WN72 Bunker (Widerstandsnest 72)
About WN72 Bunker (Widerstandsnest 72)
WN72 (Widerstandsnest 72) is a preserved German defensive fortification from World War II located at the western end of Omaha Beach. Built in 1943-44 as part of the Atlantic Wall, this position guarded the strategically vital Dog-1 exit leading from the beach to Vierville-sur-Mer. The complex includes an R677 casemate housing an 88mm Pak 43/41 anti-tank gun and a Doppelschartenstand bunker with overlapping fields of fire along the beach. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, soldiers of A Company, 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Division landed directly in front of these guns and suffered devastating casualties. Today the site features the original bunkers with the 88mm gun still in place, the US National Guard Memorial built atop the fortification, and the "Ever Forward" monument honoring the 116th Infantry. The outdoor memorial is freely accessible year-round with parking nearby.
Interesting Facts
The town of Bedford, Virginia (population 3,200) had 46 of its young men serving in A Company that landed at WN72. Only 23 survived D-Day, with 19 killed on June 6, 1944 alone. This was the highest per capita loss of any American community on D-Day, leading Congress to choose Bedford as the site of the National D-Day Memorial.
The 88mm Pak 43/41 gun inside the R677 casemate was one of the most feared weapons of World War II. It could penetrate the armor of any Allied tank at distances over 2 kilometers and was positioned to fire along the beach rather than out to sea, making it nearly impossible for naval guns to destroy.
The German defenders at WN72 belonged to the 352nd Infantry Division, a regular combat division that had been secretly moved to reinforce the coast just weeks before D-Day. Allied intelligence failed to detect this redeployment, and landing troops expected only second-rate coastal defense units.
Planning Your Visit
Opening Hours
Location & Practical Info
Address
Omaha Beach, Dog Green Sector, 14710 Vierville-sur-Mer, France
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