on the landing beaches. The two photographs here show the first gun pit with the museum. The picture at the top shows the museum entrance, the picture at the bottom is taken from on top of the second gun pit looking back southeast to the first gun pit. Below are two more pictures of the type of gun casements making up the Merville Battery. To the left is the third gun pit showing the entrance door facing south, the direction from which the 9 Para assault came. To the right is the interior of the gun pit looking out the aperture to the north and the Channel.       The parachute drops in the early morning hours of June 6th had scattered the parachutists of the 9th Battalion, and when they gathered at the designated rendezvous in the small village of Gonneville-en-Auge only 150 men could be found. The area was very chaotic, with parachutists of many different units trying to sort themselves out, aircraft flying overhead, German anti-aircraft fire and shellfire lighting the night sky, and fires burning in the fields and villages. With time pressing Otway made the decision to attack with the small force that could be found, now practically outnumbered by a fortified and alerted foe. The location of the rendez-vous has now been renamed '9th Battalion Crossroads', and is marked by a small plaque as shown in the top photograph. Also at the site is a larger memorial to the 9th Battalion and the supporting forces who took part in the assault on the battery. When looking at this memorial turn around 180 degrees and you will see a narrow lane with deep ditches. According to a local resident who witnessed the scene this is where the parachutists gathered before attacking. The picture to the right shows is taken from the top of the second gun pit looking south and slightly west towards the parachutists rendezvous in Gonneville-en-Auge. Otway led his men up the tree-bordered lane leading past the artillery piece now on display. Advance parties began silently clearing mines in the fields at the right of the photograph. They then attacked across the fields, blowing holes in the barbed-wire and using a single Vickers machine-gun to suppress enemy fire. As one can see, the area is quite flat and exposed, and when covered with mines and machine-guns would seem to be an impossible task. The two photographs below are taken looking north and show the approach up the lane the parachutists would have made towards the battery. The lefthand photograph shows the lane as one approaches the battery. The righthand photograph shows the lane with the battery positions visible, the avenue of attack was just to the left in this picture.       After taking the battery the parachutists destroyed the German artillery using gammon bombs. The casualties had been heavy, and only 80 of the 150 men were still fit for further action. The survivors withdrew from the detroyed battery and regrouped nearby at a calvary cross to the south, show here in this photograph. The 9th Battalion went on to fight in the Normandy area until the September breakout. Lt.-Col. Otway was wounded and evacuated less than a week later. Touring the battlefield sites gives the student of history a much richer understanding of the events of the past. Walking through the locations where history happened is both a rewarding and moving experience. Be sure to bring a tour guide, maps, and histories of the actions as reference. Give yourself plenty of time to stop and read about the sites you are visiting.