Help identify artillery bunkers in Lithuania

banditaz · #1

Hello.

If you can, please, help me identify battery bunkers in Lithuania, Klaipeda, near the Baltic Sea. What type of it and used guns (if you can).
Klaipeda was occupied in March 23th, 1939 without resistance. Germans built those batteries along the coast about in 1943.
So, here are a few photos from one of these (other are wery similar).

http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/1.jpg
http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/2.jpg

http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/3.jpg
http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/4.jpg

http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/5.jpg

http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/6.jpg (very different from others)

Panoramic view
http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/7pan.jpg
http://www.bandito.landyne.com/foto/battery/8pan.jpg

Artillery positions are for different guns, but you may have information about fortifications in Lithuania.

Thank you for your help![/url]

jopaerya · #2

Hi Banditaz

Photo 3-4-5-7 are from Marine Flak batterie ,
you would made me a very happy man ,
if you can help me with a drawing of these
bunkers .

M.Fl.A. 218 (Memel)
Fl.Flak Abteilungen hatten zusammen
Batterie Förster
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Schweisbrücken
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Pochhammer (ostlich Petroschen)
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Tauerlauken
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Döllen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Goltzhöfen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Strandhalle
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Jachmann
Bewaffnung: 4-7,5
Batterie Mellneraggen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32

Regards Jos

banditaz · #3

For now I have only those photos, in a month I'll try to take the fotos of all batteries I know near Klaipeda (Memel). Just wait a little bit

(Perhaps you can help and say what equipment was in Marine Flak battery? I know only that there was two antiaircraft guns)

Most of titles in your list I dont understand, because they are german. I only understood "Batterie Mellneraggen". And as I know, there aren't so much batteries (maybe they were destroyed completely).

Here are Marine Falk battery from "google maps".

Here - google maps from Melnerage (Mellneraggen).

Photos of baterry near, we call it, Giruliai town. It has 9 buildings. May be you can identify it? Also Here, second post from bottom, but photos was taken with mobile phone.

M.Fl.A. 218 (Memel)
Fl.Flak Abteilungen hatten zusammen

Have location details?

P.S. Is this german bunkers, or soviets?

Heimatschuss · #4

Hello to both of you,

got myself a map of the Memel area from this source http://www.ostpreussenheimat.de/03-date ... O-SP0.html and marked the flak emplacementes from Jos's list as best as I could.
Jos, there seem to be a number of spelling errors in your list.

M.Fl.A. 218 (Memel)
Fl.Flak Abteilungen hatten zusammen
Batterie Förster
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Schweisbrücken
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Pochhammer (ostlich Petroschen)
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Tauerlauken
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Döllen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Goltzhöfen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Strandhalle
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Jachmann
Bewaffnung: 4-7,5
Batterie Mellneraggen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32

Förster: presumably Seebad-Försterei
Schweisbrücken: presumably Schweinsrücken
Pochhammer (ostlich Petroschen) : presumably östl. Petraschen
'Tauerlauken: o.k.
Döllen: presumably Löllen
Goltzhöfen: presumably Götzhöfen
Strandhalle: presumably Sandkrug-Strandhalle (There was a Strandhalle at Sandkrug according to http://www.memelland-adm.de/Bilder/Ansi ... ite59.html )
Jachmann: presumably Bachmann
Mellneraggen: o.k.

Corrected locations form a nice air defence ring around Memel (see attachment). Battery Strandhalle is missing on my map due to unclear location.

For banditaz to explain Jos' list to you:
Batterie Mellneraggen (location of battery)
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32 (armament: 4 pieces of 10.5 cm guns, S.K.C/32 (specific gun type)).

Most of titles in your list I dont understand, because they are german. I only understood "Batterie Mellneraggen". And as I know, there aren't so much batteries (maybe they were destroyed completely).

Most flak emplacements were destroyed after the war because they were obstacles to farming or construction projects. Also not anything was built in concrete. Those made form earth/wood just rotted away in post-war years even without human interference.

Here are Marine Falk battery from "google maps".

That should be the position of the Schweinsrücken battery.

Photos of baterry near, we call it, Giruliai town. It has 9 buildings. May be you can identify it? Also Here, second post from bottom, but photos was taken with mobile phone.

The German name for Girulai is Seebad-Försterei (see above).

