Riva-Bella batteries – Stp 08

German batteries of the Atlantic Wall in Normandy

Unit: 1260th Coastal Artillery Regiment

Codename: Stp 08 – Wn 08

Artillery guns: 4x 155 mm GPF mle 1917

Outcome: Under Free France troops control on June 6th, 1944

This battery is located in Riva-Bella, close to Ouistreham.

Composition of the Riva-Bella battery

Coded “Stp 08” by the Germans (also known as the Wn 08 strongpoint), its construction begins in 1942. Its role is to defend the accesses to the Orne and the Caen channel estuaries which are parallel to each other and which give access to Caen.

Several dwellings were destroyed in order to install gun pits that received 155 mm guns of French origin (155 mm GPF m 1917) with a range of 19 kilometers (these artillery guns were identical to those of the Pointe du Hoc).

The battery also consists of several other constructions, including personal shelters, ammunition bunkers and a space for a 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.

Built in the immediate vicinity of the beach, the site is protected by an important network of barbed wire, an anti-tank ditch and concrete obstacles, the famous “dragon teeth”.

The Stop 08 firing station has five floors (including a subway), a powerful rangefinder, several watch-rooms, communications, ammunition and troops. It offers a breathtaking view of the bay of Seine and is equipped with optical and communication means particularly performing.

The Stp 08 is supported by the Wn 10 strongpoint which is located on the site of the former casino of Riva-Bella, destroyed in 1943.