Fort Hommet 10.5 cm Coastal Defence Gun Casement Bunker
Encyclopedia
The Fort Hommet 105 mm coastal defence gun casement bunker is a fully restored gun casemate
that was part of Fortress Guernsey constructed by the forces of Nazi Germany
between 1940 and 1945.
on the northern side of Vazon Bay and is part of a complex of reinforced concrete fortifications built by the Germans
on the site of Fort Hommet. Fort Hommet is on a headland which lies 3.3 miles north west of St Peter Port
on the other side of the Island.
era as part of the anti-French defences although there had been fortifications recorded here as far back as 1680. A Martello tower
was built on the site in 1804 with further batteries and a barracks being added later. On the 20th of October 1941, after the occupation of the Channel Islands, a directive ordered by Adolf Hitler
proclaimed that the Islands would be turned into an impregnable reinforced concrete fortress as part of the Atlantic Wall
, and the Organisation Todt
constructed fortifications round the coast. As part of these plans this restored casement was one of 21 similar standard constructions built to house 10.5cm K331(f)
guns. Four such casemates were installed at Fort Hommet and make up part of Stützpunkt (Strongpoint) Rotenstein.
base poured. Wooden shuttering would then be built and steel reinforcing
would be installed in the form of cradles. The concrete would then be poured in a continuous fashion giving each structure its immense strength. Once cured, the shuttering was removed and the bunker was fitted out. The process was carried out in a matter of weeks.
and the islanders. By the late 1940s all the metal fittings including guns and blast doors were removed for their scrap value. Many of the bunkers including this casemate
at Fort Hommet, were buried in an attempt to return the coastal landscape to its pre-war condition.
As part of Guernsey's fiftieth liberation celebrations, and part of the project Fortess Guernsey, the States of Guernsey had all the 105 mm casemates on the island surveyed with a view to restoring the best example. This casemate was found to be dry and structurally sound although it was just a bare shell. The entrance to the casemate was excavated in April 1993 and restoration work began.
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
that was part of Fortress Guernsey constructed by the forces of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
between 1940 and 1945.
Location
The bunker is to be found in CastelCastel, Guernsey
Castel is the largest Parish in Guernsey in terms of area.It hosts the North Show and Battle of Flowers in August, annually...
on the northern side of Vazon Bay and is part of a complex of reinforced concrete fortifications built by the Germans
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
on the site of Fort Hommet. Fort Hommet is on a headland which lies 3.3 miles north west of St Peter Port
St Peter Port
Saint Peter Port is the capital of Guernsey as well as the main port. The population in 2001 was 16,488. In Guernésiais and in French, historically the official language of Guernsey, the name of the town and its surrounding parish is St Pierre Port. The "port" distinguishes this parish from...
on the other side of the Island.
History
Fort Hommet was constructed on the Vazon Bay Headland in the late Napoleonic WarsNapoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
era as part of the anti-French defences although there had been fortifications recorded here as far back as 1680. A Martello tower
Martello tower
Martello towers are small defensive forts built in several countries of the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the Napoleonic Wars onwards....
was built on the site in 1804 with further batteries and a barracks being added later. On the 20th of October 1941, after the occupation of the Channel Islands, a directive ordered by Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
proclaimed that the Islands would be turned into an impregnable reinforced concrete fortress as part of the Atlantic Wall
Atlantic Wall
The Atlantic Wall was an extensive system of coastal fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the western coast of Europe as a defense against an anticipated Allied invasion of the mainland continent from Great Britain.-History:On March 23, 1942 Führer Directive Number 40...
, and the Organisation Todt
Organisation Todt
The Todt Organisation, was a Third Reich civil and military engineering group in Germany named after its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi figure...
constructed fortifications round the coast. As part of these plans this restored casement was one of 21 similar standard constructions built to house 10.5cm K331(f)
Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider
The Canon de 105 mle 1913 Schneider was a French artillery piece used in World War I and World War II by many European countries.- History :In the early 1900s, the French company Schneider et Cie began a collaboration with the Russian company Putilov...
guns. Four such casemates were installed at Fort Hommet and make up part of Stützpunkt (Strongpoint) Rotenstein.
1943 Construction
The construction work began in April 1943 after the completion of a railway link between Vazon and St Peter Port which was the essential link needed for the transportation of the vast quantity of materials required to build the fortifications. The schedule of work consisted of initial site excavations followed by a concreteReinforced concrete
Reinforced concrete is concrete in which reinforcement bars , reinforcement grids, plates or fibers have been incorporated to strengthen the concrete in tension. It was invented by French gardener Joseph Monier in 1849 and patented in 1867. The term Ferro Concrete refers only to concrete that is...
base poured. Wooden shuttering would then be built and steel reinforcing
Rebar
A rebar , also known as reinforcing steel, reinforcement steel, rerod, or a deformed bar, is a common steel bar, and is commonly used as a tensioning device in reinforced concrete and reinforced masonry structures holding the concrete in compression...
would be installed in the form of cradles. The concrete would then be poured in a continuous fashion giving each structure its immense strength. Once cured, the shuttering was removed and the bunker was fitted out. The process was carried out in a matter of weeks.
Liberation
After the liberation of Guernsey in 1945, the fortifications were stripped of all their fixtures and fittings by both the British ArmyBritish Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
and the islanders. By the late 1940s all the metal fittings including guns and blast doors were removed for their scrap value. Many of the bunkers including this casemate
Casemate
A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...
at Fort Hommet, were buried in an attempt to return the coastal landscape to its pre-war condition.
Restoration
External links
- Guernsey Forts & Museums - Visiting information on Hommet Casemate Bunker