The Die02 strongpoint is an extensive site running along the top of the cliffs to the eastern side of the Dieppe town and port area.
The main part of the strongpoint is centred around the cliff near to the Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours church, above the current ferry terminal and surrounding the modern semaphore station.
Its lofty location with views over the town, beach, and port made it the ideal location for a command post and a R608 regimental headquarters bunker remains, although buried, inside the fence of the semaphore station.
During the occupation by German forces, a network of tunnels was created inside the cliff, and these linked via staircases form the base of the cliff to the R608 above. You can still see a thick concrete wall on the outer of the cliff face which would have protected the small gun emplacements and personnel rooms inside the tunnel system from a collapsing cliff, caused by natural erosion, bombing, or naval gunfire.
Most of the constructions here still remain, although some are almost completely buried, and the HQ bunker is supported by two group shelters, an open emplacement for a 7.5cm field cannon, and a Tobruk within metres of each other.
In front of the R608 is an observation/machine gun bunker which can be clearly seen but not accessed as it on military land within the perimeter of the semaphore station.
Further west, overlooking the entrance to the port of Dieppe is a special construction observation bunker which still has its steel cupola in place – a rare occurrence on the Atlantikwall as they were generally removed for their scrap metal following the end of the war.
This building stands precariously on the edge of the soft chalk cliffs and there has been recent work to protect the chalk around it and prevent it from falling. Needless to say, it isn’t able to be visited.
While the site was mainly an observation position, an M272 casemate – a large Kriegsmarine gun bunker - was also present at the site. Today its location can be pinpointed to the east of the HQ by two massive, reinforced concrete blocks. Their angle of rest and exposed steel point to the casemate being destroyed by a large explosion.
Die02 also extends east to where a series of large anti-aircraft gun emplacements are located. The main road east from the city runs through the middle of the AA batterie which once featured a ring of six L401 emplacements for heavy guns, likely to be 88mm Flak cannons, supported by a L407 ammunition storage bunker.
Four L401s can still be seen – two on the cliff edge next to the road, and two in private gardens although one of these is buried and only the outline of the concrete can be observed.