Cuckmere Haven defences
Posted: 4 October 2006 23:12
On 10 September I rode out to Cuckmere Haven again to take another look at the western side of the river.
After a precarious walk along the concrete sea wall, I found the remains of some anti-tank cubes amongst the rocks and other debris at the base of the cliff; one can be seen lying on its side in the centre of the photograph.
I then went up on the cliffs above this point where I could fully appreciate the landscape from a military point of view.
The photo above shows the importance of the Haven; a flat, wide gap in the chalk cliffs that made it an ideal landing place. The 45 Division Defence Scheme notes that the beach was "Very good at all states of tide" for barges of up to 10 feet draught, while for "craft likely to be used for carrying tanks", it was "suitable", with destroyers able to close to about ¾ mile.
Pretty good for those wanting stunning scenery too...
- Pete
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Cubes
Anti-tanks blocks, popularly known as dragon's teeth. Not to be confused with smaller blocks known as pimples, cubes can be upwards of 1m square. Many examples in Sussex have apexes or chamfered edges, leading to them being incorrectly recorded as coffins.
Defence scheme
A military plan of defence for a specified area. Defence Schemes were issued at numerous levels. Defence Schemes were later known as Plans to Defeat Invasion on the orders of General Montgomery.
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Hibbs, Peter Cuckmere Haven defences (2024) Available at: http://pillbox.org.uk/blog/216504/ Accessed: 24 April 2024
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