
History of the site
In 1943, General Richter, commanding the 716th German Infantry Division, stationed in Normandy to defend the coast, decided to provide his unit with an underground command post to supervise the operations in the event of an invasion.
The site chosen was a former stone quarry located northwest of Caen. Workers of Organization Todt dug a 70-meter long and 3-meter high tunnel in the limestone. With its coalface back to the sea and the thickness of the rock, the structure was well protected from bombardments. The construction was completed late 1943.
It is in this bunker that on June 7, 1944 General Marcks and the commanders of units stationed in the sector, met to attempt and set up a counter-attack capable of pushing the Allies back to the sea. This command bunker is therefore an exceptional patrimonial element of the Battle of Normandy. This is why the Caen Mémorial Museum opened it to the public in all its historical truth and dimension, thus enabling it to be part of the on-site museums.