Standing before the Poste de Direction de tir M162A, let me tell you a story of Marseille. It is a story of occupation and resistance. It is about a city fortified and a coast under siege. This very site echoes with the past. It stands as a silent witness to a time of turmoil.
During World War II, Marseille became a crucial port. It was the Germans’ main access point in the Mediterranean. From November 1942 to August 1944, the city was under German control. It became a key part of the German South Wall. The Germans heavily fortified Marseille with gun batteries and air defenses.
In early 1943, the Germans took drastic action. They blew up part of the Vieux Port district. They believed it was a stronghold of the French Resistance. The Germans aimed to crush any potential uprising. They also started building a large U-boat bunker in the port. This bunker was codenamed Martha. It was intended to become the Germans’ main U-boat base. It was designed to accommodate up to 20 U-boats.
Just offshore from Marseille lie the Iles du Frioul archipelago. Here, the Germans built two gun batteries. One battery had six 155 mm guns. The other had four 155 mm guns. All were mounted in pillboxes. A fire control post coordinated their fire. An additional battery of four 240 mm guns was also planned. The islands already had several French naval gun batteries.
The Allied forces struck back. On May 27, 1944, Marseille was bombed by the Americans. On August 14, the Allied invasion force came ashore southeast of the city. The advance against Marseille went quickly. On August 24, the American cruiser USS Nevada bombarded the area. Over the next three days, American bombers dropped over 50 tonnes of bombs on the Iles du Frioul.
The Germans in Marseille eventually capitulated. They surrendered on August 28, 1944, to French forces. The Iles du Frioul surrendered the day after. The U-boat bunker Martha was never completed. Today, only the garage portion of the bunker has been preserved.
The story is told differently by the French. They say the Germans feared the local mob. They believed the mob would become uncontrollable at the first sight of an Allied ship. The Germans planned to destroy the whole old city. This included mainly the port and docks district. However, the French police cooperated. They cleaned out the mafia-controlled quarters of Marseille. Thus, the Germans only destroyed a small part of the Vieux Port. Legend says Hitler himself called Marseille a “cancer” of Europe.
Today, the Poste de Direction de tir M162A stands as a reminder. It is a testament to Marseille’s resilience. It also symbolizes the strategic importance of this coastal city during World War II. It is a place where history whispers and echoes of the past resonate.