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All French heritage classified by regions, departments and cities

  2. Divers
  3. Normandie
  4. Calvados
  5. 14440 Douvres-la-Délivrande

  6. Radar station

Radar station à Douvres-la-Délivrande dans le Calvados

Calvados

Radar station

    7003 Route de Basly
    14440 Douvres-la-Délivrande
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Station radar
Crédit photo : Kaiser 16 - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
1942
Construction by the organization Todt
6 juin 1944
Neutralisation during Disembarkation
17 juin 1944
Taken by the Allies
1994
Opening of the Radar Museum
10 juin 2014
Partial classification at Historic Monuments
mars 2016
Storm damaging antenna
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

The following elements of the radar station in total: soils, visible or buried archaeological remains, bunkers, excluding radars and buildings designed for the reception of tourists located on the site of the Radar Museum on Parcel ZL 21 and constructions carried out for equestrian activity located on Parcel ZL 20 (Box ZK 25, 26, place called the Blackheads, 28 to 30, 84, place called the Bruyères); ZL 19, 20, 22, place-dite le Tronquet, 21, route de Basly; ZO 3 to 8, place-dite le Tronquet, 15, place-dite le Clos Jacquet, 28, 31 to 34, place-dite le Buissonnet): inscription by order of 10 June 2014

Key figures

Organisation Todt - Builder of the complex Head of work in 1942.
Prisonniers de guerre allemands - Post-war mine clearance Responsible for securing the site until 1950.
Ancien(s) combattant(s) local(aux) - Initiators of preservation At the origin of the purchase of 3 hectares.

Origin and history

The Dover-la-Delivrande radar station was erected by Todt from 1942, within the framework of the Atlantic Wall. Located on 35 hectares west of the commune, it housed some 30 bunkers and five radars, capable of detecting allied aircraft as soon as they took off from the British coast. Its strategic location on the Côte de Nacre made it a key post for German surveillance and defence, with 150 soldiers assigned to its protection.

During the Disembarkation of June 6, 1944, the Allies scrambled its systems to neutralize it, before taking hold of it on June 17 after several assaults. After the war, the site was cleared by German prisoners, although risks persisted until 1950. Reintroduced into culture, it was partially preserved by the action of veterans, leading to the creation of the Radar Museum in 1994, which now exhibits a restored Würzburg radar, native to Holland.

Since 1994, the museum has known several managers: the Caen Memorial (1994-2006 and since 2014), the town hall of Dover-la-Dévelinde (2006-2014), and the Friends of the Radar Museum since 2020. In 2016, a storm damaged the radar antenna, since repaired. The site, partially classified as a historical monument in 2014 (bunkers, soils and archaeological remains), remains a major testimony of the Second World War in Normandy.

The complex was divided into two distinct areas according to the range of radars, protected by mines, barbed wire and artillery. Today, out of the initial 35 hectares, 3 hectares are dedicated to the museum, which welcomes visitors from Easter holidays to Toussaint. Protected elements include bunkers and remains, excluding modern tourist infrastructure.

External links

Page Wikipedia
Page Monumentum