Erika II electric radio station à Saint-Pierre-Église dans la Manche

Timeline

Origin and history

The Erika II electric radio station, located in Saint-Pierre-Eglise (Manche), was integrated into the Wn 158 resistance nest during the Second World War. Operational as early as 1941, it formed with its binocular of Boulogne-sur-Mer (Erika I) a nocturnal radio navigation system designed to guide German bombers towards England. However, the system was neutralized by the British and replaced by the Bernhard system. The site, consisting of six operating shelters (SK/Sonderbau) and three factory shelters (Sk/Maschinenstand), housed transmitter antennas powered by generators. Its defence was provided by two anti-aircraft batteries, while the barracks were based on wooden barracks that had now disappeared.

Technical equipment was destroyed prior to the Liberation and ironed metals, but architectural remains (shelters, land plates) remain in a remarkable state of conservation. The site, classified as Historic Monument by decree of 22 October 2024, covers 11 cadastral plots (section C 01) and includes archaeological remains buried or in elevation. Although technical infrastructure has disappeared, the provision of shelters and their integration into the Normandy coastal landscape is a unique example of German military strategies during the conflict.

The Erika II station illustrates Nazi technological innovation in electronic warfare, as well as the allied countermeasures that limited its effectiveness. Its location in Saint-Pierre-Eglise, close to the English coast, highlighted its key role in air operations against the United Kingdom. Today, the site offers educational and memory potential to understand the challenges of the Second World War battle.

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