This historic island stands just 1km off the coast of Saint-Vaast-la-Hogue on the Cotentin peninsula and can be visited via a regular ferry service from the mainland. At extremely low summer tides you can walk across the island along a sunken pathway through the mussel and oyster beds.
Ile Tatihou has had a chequered past, originally named by Viking invaders, it has been the location of fierce battles between the England and French in 1692, a quarantine island for plague victims from 1720, and saw the establishment of a large French fort around 1756 – some of which survives today.
Following the capture of France by German forces in 1940, the island was fortified once more, this time with gun bunkers and emplacements to repel Allied landings.
Surrounding the Vauban fort and tower in the south east you can find a series of defensive bunkers which formed Strongpoint Stp112.
These include machine gun posts and Tobruks, a R680 gun casemate, a R612 casemate for a 7.5cm field cannon, an open emplacement for a 5cm KwK anti-tank gun, and a Vf69 mortar bunker.
Near to the R680 is a small concrete build where a signal lamp was positioned to communicate with naval vessels using the port at Saint-Vaast.
Ile Tatihou is now an ornithological reserve and museum site and is a must-visit on any trip to the area.