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Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Visiting World War 2 artefacts along the French Atlantic Wall.

By BIKEPACKING.BE

October 31^st, 2016

Dieppe.

Having a bigger goal in mind, we decided to visit some World War 2 artifacts and bunkers on the French Atlantic coast.

There are 2 small observation cupolas in Dieppe, one on each bank, this one is on the West Bank.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Is was still a bit early for pizza, so coffee was welcome, then we set sail south.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

The clifftop churchyard @ Varengeville-sur-mer.

Rising sheer above the sea, in a place where the eye discovers a long stretch of coast shaped like a sickle, pebble beaches, grassy plateaux dominating the waves, distant shores, which on certain evenings appear like mirages, immense stretches of water where the light paints realms of changing colours, the Varengeville churchyard is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Surrounded by graves, the ancient church seems to bend its back under wind and storm. The sea’s angry assaults and the rain’s insidious infiltration undermine and gnaw at the fields and woodland that form its natural foundation. Concern is felt for the church, concern for the graves gathered under its protection, modest or imposing, equally cradled by the endless murmur of the sea which simultaneously destroys and enchants.

Under the huge, restless sky and the dense clouds, this instinctive concern adds to the splendour of the surroundings, just as the feeling of frailty and threat increases its beauty.”

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Quiberville - bunker 622.

On the beach is a beautiful 622 personnel bunker fallen of the cliff and is now standing on his side. You can still see the beautiful concrete camouflage that is typical for this part of the Atlantikwall. More inland, behind the 622 we have found a bunker that looks like a 612 casemate, the bunker is almost completely covered with earth but the flanking wall is still visible.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

It's never flat along the Opal coast.

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On our way to Fécamp.

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Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Radar Statiosn @ Fécamp (cap fagnet).

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Bunkerporn. Part 1.

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Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Etretat.

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Bunkerporn. Part 1.

The white bird.

L‘Oiseau Blanc (commonly known in the English-speaking world as The White Bird [N 1]) was a French Levasseur PL.8 biplane that disappeared in 1927, during an attempt to make the first non-stop transatlantic flight between Paris and New York to compete for the Orteig Prize. The aircraft was flown by French World War I aviation heroes, Charles Nungesser and François Coli. The aircraft disappeared after its 8 May 1927 takeoff from Paris. Two weeks later, Charles Lindbergh successfully made the New York–Paris journey and claimed the prize, flying the Spirit of St. Louis.

The disappearance of L‘Oiseau Blanc is considered one of the great mysteries in the history of aviation. Many rumors circulated about the fate of the aircraft and crew, with mainstream opinion at the time being that the aircraft was probably lost in a squall over the Atlantic. Investigations starting in the 1980s suggest that the aircraft probably reached Newfoundland, and may have crashed in Maine.

The disappearance of Nungesser and Coli has an extensive legacy, and is referred to in many films and museums. A street in Paris is named after the aviators, and a commemorative postage stamp was issued in 1967. A statue at the Paris Le Bourget Airport honors the attempted flight, and there is a memorial on the cliffs of Étretat, from where their aircraft was last seen in France.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Write your story here. (Optional)

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Bunkerporn. Part 1.

Footnotes

All pictures by Gunther Desmedt - SS Movie by Arlindo Van Damme.

FootNotes

All pictures by Gunther Desmedt - SS Movie by Arlindo Van Damme.

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