The German Radar Station <i>La</i> 318 <i>Frosch</i>

Abstract

It is common opinion that WWII was characterised by small and great air, land and sea battles. This is true, but it ignores the role played by installations of advanced technology for collecting information about the enemy intentions. The German support point La 318 Frosch (Frog) at Cap Fréhel (Plévenon) near Saint Malo (Brittany-FR) is one of the best examples. Built among precedent military and civilian French signal components, it hosted sophisticated surveillance components. The visits conducted on the site, permitted to identify La 318 components, to determine their preservation state at about eighty years from the end of the WWII and to proceed to the components reconstruction.

The German Radar Stations at the Pointe Du Raz (FR)

“…A 2 × 1 m open cistern (48˚2'19.78"N, 4˚43'54.24"W, h. 69.32 m) (24) at the south west corner of the parking, at 50 m from the L 409 A ( 22) and at 15 m from the RS 58c (23), similar to those observed at Be-2 at Mont Saint Michel de Braspart (Tomezzoli & Dupont, 2011) and at La 318 (Tomezzoli & Moser, 2021).…”

“…The Pointe radar stations repeat the same dual organisation of the radar station LA 318 (Tomezzoli & Moser, 2021) and RE 510 (Tomezzoli & Colliou, 2017) consisting in separated radar stations operated respectively by the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe. They repeat also the same architecture of La 318, Re 510, the radar station Mandrill at Monterfil (Dupont et al, 2007) and the radar station Made at Les Mées (Tomezzoli & Pottier, 2015) consisting of two Freya and two Würzburg-Riese.…”

“…The Qu 500 identified components (Figures 4-9) were the following. An L 479 Anton (48˚2'18.24"N, 4˚43'5.86"W, h. 69.16 m) (1) (Appendix Figure A1 and Figure A2) for night-fighter control, similar to those of LA 318 Frosch at Cap Fréhel (Tomezzoli & Moser, 2021), of Re 510 Pinguin at Saint-Pabu-Le Bous (Tomezzoli & Colliou, 2017, 2018 and of Saint-Jacques de la Lande (Dupont et al, 2007). The terrain and vegetation coverage precluded access to the entrances and the interior.…”

“…A 6.20 in diam., 2.40 m high (Blanchard, 2021), cylindrical stone construction (48˚2'19.78"N, 4˚43'8.32"W, h. 69.03 m) (20) as a Middle Ages one, for Freya, similar to that of LA 318 (Tomezzoli & Moser, 2021). It comprised a double external wall provided with personnel, labyrinth entrance and a material entrance.…”

The German <i>Stutzpunkt</i> Kerloich (Le Conquet-FR)

“…The ditch is not visible on post WWII French air reconnaissance images. Therefore, it is not possible to assume that it could have had the functions of either hosting and protecting one or more shacks for personnel lodgement as those at Cap Fréhel (Tomezzoli & Moser, 2021), Qu 500 and Qu 13 at the Pointe du Raz (Tomezzoli, 2021), on the Menez Hom (Tomezzoli, 2017a) and at Flescou (Tomezzoli, 2022) or be a pool as those at Murs Érigné (Tomezzoli, 2016) and at the Domaine de Pignerolle (Tomezzoli, 2019) for providing relax to the personnel in service and water in case of fire to the devices of the Stp. Mr Clochon is of the opinion that it was excavated after the WWII for providing water in case of fire at the buildings of the after WWII Radio Conquet components.…”