M.K.B. Gneisenau (E)

[jopaerya]

Hello All

This batterie was placed on several places in the Atlantikwall and Südwall . But this one was new for me
near Cabourg . Must be inbetween the placing at Pas de Calais ( Pointe aux Oies ) and Südwall ( Sete )

Drawing = "Mur de l'Atlantique" from A.C. and Manu

Regards Jos
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=83812

[Heim62]

Hello Jos,
interesting. Do you have the date of this location ?
Thanks

RV

[Andrzej Ditrich]

Hello All

This batterie was placed on several places in the Atlantikwall and Südwall . But this one was new for me
near Cabourg . Must be inbetween the placing at Pas de Calais ( Pointe aux Oies ) and Südwall ( Sete )

Drawing = "Mur de l'Atlantique" from A.C. and Manu

Regards Jos
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=83812

Interesting news Jos-Thanks!

Brgds
@ndrew

[Manuferey]

Dives-Cabourg (or Cabourg-Dives on the document) was the combined railway station for the towns of Cabourg and Dives-sur-mer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gare_de_Dives-Cabourg
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemins_de_Fer_du_Calvados

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

Hello RV

I think that it's from 08-1942 , maybe Alain can tell us the date of the map ??

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Alain's map is dated July 8, 1942.

The battery will then be sent to the Cherbourg area at the end of 1942.

Emmanuel

[Heim62]

Ok, thanks Folks !

RV

[jopaerya]

Hello All

This information is about the M.K.B. during the time the batterie was located
at Pas de Calais , as you can read the batterie was then used to fire star/light shells .

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Great find, Jos ! It seems possible then that MKB Gneisenau would have been used for the same purpose in the Cherbourg area since there were also heavy MKBs.

We can draw a parallel with the same type of gun (15 cm SK L/45) used as "Leuchtgeschuetz" in various MKBs along the the Atlantikwall.

Separately, do we know what happened to MKB Gneisenau after the end of July 1944? According to Gen-Major Vogel, Arko of IV. Luft. Feld Korps along the Suedwall until August 18, 1944, MKB Gneisenau was removed from under his command at the end of July 1944 but he doesn't know where it went afterwards.

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

Hello

According to this document the M.K.B. Gneisenau was on 16-11-1942 on his way from Cabourg Dives
to the Sudwall . It was comming from Pas de Calais , In the book Seefront IJmuiden from Ruud Pols
the M.K.B. Gneisenau was there from 06-06-1940 till 22-06-1940 . Does somebody know when these
guns were place near Cherbourg ??

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Jos,

Alain Chazette's green book indicates only that MKB Gneisenau arrived at Cherbourg from Cabourg at the end of 1942 and stayed a short time but without more details.

Emmanuel

[Saska]

Hello

According to this document the M.K.B. Gneisenau was on 16-11-1942 on his way from Cabourg Dives
to the Sudwall . It was comming from Pas de Calais , In the book Seefront IJmuiden from Ruud Pols
the M.K.B. Gneisenau was there from 06-06-1940 till 22-06-1940 . Does somebody know when these
guns were place near Cherbourg ??

Regards Jos

Hello

Maybe with the date "06-06-1940 till 22-06-1940" is something wrong. I just came up to this by looking for more information about the 17cm-M-Batteries at Calais in the early Times at Calais. I do not know if it helps but anyway:

I have some pages of the war diary (Kriegstagebuch) of the MAA 242 from the beginning of the their time at Calais here at the 26.6.40 the E. Batterie Gneisenau is the first time mentioned. And it is said that at this day this battery came under the command of the MAA 242 = "26.6.40 Unterstellung E. Batterie "Gneisenau". " Next day 27.6.40 it is mentioned that Gneisenau is at 13.00 o clock ready for action.

Than there are severale notes about what happend with the Gneisenau at Calais and when it good attacked by british bombers and so on. Finally at the 17.7.40 it is mentioned that the MAA 242 informed the Battery Gneisenau at 20.00 o clock about the order of MAR 24 to move to Cherbourg = "17.7.40 Abmarschbefehl an Batterie Gneisenau nach Cherbourg von M.A.R.24 um 20.00 weitergeleitet."

Last notice of Battery Gneisenau in the war diary of MAA 242 is at the next day at 18.7.40 saying that Battery Gneisenau ist at 15.00 o clock ready to move and chance postion = "18.7.40 Batterie Gneisenau um 15.00 abmarschbereit."

After that the Batterie Gneisenau is not mentioned in this wary diary which ends at 15.9.40 anymore. I do not have the further pages of the time after that date, so I can not say anything about that.

Unfortunatly I can not say when Gneisenau arrived at Cherbourg, because here is not anything mentioned about this, but now we know at least what time that they the had been sended there. So maybe there is now a kind a time frame for further research work on this.

I hope this is of any help

Greetings Saska

[jopaerya]

No Saska

My language is a bit confusing , the date 06-06-1940 till 22-06-1940 is from the time the M.K.B. Gneisenau
was placed in IJmuiden near the socalled steelfactory "Hoogovens" and in the same book stated "Abfahrt
E-battr Gneisenau nach Frankreich , mit verläufigem Marschziel Calais"

All this fits with the information you presented 26-06-1940 till 17/18-07-1940 at Calais and after that to
Cherbourg ( Anse du Brick ) . There are picture's from 23-12-1940 that Adolf Hitler visited the M.K.B.
Gneisenau at Pointe aux Oies ( Pas de Calais ) so the guns were not so long at Cherbourg . Maybe only
till the M.K.B. Hamburg was ready .

The story of the M.K.B. Gneisenau from then on is allready known as you can read read in this topic .

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Finally at the 17.7.40 it is mentioned that the MAA 242 informed the Battery Gneisenau at 20.00 o clock about the order of MAR 24 to move to Cherbourg = "17.7.40 Abmarschbefehl an Batterie Gneisenau nach Cherbourg von M.A.R.24 um 20.00 weitergeleitet."

Last notice of Battery Gneisenau in the war diary of MAA 242 is at the next day at 18.7.40 saying that Battery Gneisenau ist at 15.00 o clock ready to move and chance postion = "18.7.40 Batterie Gneisenau um 15.00 abmarschbereit."

After that the Batterie Gneisenau is not mentioned in this wary diary which ends at 15.9.40 anymore. I do not have the further pages of the time after that date, so I can not say anything about that.

Unfortunatly I can not say when Gneisenau arrived at Cherbourg, because here is not anything mentioned about this, but now we know at least what time that they the had been sended there. So maybe there is now a kind a time frame for further research work on this.

I hope this is of any help

Greetings Saska

In the recenly published and very interesting book (in French, no English version) “Chroniques de l’Occupation & de la Libération du Val de Saire” by Jacques Houyvet (Editions Isoètes - 2012), the author gives the following information from a French witness account (I've translated in English) : "On July 24, 1940, at Anse du Brick, seizing the opportunity of a firing exercise of the railway battery by the artillery troops of Lieutenant Nickel, the Germans invaded houses by surprise and kicked their occupants out to take their place. The Germans occupied [...] thirty two houses total at Anse du Brick".

So it looks like MKB Gneisenau arrived at its position at Anse du Brick, east of Cherbourg, shortly before or on July 24, 1940. We also learn the name of the battery commander at that time, a Lt Nickel.

The battery will come back to the same position (Anse du Brick) at the end of 1942.

Emmanuel

[Richard Drew]

The above document is dated July 1940, does that meen that Hamburg battery was installed then and would the guns have been on their chassis or were they pedistal mountings. This seems very early to be defending Cherbourg with very strong batteries?