Located on the high ground around 1km inland of Arromanches and Saint-Come-de-Fresne, these positions were the second line of defence after the beachfront bunkers and gun emplacements.
The Wn40 complex was split over three locations - Wn40, Wn40a, and Wn40b. All three were made up of field positions rather than heavy concrete buildings, although there were several concrete ammo stores/niches located near to firing positions and a series of small shelters at the Wn40 site.
The main Wn40 site was the company headquarters of the German 1/916 Infantry Regiment of the 352nd Division and overlooked the plain between the two towns and had a view out to sea too.
Firepower came from two 8cm captured French mortars in open emplacements, plus a Belgian FK235 type 7.5cm field gun, and multiple posts for machine guns, each linked by trenches.
A R612 casemate to house the 7.5cm gun was under construction from April 1944 onwards, but by D-Day only the foundations had been finished.
Wn40a stands at ‘Point 54’ – a high point on the hill 54 metres above sea level and around 800 metres from Wn40. This satellite position featured a series of interlinked trenches and hedgerow defences where two MG34 were positioned and a field position for a 7.5cm field gun.
Today, you can see the indentations of a network of now overgrown trenches with several wider areas where there was once a gun position.
Wn40b was located at the edge of woodland around 300 metres north west of Wn40a, and there is little evidence of any positions today, although reports suggest there were at least two heavy machine guns here.
In the field just a few metres to the west of the woods you can find the concrete foundations and floor of a toilet block, complete with two urinals and holes where the toilets once sat – it’s such an unusual sight in a field of cattle!
The Wn40 complex was one of the objectives of the 1st Dorset Regiment who landed on Gold Beach to the east of Asnelles on D-Day. From the beach at Asnelles they made their way up the eastern flank of Wn40 towards the village of Le Buhot, arriving around 1:30pm at the foot of Point 54.
Initially attacking through open fields from the north east, they began their assault on Wn40a first but found heavy resistance and were driven back. They skirted around the site and attacked again along a lane and hedgerow running from east to west.
Within 30 minutes the Wn40 site was captured with 15 Germans taken prisoner.
From here the Dorsets moved to Wn40b and finally Wn40 where they are reported to have captured around 40 German prisoners.