Les Blockhaus

Ponte Saint-Gildas: a military past not to be missed Pointe Saint-Gildas, located in the commune of Préfailles, became a military site in 1937, co-owned by the French Navy. The Navy took up position there, installing 105 mm cannons and a command post. On June 18, 1940, before the arrival of the Germans in the Second World War, the French military sabotaged the cannons and left. The Germans arrived on June 21, but really took possession of the Pointe in August 1940. The whole of Pointe Saint-Gildas formed an entrenched camp, access to which was barred by minefields and barbed wire. The perimeter was known as the "Batterie de la Pointe Saint-Gildas", and was manned by around a hundred soldiers. During the Second World War, blockhouses were built on Pointe Saint-Gildas, with their cannons pointed out to sea. They formed part of the Atlantic Wall. On one of the blockhouses, the one closest to the Pointe parking lot, irons are sticking out. A little further back, in a small valley at La Raize, two 240 mm cannons were hidden. The whole was protected by barbed wire and mines. This was, in fact, an important stronghold in the German defense of the entrance to the Loire estuary; its replica on the other bank is Fort d'Eve. The strategic vocation of Pointe Saint-Gildas predates the 2nd World War, since from the 17th to the 19th centuries, two batteries defended the coast here. These were armed with naval guns on a wooden mount, with ramparts built of earth and dry stone. The little plus : Discover the site's blockhouses by following the Pointe Saint-Gildas hiking trail or by following the Les défenses de la côte heritage trail. Did you know? You can explore the history of the Poche de Saint-Nazaire, an authentic command post of the Atlantic Wall in the département, at Batz-sur-Mer, with the Grand Blockhaus.