Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Port-Coton radar station, located on the southwest coast of Belle-Île-en-Mer in Bangor, Morbihan, was built in 1943 by the Germans as part of the Atlantic Wall. This military complex, designed for the Kriegsmarine under the control of the Todt Organisation, was intended to prevent allied landing on the island and provide coastal surveillance. It included two radars (a Würzburg See Riese of 100 km range and a Seetackt), an aerophone to detect aircraft, and a network of bunkers, bunkers and underground corridors partially dug into the cliff.

The site, numbered I 311 (for Insel, island in German), combined buried infrastructure and semi-permanent fortifications (type VF). Key elements included a V206 bunker with generators, six Tobruk-Stand fire stations for machine guns and anti-aircraft guns, and a cargo lift connecting underground levels. The network of galleries, today condemned for safety reasons, came to a staircase cut into the rock, connecting the radar platform to the sub-rock shelters. The station also operated a natural cave for some facilities.

Classified as a Historical Monument by order of 30 October 2000, the station also benefits from the 20th century Heritage label since 2001. Its empirical architecture, adapted to the steep terrain, illustrates German fortification techniques during the Second World War. The site is located near the Goulphar Lighthouse, whose fog mermaid (also protected) marks the southern entrance of the port. The remains, although partially inaccessible, bear witness to Belle-Île's strategic importance in the Nazi defensive system.

Available sources (Wikipedia, Monumentum) highlight the complexity of the site, designed as a non-modular set. Technical details include the presence of a hexagonal base for the main radar, installed on the roof of a Sonderkonstruktion bunker, as well as two wells and an underground ventilation system. The materials used, mainly reinforced concrete, reflect the construction standards of the Todt Organisation. Today, the GPS location of the site remains approximate (accuracy estimated at 5/10), and its visit can be restricted due to the risks associated with the condemned galleries.

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