The Story of Maisy Battery
Coordinates: 49.3752°N 1.0612°W
Site history: Built 1942
Built by: Organisation Todt
In use: 1942-44
Battles/wars: Battle of Normandy
Garrison information: Garrison Wehrmacht
The Maisy Battery is a collection of World War II artillery positions built in secrecy by the German Wehrmacht near Grandcamp-Maisy, a village in Normandy. It was an integral part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal defenses, serving as the main defensive position for that region. The battery was charged with securing the area between the Longues-sur-Mer and St Marcouf (Crisbecq) batteries, providing coverage for both Omaha Beach and Utah Beach, which were two of the vital landing spots during the Allied invasion of Normandy in June 1944.
Pre-invasion Planning
In anticipation of an Allied invasion of Nazi-occupied Europe from the UK during World War II, German forces established an elaborate network of defenses. The construction of the Maisy Battery was carried out under tight security, utilizing forced labor from Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia, and Poland to maintain secrecy and minimize local involvement that could potentially alert the French Resistance and, in turn, the Allies.
As preparations for D-Day under Operation Neptune intensified, the Maisy Battery was identified on Allied maps as a primary target for the Rangers—this was confirmed by records uncovered in the early 21st century. Leading up to D-Day, the Germans drew considerable attention to the nearby gun battery at Pointe du Hoc, overlooking the English Channel, diverting focus from the slightly inland Maisy Battery. By the time of the invasion, Pointe du Hoc was occupied by a minimal force and its artillery had been relocated, leaving only decoy guns in its place.
Command Bunker
The Maisy site comprised three batteries: Les Perruques, La Martiniere, and Foucher Farm, designated as Allied targets 5, 16, and 16A respectively. The Les Perruques battery, known to the Germans as WN83 (Resistance Nest 83), housed six 155 mm French field howitzers from World War I. The La Martiniere battery (WN84) contained four 105 mm pieces, while Foucher Farm had four 150 mm artillery pieces.
Normandy Landings
Located about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Pointe du Hoc, the battery was defended by units from the 352nd and 716th Infantry and Artillery Divisions, along with elements of Flak Regiment No. 1, which added twelve 88 mm anti-aircraft guns just prior to D-Day on June 5, 1944.
Foucher Farm met its fate under naval bombardment from the USS Shubrick (DD-639) on June 7, 1944. The other two sites remained operational until they faced assault from the US 2nd and 5th Rangers on June 9.
The Maisy Batteries were designated as D-Day mission objective Number 6 under the orders provided to Colonel James Rudder for Operation Neptune and the US 1st Infantry Division. However, Rudder did not inform his men of the mission to secure Maisy. Historian Gary Sterne, in a 2014 publication, proposes that Rudder ignored orders directing him to proceed to Maisy after capturing Pointe du Hoc. The Rangers remained at Pointe du Hoc for several days until they were relieved, which prevented them from fulfilling their D-Day assignments and reaching the crucial Maisy site, along with the D-Day Phase Line they were meant to target on the evening of June 6. This delay allowed the guns at Maisy to bombard troops on both Omaha and Utah Beaches for three days following the landings. Although Rudder consistently asserted that his instructions were to defend the highway against a potential counterattack at Pointe du Hoc, Sterne and other historians have been unable to locate any record of such an order in the US National Archives.
Rediscovery
In January 2004, amateur military historian Gary Sterne came across the Maisy Battery after finding a hand-drawn map in the pocket of a US Army veteran’s uniform he had purchased. The battery was situated approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the coastline near Grandcamp-Maisy and was noted on the map as an “Area of high resistance.”
Before D-Day, this battery had been recognized as the second most significant target within the Omaha Sector’s group of fortifications, although its exact location had faded from subsequent records. With the aid of the old map, Sterne successfully pinpointed a bunker entrance hidden within the undergrowth. Further exploration led him to discover additional fortified structures, gun platforms, and even a hospital, uncovering over 3 kilometers of trenches. Ultimately, Sterne opted to buy the land himself with the intention of capitalizing on the historical significance and narrative he believes unfolded there.
In June 2006, the site was opened to the public for the first time, with the battery location at Les Perruques becoming an ongoing tourist attraction.