
Vill036 Houlgate
Small strongpoint covering eastern side of Houlgate

Vill036 site overview

What to see
Just three buildings remain at Vill036 which is located on the north eastern outskirts of the town of Houlgate, on the mouth of the Dives river.
The first is an open emplacement for a 5cm KwK anti-tank gun which stands as part of the sea wall in front of beautiful seafront villas.
Behind it, and now used for storage by the campsite is a large shelter - possibly a Vf2a type - which is no longer accessible and has a lodge and decking built on top.
The largest construction is a relatively common Atlantikwall construction – a R676 casemate which was built in 1943.
R676 casemates were classed a small defensive construction and were built for Czech-made Skoda 4.7cm fortress guns – one of the most common heavy weapons found on beach defences.
While fixed into a ball mount for a wider arc of fire, the alignment of the embrasure of this casemate would indicate it was built to cover the beach beneath the cliffs to the east of the town. Again there is a small property built on top so is difficult to access the outside and the entrance to the inside is under the roadway so it's no longer visitable.
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