Kerbonn is a village in the commune of Camaret-sur-Mer

Camaret-sur-Mer

Camaret-sur-Mer is a commune in the Finistère department in northwestern France, located at the end of Crozon peninsula.-Sights:Camaret-sur-Mer is home to the Tour Vauban or Tour dorée , a historic fortification guarding the harbor and built in 1669-94...

 in France, between the pointe de Pen-Hir

Pointe de Pen-Hir

The pointe de Pen-Hir is a promontory of the Crozon peninsula in Brittany, to the south-west of Camaret-sur-Mer. On a clear day there are views to the Pointe du Raz and the islands of Sein and Ouessant and to Pointe Saint-Mathieu...

 and the pointe du Toulinguet

Pointe du Toulinguet

The Pointe du Toulinguet is a promontory at the end of the Crozon peninsula in the commune of Camaret-sur-Mer in France.Its known fortifications include a prehistoric fortified site, as well as a lower battery by Vauban...

, on the Crozon

Crozon

Crozon is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.Crozon is located on the Crozon peninsula on the west coast of Finistère. It is bordered by the communes of Camaret-sur-Mer to the west, Roscanvel to the northwest, Lanvéoc to the north, Landévennec to the...

 peninsula. As well as its fortifications, the site also houses the ruins of the manor of Coecilian.

Kerbonn batteries

Kerbonn's many fortifications form part of the defences of the goulet de Brest

Goulet de Brest

The Goulet de Brest is a 3 km long strait linking the roadstead of Brest to the Atlantic Ocean. Only 1.8 km wide, it is situated between the Pointe du Petit Minou and the Pointe du Portzic to the north and the îlot des Capucins and the Pointe des Espagnols to the south.At each turn of...

. The first fortification on the site is a mortar

Mortar (weapon)

A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....

 battery dating to 1889-1891, with its underground magazine. The Fort de Kerbonn is a side battery, designed to fire on ships in the roadstead of Brest

Roadstead of Brest

The roadstead of Brest is a roadstead or bay located in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. The surface area is about 180 km² . The port of Brest is located on its northern edge and one of the two French naval bases...

. Another French battery was built in 1932, and between 1942 and 1944 the Germans built four casemate

Casemate

A casemate, sometimes rendered casement, is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired. originally a vaulted chamber in a fortress.-Origin of the term:...

s on the site to house French 164mm guns, 6 air-raid shelters, one fire-direction post and three anti-aircraft-gun positions. One of these German casemates now houses a memorial to the Battle of the Atlantic.

External links

• Position de Kerbonn (inventaire général)
• Batteries of Kerbonn (photos)
• Manor of Coecilian (photos)