Guernsey World War II German bunker opened at Cobo

The plans for the bunker at Cobo show the structure's features

A Guernsey history group has explored a World War II German bunker believed to have been untouched since 1947.

Festung Guernsey entered the structure at Cobo in January 2012 and were able to locate part of a weapon mount.

The bunker on the west coast of the island was found to be flooded and empty of any other equipment, although some stencils and fittings were found.

Ian Brehaut, of Festung Guernsey, said: "As yet we've never really found an Aladdin's Cave."

He said of the find at Cobo: "It's that excitement of opening up a bunker you know nobody's been in and there's the possibility of finding little bits and pieces."

Mr Brehaut said the bunker yielded a part of a barrel adapter of a machine gun that had once been mounted there.

He said the original structure had "a large armoured turret" at the front of the bunker with two heavy machine guns attached, and weighed in the region of 47 tonnes.

This was destroyed by scrap metal merchants after the war ended.

Mr Brehaut said Festung Guernsey had a similar gun mount on which the piece that was found could be displayed.

He said this may eventually end up on display in an identical bunker at Fort Hommet.

Festung Guernsey has documented a number of World War II fortifications around Guernsey.

Mr Brehaut said: "We're running out of sites to do, but there are one or two that still haven't been opened, so we'll wait and see."