Best regards
Torsten

KaiserChief · #5

The structure on pic. 6.jpg looks like a bunker for a tank turret.
Doesn´t it?

V.

jopaerya · #6

Hi Heimatschuss

Thanks for the corrections , I have this from a German report
( very bad to read ) I changes the names is this correct ?

M.Fl.A. 218 (Memel)
Fl.Flak Abteilungen hatten zusammen
Batterie Försterei
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Schweinsrücken
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Pochhammer (ostlich Petraschen)
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Tauerlauken
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Löllen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Götzhöfen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Strandhalle
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Bachmann
Bewaffnung: 4-7,5
Batterie Mellneraggen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32

I have a 2 other quistions , one about a Marinebatterie ,
the name is Hirschwiese with 4 x 15 cm S.K.C/28 near Memel?
and do you have information about bunkers at former Pillau ?

Regards Jos

jopaerya · #7

Hi All

The round concrete forms look like "Kochstande"
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... light=koch

Regards Jos

Heimatschuss · #8

Hi Jos,

the list of emplacements looks fine to me now but I'm talking from a geographer's point of view only, not as an expert on german fortifications.

I have a 2 other quistions , one about a Marinebatterie ,
the name is Hirschwiese with 4 x 15 cm S.K.C/28 near Memel?
and do you have information about bunkers at former Pillau ?

The only Hirschwiese location Google gave me must be in the vicinity of Schwarzort (Lithuanian: Juodkrante) on the Kurische Nehrung (Curonian Sand Spit). Schwarzort is about 20 km south of Memel (Klaipeda).
This source http://www.pgm.lt/Gintaras/elerto.en.htm mentions it as one of the amber collecting claims on the Curonian Sand Spit in the 17th century.

Regarding Pillau I don't have an information, sorry.

Best regards
Torsten

S_haule · #9

Dear Friends,

I remember that an article was published few years ago in IBA Informationen about a German coastal battery build in North of Memel.

Regards,

Sébastien

banditaz · #10

Thanks Heimatschuss and jopaerya for information!

Now I will ask a few more questions.

Firstly, I edited map MEMEL-Flak1.jpg and signed locations of batteries I know. Others might be destroyed.
Here's the map

And first question: what battery is marked in "quoestion marks"? I found it located on orientation sport map. Here's that map. I haven't visited it yet.

Also, in "Batterie Schweinsrücken" you can see pink dot. It's not marked artillery position (looks like photo '6.jpg'. There are two of these).

So, second question: why it is written, that in "Batterie Schweinsrücken" there are only 4 guns, if there is 5 + 2 (those two different) artillery positions?

Thanks for your patience.

P.S. S_haule, can you find it (I think this is stupid question)?

jopaerya · #11

Hi All

Just found the location from Strandhalle in the book Artillerie in Küstenkampf ,
it's near the top of the Nehrung .

The Marine Flakbatterie with the ???? is the M.F.B. Bachmann with 4 x 7,5 cm flak

The batterie Schweinsrücken was first equipt with 8.8 cm or 10.5 cm guns later in the
war the gun were changes for 12.8 cm guns , the problem is these 12.8 cm don't fit in
the old 10.5 bettungen , so the Kriegsmarine build new bettungen for these 12.8 cm guns .

Thanks Torsten for your help on the names of the towns .

Regards Jos

banditaz · #12

The batterie Schweinsrücken was first equipt with 8.8 cm or 10.5 cm guns later in the
war the gun were changes for 12.8 cm guns , the problem is these 12.8 cm don't fit in
the old 10.5 bettungen , so the Kriegsmarine build new bettungen for these 12.8 cm guns .

Yes, interesting. I got information, that there was only two antiaircraft guns, 3 some kind of 155 mm and 2 of 209 mm, but as I see, caliber doesn't exist.

(P.S. I'm preparing to write a little article about those batteries, so I need very correct info...)

jopaerya · #13

Hello All

Here the drawing from Memel
from H von Harnier's book .

