Along the coastline next to the beach lay the remains of Widerstandsnest (WN) 33a. WN 33a was part of the Atlantic Wall and unfortunately for it’s defenders still under construction when the Allies attacked it during D-Day.
This position lay on the west side of the, by the Allies designated, Juno Beach section.
Regelbau 677
The bunker is a flanking Regelbau 677 type for a PAK 8,8cm gun. Around it were placements for two 5cm KWK guns and MG positions. This bunker is constructed of what the Germans called ‘formsteine’. These were building blocks that enabled them to build the construction faster. For beter protection some parts were reinforced with extra concrete.
Destroying the R677 Bunker on D-Day
Even though the strongpoint is still partly under construction on D-Day the 6th of June 1944, the gun crew of the 88mm gun inside the R677 bunker is wreaking havoc on the troops landing on this part of Juno Beach. They have their focus on the tanks and heavy equipment coming ashore from the beached landing crafts.
When two Churchill AVRE tanks are destroyed before the eyes of a Westminster Dragoon tank crew operating a Sherman ‘Crab’ flail tank (mine clearing tank), they spot the bunker some 150 yards further on the edge of the beach firing shell after shell. They turn and after a few shots Gunner Jim Smith fires a round straight into the gun aperture, destroying the bunker and silencing the gun.
Visit
You can visit the bunker on the beach.
