German Guns Outlasted the Naval Task Force at Utah. Pvt Riley's Flamethrower Cracked the Bunker.
114 views · Sep 27, 2026 · Education
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@WW2-Vanguard · 3 days ago · pinned
ENGAGEMENT FILE - the Azeville battery<br><br>The battery: Azeville, four concrete casemates with 105mm guns, about 3 miles inland of Utah Beach. (Utah Beach to Cherbourg, US Army 1947)<br><br>The garrison: 2nd Company, Coastal Artillery Regiment 1261, run day to day by Oberleutnant Hans Kattnig. (Wikipedia, Azeville battery)<br><br>The fleet: USS Nevada fired on Azeville June 6-8; a 14-inch shell went through Casemate 4 and was found unexploded in 1994. (Lundgren, navweaps.com)<br><br>Failed attacks: The 22nd Infantry was driven back from Azeville on June 7 and June 8. (Utah Beach to Cherbourg, US Army 1947)<br><br>The run: June 9, 1944: Pvt Ralph G. Riley, Company I, 22nd Infantry, ran 75 yards under fire with the last flamethrower. (Utah Beach to Cherbourg, US Army 1947)<br><br>The match: His igniter failed, so he lit the fuel with a match and aimed at the base of the rear door. (Utah Beach to Cherbourg, US Army 1947)<br><br>Why it worked: The main magazine was never stocked, so the shells sat inside the casemates beside the guns. (batterie-azeville.manche.fr)<br><br>The surrender: Ammunition inside exploded; Kattnig surrendered all four casemates and 169 men that afternoon. (Utah Beach to Cherbourg, US Army 1947)
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