The Crisbecq Battery, also called Marcouf Battery, was a World War II artillery battery constructed by the Todt Organization near the French village of Saint-Marcouf in the department of Manche in the north-east of Cotentin peninsula in Normandy. It formed a part of Germany's Atlantic Wall coastal fortifications.
The main armament were three Czech 21 cm Kanone 39 canons, two of which housed in heavily fortified casemates. The Battery, with a range of 27–33 kilometers (17–21 miles), could cover the beaches between Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue and Pointe du Hoc. Prior to the Invasion of Normandy, the battery was subject to frequent aerial bombardments but it was still operational on D-Day, 6 June 1944. On this day, the battery was engaged in combat with the Allied naval and landing forces on Utah Beach.
During the course of the battle, it sank the USS Corry and damaged several other ships. The battery came under attack from the American 4th Infantry Division on 7 June. Under the leadership of Walter Ohmsen, the crew of the battery defended itself until 11 June. On 12 June, soldiers of the 9th Infantry Division, started their attack but found only an empty evacuated battery. Wiki.