Regards Jos

Heimatschuss · #14

Hello Jos,

some further remarks on your list

M.Fl.A. 218 (Memel)
Fl.Flak Abteilungen hatten zusammen
Batterie Försterei
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Schweinsrücken
Bewaffnung: 4-12,8 Flak M 40
Batterie Pochhammer (ostlich Petraschen)
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Tauerlauken
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Löllen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Götzhöfen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Strandhalle
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32
Batterie Bachmann
Bewaffnung: 4-7,5
Batterie Mellneraggen
Bewaffnung: 4-10,5 S.K.C/32

A Marine-Flak-Abteilung 218 (M.Fl.A. 218) did not exist. It had been planned to set it up but all men and equipment ended up in M.Fl.A.217 (see below)

Marine-Flak-Abteilung 217
Aufgestellt im September 1939 in Memel und schon im Oktober 1939 wieder aufgelöst. Neu aufgestellt im März 1941 in Brockzetel bei Aurich und nach Memel verlegt. Im Dezember 1941 erneut aufgelöst. Zum dritten mal aufgestellt im August 1942 in Zeven bei Bremen und nach Memel verlegt. In den letzten Kriegswochen von Pillau aus eingesetzt.

Kommandeure:
August 1939 Kapitänleutnant Pochhammer
März 1941 Korvettenkapitän M.A. Kosack
Oktober 1941 Korvettenkapitän Dipl.-Ing. Kufner (i.V.)
August 1942 Korvettenkapitän M.A. Ruthenberg

Marine-Flak-Abteilung 218
Die vorgesehene Aufstellung kam praktisch nicht mehr zum Tragen, da der Kommandeur der Marine-Flak-Abteilung 217 auch mit der Aufstellung der Marine-Flak-Abteilung 218 beauftragt war und die Abteilung in die Marine-Flak-Abteilung 217 eingegliedert wurde.

Source:http://www.lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de/Gli ... kAbt-R.htm

I think that "Pochhammer" is not a place name in itself. As displayed above Kpt.lt. Pochhammer had been the first commander of M.Fl.Abt.217. He was killed on board the cruiser 'Blücher' when it sank during the invasion of Norway.
(Look here http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=31048)
Therefore I'm convinced that "Pochhammer" is an honorary name for the flak emplacement east of Petraschen.

Further information on M.Fl.A.217 can be found here:

Marine-Flak-Abteilung 217

Formed 9.39 in Memel (only Stab). Disbanded 10.39. Subordinated to Küstenbefehlshaber östliche Ostsee.

Reformed 3.41 in Aurich for Memel, and moved to Memel 4.41 with 7 companies. Disbanded 12.41 at the companies were divided between Marine-Flak-Abteilung 710 (becoming Stab, 4 and 6/710), 219 (becoming 4 and 6/219), 229 (3./229) and 707 (5. as le. Bttr. Memel). Subordinated to Küstenbefehlshaber östliche Ostsee.

Reformed again 8.42 in Zeven for Memel with 7 companies. 1.45 fought its way back to Pillau, and was disbanded 2.45. Subordinated to Küstenbefehlshaber östliche (later mittlere) Ostsee, and 1944 Seekdt. Ostpreussen.

Source:http://www.feldgrau.com/kmsflakabt.html

Best regards
Torsten

Heimatschuss · #15

Hi Jos,

sorry to contradict you here

The Marine Flakbatterie with the ???? is the M.F.B. Bachmann with 4 x 7,5 cm flak

but Bachmann battery is on the mainland east of Memel so we can rule it out.

In my opinion the emplacement with the four 7,5cm guns is "leichte Flak Batterie Memel", a remnant of M.Fl.A 707.

Marine-Flak-Abteilung 707
Formed 7.41 in Memel(?) with 5 batteries from 5./215, 5./217 and 3./225. Disbanded in early 1942, the Stab became Stab/711, the batteries became independent as Bttr. Memel (leichte and schwere), Libau (leichte and schwere) and Windau (leichte).

Subordinated to Marinebefehlshaber Ostland

Source: http://www.feldgrau.com/kmsflakabt.html

I would not rule out that they took over a former 10,5cm emplacement that was no longer suitable for its former owners. To place the light Flak units close to the harbour makes sense.

So if we sum it up we have 9 emplacements (Försterei, Tauerlauken, Melneraggen, "Pochhammer", Löllen, Bachmann, Schweinsrücken and Sandkrug-Strandhütte) and 9 batteries:
7 heavy batteries from M.Fl.A.217
1 heavy battery "Memel"(formerly M.Fl.A.707)
1 light battery "Memel" (formerly M.Fl.A.707).

Best regards
Torsten