WN Mole Verclut
Details
Situated at St Catherine's Breakwater WN Mole Verlut was a substantial stronghold for the Germans. There were two heavy machine gun bunkers, many shelters, anti-tank defences a Type 670 casemate bunker for a 10.5cm gun, and a tunnel.
At the museum store there is a model of what they could have built with multiple rooms and fortifications (picture above). Tours of the tunnel, now the Turbot Farm, are available Sundays during warmer months and they are well worth a visit!
If you visit it also worth seeing the anti-tank defences found On the path from St Catherine's to Fliquet, about halfway up the hill. These are railway tracks were driven into the ground and have remained here since 1943. Below the gallery is a map showing the various positions.
The Resistance Nest Mole Verclut lies between the Resistance Nests La Perelle I and Fliquet on the land side of the base of the breakwater
Numbers
Four NCOs and twenty-two Other Ranks
German Record Details
2 x le.MG 34
1 x s.MG 34
1 x 8cm Gr.W
2 x 5cm Gr.W. (f)
1 x 10,5cm Kanone
7 x Abwehrflammenwerfer 42 1 x 60cm Scheinwerfer
Weapons and Equipment
Two light Machine Gun 34’s, One heavy Machine Gun 34 One 8cm mortar
Two 5cm French mortars
One 10.5cm French gun Seven defence Flamethrowers
One 60cm searchlight
Objective and Function (translated)
The Resistance Nest Mole Verclut has orders to prevent enemy landings on the breakwater in St Catherine’s Bay and in Fliquet Bay. Enemy attack from land to immediately engage in fighting. Work in co-operation with Archirondel Tower, La Perelle I and II and Resistance Nest Fliquet
WW2 Maps & Documents
WW2 Aerial Photos
WW2 Photos
Recent Photos
Exploring bunkers:
• Always get permission from the owner
• Take a torch, a spare and one more for luck
• Don't go alone & tell someone where you will be and for how long
• You will get dirty as most are often full of rubbish and may have been used as a public toilet
• Anything you find still belongs to the person that owns the property
• Unexploded ordnance is still found in Jersey if you see or find anything that looks like ordnance please call the bomb disposal officer on 01534 612 612.
Jargon Help
Widerstandsnest (WN) = Resistance Nest (RN)
Small pocket of resistance, these would be made up of small groups of up to 10 men with light weapons. They would man Anti-tank weapons, an observation post or a field gun.
Stützpunkt St.P = Strongpoint (STP)
Next level up from an RN and consisted of several RN's. STP areas would have a combination of weapons and different branches of the military used. Examples of this can be found with Strongpoint Greve de Lecq and Strongpoint Corbiere
Einsatzstellung = Operational Position or Action Post
Smaller MG type position generally it was only maned during an alert
Feldwache = Field Watch
Jäger Casemate was a special design and name for bunkers designed to hold a 10.5cm field gun
Sources of Information
German Documents are housed at The National Archived in Washington or Archive in Kew UK
T-78 Roll 318
T-78 Roll 317
T-315 Roll 1639
T-315 Roll 1643
T-311 Roll 27
T-312 Roll 1545
AOK 7 War Diary
OKW War Diary
Operation Green Arrow - Occupation of the Channel Islands MOD 584
Allied Technical Intelligence Reports 1944-45
German Preparations for Invasion of the United Kingdom 1941-42
B-833, 319th Infantry Division (1941-45)
German Seacoast Defenses, European Theatre - prepared by the Seacoast Artillery Evaluation Board
Jersey Occupied by Michael Ginns - ISBN 978-1-905095-29-2
Operation Nestegg Plans
Operation Hardtack Plans
Operation Basalt Plans
RAF Photos care of The National Collection of Aerial Photography
Bundesarchiv - Multiple Photos - and Files
A Map of slave labour camps. Kindly Provided by Emilio Pérez
Photo's and information