Ouistraham Bunker

Just off the seafront of Sword Beach lies this bunker; most bunkers are built quite squat to the ground (for obvioius reasons), whereas this one is a reinforced concrete tower used primarily as a lookout.

It not only has a few vehicles and weapons outside on display but a good number of highly informative dioramas in the various rooms to give a very impression of life and work inside the bunker...

On D Day, the defending occupiers of the bunker held out for about 3 days with constant machine gun fire and stick grenades until Bob Orrell and 3 of his men eventually blasted the heavily armoured outside door off its hinges. They even found a box of explosives just inside the door left by the retreating occupiers! Anyway, when challenged, the two German Commanding Officers and their 50 men, 'invited' the British to go into the Bunker to get them out. Thinking quickly on his feet, Bob shouted up the stairs, 'Not bl**dy likely mate, you come down here.' The 4 British Tommies took the 52 German defenders as POWs.  If you had read this in a Boy's Own comic, you would find it hard to believe but it was true - not a bad days work! .