Located on the beach to the south of the expanding holiday town of Stella Plage on the Pas de Calais west coast, Stp Strand features three remaining structures - Vf65a type Tobruk, an open emplacement, and a small, brick-built shelter building.
The town was the site of a huge Kriegsmarine batterie – Marine Kusten Batterie (MKB) Stella Plage – of which only a single Tobruk and some concrete foundation remain, and Stp Strand provided defence of its southern perimeter.
While it is a small site, Strand wasn’t without its firepower. The Vf65a provided a foundation for a 5cm KwK anti-tank gun with the addition of a protected ammunition store and an emergency crew in the concrete behind. Two ready ammo niches stood in the main gun area too.
Mounted in the open emplacement next to it was a second gun of the same type.
The 5cm KwK was one of the most numerous anti-tank weapons on the Atlantikwall. Made by Krupp steelworks, they were originally designed for early German tanks but, as Allied engineers developed thicker armour on their tanks, it became obsolete in that role and so thousands of them were employed in defensive roles in fixed positions instead.