WN 61 - Vf221/223 Ringstand Tobruk

This Ringstand Tobruk bunker formed part of Widerstandsnest 61, a key defensive position during the Omaha Beach landings on 6 June 1944. Its exact type remains uncertain, though it may have been either a Vf221 or a Vf223

The Vf221 was specifically designed as a mortar Tobruk. It housed a crew of two or three men, with a small underground chamber for shelter and ammunition storage, and an open shaft where a light or medium mortar, such as the 5 cm GrW 36 or the 8 cm GrW 34, could be mounted. Its purpose was to provide indirect fire support, lobbing shells into landing zones or suppressing advancing infantry. These bunkers were often positioned slightly behind the frontline, so that their fire could arc over dunes, seawalls, or obstacles onto the beaches below.

The Vf223, by contrast, was a machine-gun Tobruk with an attached shelter. It combined the small open fighting position with a larger underground space that could accommodate six to eight men. This made it not only a firing point but also a miniature garrison bunker, capable of housing a squad. The Tobruk shaft was usually armed with an MG34 or MG42, sometimes even fitted with a small armored turret. The Vf223 could also serve as a command or observation post, depending on its placement. Its role was direct fire: sweeping beaches, minefields, and wire entanglements with machine-gun fire, while the shelter allowed the crew to survive bombardments and continue fighting.

Both types were compact, typically around 3.7 meters long, 2.4 meters wide, and 2.75 meters deep, with walls of about a meter of reinforced concrete. They were often camouflaged with sand, vegetation, or even disguised as civilian structures. Their small size made them difficult to spot and destroy, yet they could inflict heavy casualties on attackers.

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Source

• Text: TracesofWar
• Photos: TracesofWar