Les Monts N49 35.657 W001 42.002 Map 1210E
Les Monts is one of a series of German anti aircraft emplacements that ringed
the port of Cherbourg.
Les Monts is situated near the village of Sideville to the south of Cherbourg.
These sites at the rear of the port were place here to defend the many V1 sites
in the area from aerial bombardment.
It is also very difficult to find the original usage of the site, it was
obviously an old French Military site before the occupation, possible for a
battery to protect the landward side of the city.
It would seem that the Germans used the original buildings and then installed
six anti aircraft guns of 88 mm, Flak 18, and possibly a radar on the hill.
There are three anti aircraft emplacements visible, but the three others could
have disappeared as the area has been used for tipping.
There is a fourth emplacement that could have been a Freya type radar,
which sometimes was housed in a square enclosure.
The main gate is a typically French Military entrance and in the small yard
there are bunkers with fortified doors that date from the 1930's.
It would seem reasonable to assume that the Germans used these bunkers to store
ammunition and no other storage is today visible on the site.
Just across the road from the site are French concrete anti tank obstacles,
possibly in their original position.
The German version are called "Dragons Teeth"
The site was overrun by the 39th Regiment of the 9th Division on June 22nd.
There were similar sites at Flottemanville, Nouaineville, Octeville, Maupertus,
Belleview, Tonneville,
La Glacerie, La Croix Fresville, Equeurdreville and aux Milles.
The latter were placed in the open at Les Flamands.
