 The beautifully preserved Merville batterie and museum, Normandy. |
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14810 Merville-Franceville-Plage Normandy, France Coordinates: 49.270172 -0.196074 Whether you are arriving or leaving Normandy this batterie and museum is very easy to find. If you are coming from the west and are leaving then you will take the D514 motorway (highway). If you are coming from the east you will take the D27 to the D513 to the D95A which leads into the D223. The town of Merville is rather small and when driving through from any direction it will head towards the street called Avenue de la Batterie de Merville which takes you straight to the site. If you are coming directly from the west then the street intersects before hand and that street name is Rue Colonel Otway. If you are coming into Normandy from the north easterly direction you will be taking the D514 to the D223 and you will eventually pass through the small town of Descanneville. After going through the town you will take a right on the Avenue Alexandre de Lavergne, drive a short distance and take a left on the Avenue de la Batterie Merville, the batterie and parking is straight ahead. The parking is limited so get there early if you can. There is a nice gift shop on the premises and the entry fee is minimal. |  Click to enlarge map  The Dakota C-47 on display at the museum.  Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway who commanded the British Parachute Regiment, 9th Battalion and whom was responsible for taking the batterie on D-Day. |
Another German batterie that saw fierce fighting on D-Day. The Merville batterie was attacked the night before the landings or the early hours of by the British Parachute regiment, 9th battalion and was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Terence Otway. The attacking forces suffered heavy casualties but the batterie was eventually taken. This museum features a really interesting visual and audio display in a type theater mode inside one of the bunkers. I was able to video tape it on my GoPro camera and will upload it here as soon as I have the time. |
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I used two different cameras on the 2016 visit. The Nikon Coolpix 35mm and the Apple iPhone Six Plus. |
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 A 611 type bunker at the Merville batterie. |  A side view glance of the 611 type bunker, a nice flower bed as well. |  A really nice camouflage pattern on the concrete corner section that leads to the tobruk on the 611. |
 Another nice angle of the 611. |  One of two 612 type bunkers on this site, |  The business end of the 612 type bunker. |
 Another angle of the 612 bunker type, that grass is well manicured! |  The bunkers were connected by a series of open trenches. |  A nice close-up shot of the 612 and it's concrete camouflaged pattern. |
 A sideways glance at this beautiful piece of architecture. |  The second 612 bunker type at the Merville batterie. |  The second 612 bunker and a 669 bunker type as seen on the left. |
 The twins, the two 612 bunker types at the Merville batterie. |  The 669 bunker type at the Merville batterie. |  A nice close-up of the back end and the steel doors including the steel reinforcement beam. |
 Such a beautiful site, the front end of the 669 bunker type. |  A 501 personnel type bunker, there is a tobruk but it's not visible in this shot. |  The 501 bunker and the entrance to the tobruk. |
 The other end of the 501 type bunker. |  This is the 502 bunker type at the Merville batterie. |  A pair of anti-tank obstacles found at the site. |
 An open flak gun emplacement for anti-aircraft, there are ammo niches in the corner. |  The centerpiece has the original installation date with eagle and marking. |  A close up of the center piece mount and the markings reading July 26th, 1941. |
