R677 Casemate, WN72, Omaha Beach

This is my depiction of the infamous R677 Casemate of the strongpoint WN72 on the western end of Omaha Beach; one of four German strongpoints guarding the French town Vierville-sur-Mer.

Before the war, this depression along the escarpment of the Normandy coast contained several seaside vacation villas used by Parisians. One of these was the 4-story Eden-Bellevue hotel and cafe owned by the Le Gallois family. When the war broke out, the occupying Germans began building fortifications along the coast to create the “Atlantic Wall”. By 1943, fortifying the coast had intensified and this depression turned into Widerstandsnest 72 (Resistance Nest 72). The Germans actually left many of the villas such as ‘Hotel Piprel’ and the houses ‘Cusinberche’ and ‘Mary’, but they had plans for the Eden-Bellevue. They tore up a lot of the hotel, leveled the top floors, and constructed the R677 (bunker type) inside the building’s ruined shell. This was done to camouflage the bunker as a seaside villa from Allied reconnaissance. The Germans incorporated the Eden’s side around the bunker’s embrasure, and even added cobblestone bits to further give the impression of a French house. The biggest part left of the Eden was the terrace facing the sea to fully conceal the bunker.

The R677 covered a vital road (called “Dog One” by the Americans) that led from the beach up to Vierville. Inside was a 88mm PAK 43 sighted east for enfilading fire, and protruding from the bunker’s side was a concrete & stone anti-tank wall that cut across the road.
On D-Day June 6, 1944, the R677’s PAK 43 fired until around noon until the casemate was finally neutralized. It was repeatedly fired upon by American Sherman tanks and received a direct hit through the embrasure fired from the USS McCook. Additionally, the USS Texas fired several salvoes onto WN72 that destroyed all remaining villas. This mayhem caused much of the Eden ruins to crumble off, leaving only part of the terrace. Photo evidence shows that bits of the terrace remained until 1960. The R677 still stands today and is a monument for the US National Guard.

Most D-Day researches are well aware of the R677 but I have seen little-to-no mention of it being encased in the remnants of the Eden-Bellevue. Most sources simply state that the Germans put a “fake porch” on its side, when in fact the Germans built the bunker inside an existing building. All photos of the bunker were taken after D-Day once the rubble was cleared away, so this explains that notion. The only source that I have seen provide all this information is on Yves Cordell’s website www.omaha-vierville.com. He spent a lifetime researching Omaha Beach and the history of Vierville and it shows. His website is great and I’m thankful he is still alive and still answering my emails.
I hope this drawing gives anyone studying WWII history a clearer picture of how this real-life fortification looked at the time. These events were real, so we should strive to paint an accurate depiction as best we can.