Bunker on Salée beach

Located, as its name suggests, on Plage de la Salée, what today looks like an observation post is in fact a former construction dating back to the island's Occupation from 1940 to 1945. Known as the ELLA battery at the time, the German position was strategic, offering its soldiers a decisive vantage point on the route taken by ships bound for La Pallice, the port of La Rochelle and home to its submarine base.
This position was shared by Sainte-Marie and the GERDA battery on the Grenettes spot to the west of the village. On this site, two particularities rarely found on other German sites would appear: a water tower, which other positions would also have, although it is possible that it was never really used due to poor drilling, it is said. A swimming pool was also built, which seems to have been a special feature of this occupation post.
However, don't look for the famous swimming pool or even the water tower - they've now disappeared.