The Battle of Douvres Radar Station was a military engagement of World War II as part of the Invasion of Normandy, that took place on 17 June 1944. The attack was by British 41 Commando, Royal Marines, the station and area were defended mainly by Luftwaffe ground forces. Preceded by an artillery bombardment and supported by mine-clearing and anti-bunker tanks of 79th Armoured Division, the Royal Marines were able to secure the surrender of the garrison.
Background
The Normandy landings, the Allied invasion of German-occupied France had commenced on 6 June 1944. The radar at Douvres-la-Délivrande was the primary Luftwaffe radar station in the area—a fortified position of twenty acres—having been built by the Todt Organisation comprising five radars with thirty concrete works. Minefields, tunnels, bunkers, five 5 cm anti-tank guns, a 7.5 cm field gun, a number of mortars, twenty machine guns and a ring of barbed wire in height made up the defences.
At 11:00 p.m. on the night of 5/6 June 1944, the Allies launched intensive jamming of radar frequencies which blinded the German radar network from Cherbourg to Le Havre. On the morning of the 6th (D-Day) the antennae at Douvres-la-Délivrande were destroyed by Allied naval artillery bombardment.
The 3rd Canadian Infantry Division, who had landed nearby on Juno Beach, isolated the station but the Germans defended it for twelve days, awaiting a counter-attack by 21st Panzer Division; on one occasion it was supplied with food by a nocturnal paradrop mission from Mont-de-Marsan.
The Objective
Vollfestungsmässig Gross Suchstellung ‘Diestelfink’: Luftwaffe Night-Fighter Control Center Douvres was located at North 49.287406 Degrees / West 0.40879 Degrees, its five radars operated by 8. Kompanie / II. Abteilung / LuftNachrichten-Regiment 53. (from 04.1943). Located south of the Juno (CA) and Sword (UK) Beaches, its Nachtjagd JaFü Night Fighter-Command Station, became operational in August 1943. Covering the Seine Bucht, operators in an L479 Anton Bunker identified aircraft (bomber stream) course, height and speed, and with intercept data, directed intercepts for Luftwaffe night-fighters. From the Normandy villages of Douvres and la-Délivrande (UK GOLD), its North approach, was secured by Kompanie 12./ Battalion III./ GR 736., and its WEST approach, from Tailleville (CA JUNO), was defended by Kompanie 11./ Battalion III./ GR 736.
The Douvres Radar Station, laid out over thirty-five hectares, was attacked on numerous occasions prior to D-Day; its very strong AA defence being well occupied. At its primary site were four radars, two Freya FuMG and two Würzburg FuSE, and at its ancillary a single Wasserman sFuMG. About 238 Luftwaffe personnel operated the site, led by Oberleutenant Kurt Egle (01.01.1944), but on D-Day ‘Wehrmacht Heeres Refugees’ were welcomed from Tailleville, Douvres, and La Deliverande to additionally man the garrison. A fully developed ‘standard’ Stellung / Suchstellung configuration, it consisted of a fortified main site: Hauptstützpunkt I and a single fortified satellite: Stützpunkt II. Mutually supporting Hauptstützpunkten I: Stp. Douvres I and Stützpunkt II: Stp. Douvres II, operated under a single authority and command, having ‘grown’ in personnel to Battalion strength. The site consisted of standardized technical electronic equipment and operational buildings, combined and laid out following specified distance criteria. The power for the site radar and associated equipment came from diesel generators, housed in underground bunkers. As a Coastal Zone Site it was fortified with heavy bunkers (Verstärkt Feltmessig Vf Type 2) for the protection of vital radar functions and personnel, to include a very strong anti-aircraft defence capability, set-out respecting the terrain and ‘potential defence’ of the site. Hauptstützpunkten Stp. Douvres I was located at North 49Deg 17Min 11Sec / West 00Deg 24Min 14Sec, and in June 1944 for targeting purposes was at: Lambert Conical MR (1944) Grid 006800 (Ref. GSGS 4250 1:50K: Creully Sheet 7E/5). Hauptstützpunkten Stp. Douvres I integrated an Annex, South of ‘la Route de Beny’ at North 49.28432 Deg / West 00.40438 Deg (Ref. GSGS 4250 1:50K: Creully Sheet 7E/5) controlling the East/West Road access to the Station, and defending its SOUTH Approach. Stützpunkten Stp. Douvres II was located at North 49Deg 17Min 38Sec / West 00Deg 24Min 17Sec and Lambert Conical MR (1944) Grid 006808 defending the NORTH Approach onto The Station.