Sablanceau
Encyclopedia
Sablanceau is a beach at the easternmost end of the island of Ile de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
in western France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Sablanceau belongs to the commune
Communes of France
The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. French communes are roughly equivalent to incorporated municipalities or villages in the United States or Gemeinden in Germany...
of Rivedoux-Plage
Rivedoux-Plage
Rivedoux-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is situated on the Île de Ré.The commune includes the beach of Sablanceau.-Population:-References:*...
.
English landing (1627)
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
invasion force of 100 ships and 6,000 soldiers under the command of the Duke of Buckingham
Duke of Buckingham
The titles Marquess and Duke of Buckingham, referring to Buckingham, have been created several times in the peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. There have also been Earls of Buckingham.-1444 creation:...
invaded the island of Ile de Ré
Île de Ré
Île de Ré is an island off the west coast of France near La Rochelle, on the northern side of the Pertuis d'Antioche strait....
at the beach of Sablanceau, with the objective of controlling the approaches to La Rochelle
La Rochelle
La Rochelle is a city in western France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department.The city is connected to the Île de Ré by a bridge completed on 19 May 1988...
, and of encouraging the rebellion in the city. Toiras fought against the landing from behind the dunes, with a force of 1,200 infantry and 200 horsemen, but the English beachhead was maintained, with over 12 officers and 100 men dead.
This landing of English troops would be followed a few days later by the dramatic Siege of Saint-Martin-de-Ré (1627).
Fortifications
The vulnerability of the coast to an hostile landing, proven in the English landing of 1627, highlighted the need to create some sort of fortification in the area of Sablanceau.Sablanceau redoubt
A redoubtRedoubt
A redoubt is a fort or fort system usually consisting of an enclosed defensive emplacement outside a larger fort, usually relying on earthworks, though others are constructed of stone or brick. It is meant to protect soldiers outside the main defensive line and can be a permanent structure or a...
(Fr: "Redoute") was built in 1674 as part of the effort by Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
to fortify the coast.
The redoubt is square in shape, with two connected projections (called "épaulement") which could be used as artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
platforms. Inside the redoubt, a house for the garrison, a well for water and an underground storage room can be found.
The redoubt was refurbished in 1862 under Napoleon III, with the walls especially being given a smoother finish. The redoubt was again used during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
by the Germans
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
who established a small defensive artillery base there, as part of their defensive fortifications along the coastline. Fortified "blockhaus" quarters remain from that period.
Visits of the redoubt are now organized by the municipality of Rivedoux-Plage
Rivedoux-Plage
Rivedoux-Plage is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France. It is situated on the Île de Ré.The commune includes the beach of Sablanceau.-Population:-References:*...
.
Sablanceau battery
In 1701, a forward batteryArtillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
, the "Batterie de Sablanceau", was also built: it was a simple fortification wall covered in grass, which could accommodate 12 cannons. The battery was disarmed in 1827, but again refurbished as an ammunition depot in 1894. The battery remains to this day, and was reinforced by German Blockhauss fortifications during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The battery cannot be visited, and is circled by barbed wire.