HILLMAN STRONGHOLD
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A fortified site at Colleville-Montgomery, which housed headquarters, control rooms, and a transmission office...
From 1942 onwards, south of the commune of Colleville-Montgomery (then Colleville-sur-Orne), the Germans built a fortified site of eighteen underground concrete emplacements called "Hillman", the code name given by the British for the D-Day landings. This was the command post for the coastal defences. A network of galleries linked the four-metre-deep blockhouses, all fitted with armoured cupolas. Here, too, were the headquarters’ control rooms, the transmission office, the dining room and rest quarters. The whole complex was strategically well-placed to observe the Baie de Seine and the beaches chosen for the D-Day landings. The 1st Battalion of the Suffolk Regiment, tasked with capturing these fortifications, didn’t reach their objective until the morning of June 7. The British, who had greatly underestimated Hillman’s ability to resist, were unable to take Caen, not on the evening of June 6 as originally planned, but weeks later. After the war, these underground sites were gradually filled in with earth and rubble, keeping them in very good condition. Since 1990, the association "Les Amis du Suffolk Regiment" (Friends of the Suffolk Regiment) has been working tirelessly and voluntarily to clear the well-preserved blockhouses. "Les Amis du Suffolk Regiment", which has accomplished this enormous task of reconstruction, is happy to welcome those who offer their physical or financial support on guided tours.
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Members' reviews on HILLMAN STRONGHOLD
De par son importance stratégique , le nombre de blockhaus visitables ,le fait qu'il ait été entièrement dégagé par des bénévoles qui aujourd'hui bénévolement en assurent la visite durant près de 2 heures !!!
A ne pas manquer ce maillon important du débarquement de Juin 1944.