“Watch out for a shot!” Three ! Two ! A ! Fire ! » Six Civil Security deminers have just “fired” several thousand shells a stone's throw from the Coubre lighthouse located in La Tremblade (Charente-Maritime). These anti-aircraft munitions were discovered nearby, in June 2023, by a father and his son during the exploration of an old bunker called “M145”.
Used by the German army during the Second World War, this ammunition reserve adjoins the current departmental road 25 which runs along the wild coast and up to the La Palmyre zoo. Nearly 5,000 small caliber shells have since been counted there by deminers from La Rochelle, assisted by colleagues from Bordeaux and Brest. “The Germans blew up this ammunition bunker before their departure. But not all the shells have been destroyed, it remains dangerous,” explains Claude Clares, head of the mine clearance center in La Rochelle.
These anti-aircraft munitions were discovered in June 2023, by a father and his son during the exploration of an old bunker called “M145”. LP/Fabien Paillot
Numerous military remains
For several days, these munitions packed with explosives were sorted by these deminers, by hand and sometimes on the ground, under the reinforced concrete blocks. All were then transported to the beach under the guard of the gendarmerie and municipal police officers. These shells were then buried up to 3 m deep.
To “start the material” and ensure their destruction, the deminers used old anti-tank mines discarded by the French army. An explosive as malleable as plasticine was also added to guarantee the total dislocation of this weapon. Discovering such quantities of ammunition remains a relatively common affair in Charente-Maritime and more widely on the Atlantic coast full of military remains. Civil Security deminers carried out a similar operation in 2016, lasting almost a week, on the island of Oléron. Property of the National Forestry Office (ONF) which manages the Coubre forest massif, the “M145” bunker will be permanently walled up at the end of this decontamination campaign.