On a windswept cliff overlooking the Normandy coast stands a stark reminder of one of the greatest obstacles that Allied forces had to overcome on D-Day: a powerful German gun battery at Longues-sur-Mer. This emplacement was a key strongpoint in Hitler‘s vaunted "Atlantic Wall," a massive chain of coastal fortifications stretching from Norway to Spain. Its four heavy naval guns had the range to strike at the Allied invasion fleet and the men struggling to get ashore. But on June 6, 1944, the battery faced an avalanche of bombs, shells and courage that eventually reduced it to a battered wreck.
The Atlantic Wall and Longues-sur-Mer
After the fall of France in 1940, Hitler ordered the construction of a vast network of defenses along the Atlantic coast to block any attempt by the Allies to invade and liberate Occupied Europe. Thousands of gun emplacements, bunkers, minefields, beach obstacles and other fortifications were built, manned by over a quarter of a million German troops. Rommel famously declared: "If we can stop the enemy at the water‘s edge, the invasion will collapse under its own weight."[^1]
Longues-sur-Mer was a linchpin in the Normandy section of the Atlantic Wall. Located between the Omaha and Gold landing beaches, its 152mm guns had a range of up to 22 km, making them a deadly threat to the Allied armada and the troops coming ashore.[^2] The battery exemplified the Atlantic Wall‘s layered defenses:
- Four SK C/36 naval guns in massive concrete casemates with walls up to 3 meters thick
- A large fire control bunker, dug into the cliff and camouflaged
- Ammunition magazines, crew quarters, and defensive positions all linked by underground tunnels
- Ringed by trenches, barbed wire, mines and machine gun nests
A period map showing the location of the Longues-sur-Mer battery and the range of its guns. Adapted from Zaloga (2009).[^3]
A Duel with the Allied Fleet
Understanding the mortal threat posed by Longues-sur-Mer, Allied planners made it a priority target to neutralize before the landings. On the night of June 5-6, RAF heavy bombers unleashed a deluge of high explosives on the battery, aiming to smash its guns and stun its crews before the invasion began.[^4]
But as dawn broke on June 6 and the Allied fleet materialized on the horizon, the battery was still very much in action. The sturdy casemates had shrugged off the worst of the bombing. However, the raid did cut the telephone lines to the fire control bunker, forcing the spotters to relay coordinates via runners – a frustrating handicap once the shooting started.[^5]
Soon the battery was trading salvos with the invasion fleet, its guns barking and throwing towering waterspouts skyward amid the Allied ships. Longues-sur-Mer got off around 170 rounds during the day. By chance, none struck their targets, although several ships had close calls.[^6]
But the Allied gunnery was brutally effective. The fleet‘s big guns relentlessly pounded the battery, guided by spotter aircraft and forward observers. "The whole cliff seemed to erupt in flames and smoke," one witness recalled.[^7]
One by one, the German guns fell silent, smashed by direct hits:
- Casemate No. 1 took a shell hit that severed its barrel and blew the gun off its mount
- Casemate No. 2 had its gun dismounted and its ammunition set ablaze
- Casemate No. 3‘s gun was knocked out of action and its crew took heavy casualties
- Casemate No. 4 was holed by several shells and burned by a fire in the ammunition store[^8]
By the end of D-Day, Longues-sur-Mer was a shambles. Its shattered guns stood amid heaps of rubble and craters. The bombardment had tally-hoed the battery, but failed to completely silence it.
Allied troops advancing inland from Gold Beach finally overran Longues-sur-Mer on June 7. Battery commander Oberstleutnant Ohmsen surrendered to the British that evening along with 184 surviving troops – a testament to the position‘s sturdy construction.[^9]
Visiting Longues-sur-Mer Today
Out of the 15,000 concrete structures Hitler built along the Atlantic Wall, the batteries at Longues-sur-Mer are among the best preserved. Visitors today can explore the site and see vivid traces of its dramatic D-Day story:
- All four original guns are still in place in their battered casemates
- Shell craters and shrapnel scars pock the concrete and speak to the ferocity of the naval bombardment
- The fire control bunker is open to tour, offering sweeping views over the landing beaches
- Informative displays (in French and English) detail the site‘s history and strategic importance
The site is easily visited, located just off the coastal highway about halfway between Omaha Beach and Arromanches. Most visitors arrive by car or tour bus, but the site can be reached by bicycle as well. It makes an ideal stop on any tour following the D-Day story in Normandy.
However you get here, Longues-sur-Mer offers a thought-provoking encounter with the Atlantic Wall and the grim challenges that Allied troops faced on June 6, 1944. The site is a testament to the courage of those who fought here, on both sides, and the epic human drama of history‘s largest amphibious invasion.
