Thanks Geo, glad you're enjoying it, and there's quite a bit of Canadian "stuff" to come, later in the tour.
Moving from the hangar, back outside, and some more views of the battery positions, and a few inside a casemate.
Regrettably, I wasn't able to reach a few areas outside, due to the terrain and my mobility scooter's limited traction/ground clearance, as well as the battery drain, so I've had to rely on images provided by Karl (thanks mate).
Similarly, access to the interior of the casemates was impossible, due to narrow doors and corridors, and a number of steps, and, at the time, there was no way I could have managed it on my feet, so, once again, the pics are from Karl, and I think he might post a few more.
Pic 1. Open gun post, and underground shelter. The mesh over entrance would have been covered with grass/scrub/foliage, acting as camouflage against view from the air. (note that the gun displayed is a British 25 pdr field gun).
Pic 2. Ready-use ammo store on the edge of the platform.
Pic 3. The front of one of the casemates, showing the gun embrasure.
Pic 4. Another view of the open gun platform, with connecting trenches, again with mesh for camouflage.
Pic 5. Inscriptions in the concrete gun plinth in the centre of the open platform.
Pics 6 to 8. Inside the casemate, with British Paras (Karl can maybe explain the scenes).
Pic 9. Diagram of the casemate layout with Skoda 100mm artillery piece.
Pic 10. Scene inside the gun chamber, with the crew operating the Skoda 100mm gun. There is a "live" presentation in here, using sound, light, special effects and smoke, simulating the casemate under shell fire, and the German gun also firing. The darkened "embrasure" shown, in front of the gun, is actually a cinema screen, where realistic effects are projected.
I've only seen a video of this, but I think it would be quite effective when experienced inside the casemate, and maybe Karl can comment on this.
That's it for tonight, but, once Karl has posted any further pictures, I'll wrap up this section, and move on to 6th Airborne involvement around Ranville, before commencing coverage of the seaborne landings, starting with Ouistreham.