The former German World War II positions in Port-Vendres, in southern France

Following the occupation of France in May 1940, Nazi Germany initiated an ambitious project of coastal fortifications.

The defenses of Point Judith and the last naval battle of a German submarine
A well preserved German bunker with a French cannon located on a British island

The most famous part of that project is the Atlantic Wall (Atlantikwall in German), which was the French section of a very long line of fortifications stretching as far as northern Norway. In southern France, between the borders with Spain and Italy, the Third Reich built the Southern Wall (Südwall in German), also called the Mediterranean Wall, whose construction took place between 1943 and 1945. When the Allies landed in southeastern France on August 15, 1944, in Operation Dragoon, this defensive wall consisted of some 500 fortified blocks and another 200 under construction.

The always interesting YouTube channel Aventuras Entresierras (which I recommend you subscribe to) has published a video today exploring the old German positions in Port-Vendres, in southern France, very close to the border with Spain. The German defenses in that town were divided into two groups: Lgs 033 at Môle Est and Lgs 039 at Fort de La Mauresque, a former 19th-century French coastal position (the video is in Spanish; you can activate automatic English subtitles in the bottom bar of the player):

You can see some screenshots from this excellent video here. We start with a coastal artillery position at Lgs 033 on Môle Est, the so-called Karine Battery, now disarmed and sadly vandalized:

The ever-intrepid Alfred on the telemetry bunker of the LGS 033. Unfortunately, the bunker is in ruins, vandalized, and with one of its overhangs already collapsed.

An old German position deliberately destroyed. In addition to vandalism, this old German battery shows clear signs of having been partially buried, at least at its entrances.

Fort de La Mauresque (Moor's Fort), north of Port-Vendres. Originally a French military position where a coastal battery was installed between 1841 and 1848, it was used by the Germans during World War II. It was declared a historical monument in 1992, although you'd never guess it from its current appearance...