M.K.B. Gneisenau (E)

[jopaerya]

Hello

@ Emmanuel , do you know the exact date that the M.K.B. Gneisenau returned to Anse de Brick and for how long ?

@ The date of the document is 07-1940 and it should be ready in 2,5 months , so my guess is 09/10-1940 fire ready .

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Hello
@ Emmanuel , do you know the exact date that the M.K.B. Gneisenau returned to Anse de Brick and for how long ?
Regards Jos

No, I just know that it returned at the end of 1942 from A. Chazette's green book.

Separately, since MKB Gneisenau was in position at Anse de Brick both in 1940 and 1942, I don't think that it is possible to tell the year, either 1940 or 1942, on the known pictures of the battery at that location, unless a date is written somewhere on it.

Emmanuel

[Manuferey]

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?

Richard,

The document states that the Hamburg battery would be ready to fire in about two and a half months, thus, around October 1940. It does not say when the guns were installed but the Germans had to built concrete open emplacements first.

Heavy batteries were also installed in the Pas-de-Calais at that time. It looks like that the Germans were trying to protect important harbors from British naval attacks in particular in anticipation for Operation Sea Lion. Railway artillery was a quick way to bring medium or heavy artillery near large harbors for coastal defense.

The first British naval bombardment of Cherbourg I have found took place on the night of Friday September 13, 1940 by destroyers. I don't know if MKB Gneisenau was still in Cherbourg then but MKB Hamburg would not have been ready to fire yet.

The next naval bombardment took place on the night of October 10, 1944. The British force was headed by the battleship HMS Revenge (guns of 381 mm - 15 in.). A heavy German battery ("estimated up to 13-15 in.") on the east of Cherbourg opened fire after the naval bombardment had stopped. I think it was MKB Hamburg that had become operational since the only other heavy battery was MKB Yorck (and with much smaller guns : 4 x 17 m SKL/40) but located west of Cherbourg.

If this is correct, then MKB Hamburg would have been one of the very few German coastal batteries to have fire in at least in two different years at Allied battleships, first in July 1940 then in late June 1944. Could it even be the only one (I don't think that British battleships often sail in the Channel before June 1944) ?

Emmanuel

[Richard Drew]

Thank you very much Emmanuel, this is all new to me as for what happened after Dunkirk to 1944. Understanding the organic growth of a Wn as it grew from a field position to a small all around defence with concreted bunkers and casemates.

[jopaerya]

Very interesting information from Uwe from 1940 ( Calais ) http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&start=15

Regards Jos

[jopaerya]

I know the abbreviation "apt" means "aptiert" but any idea on the other one's ?? ( a.T.W. )

Regards Jos

[Andrzej Ditrich]

a.T.W. = auf Tiefgangwagen or Tiefladewagen (???)

[jopaerya]

Sounds very logical , Andrzej

[schwarzermai]

Hello Jos & Andrzej

"Tiefladewagen" is perfect



Uwe

[Manuferey]

I have noticed a thread about « Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau » in the “Kriegsmarine surface ships and Kriegsmarine in general” section of this forum: http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 2&start=15

Maybe the administrators/moderators can moved the above thread to this "Artillery" section of the forum.

Emmanuel

[Manuferey]

Here is a picture of a gun of MKB Gneisenau from Beeldbank, NIMH.

Based on the net wrapped across the railcar and the ferns on the ground, I think that the picture was taken at Anse du Brick, near Cherbourg.


http://nimh-beeldbank.defensie.nl/memor ... e32daac826

Emmanuel

[Andrzej Ditrich]

Nice photo-Thank You Emmanuel

[Andrzej Ditrich]

Gun cover from this battery bothers me from long time like nightmare.
What is it from??? From vessel or coastal artillery?
On the b&w photos front armor plate looks like rounded but on the model it's angled.
What's your opinion?

source: FineScale Modeler Feb 1992

[jopaerya]

Could this be the M.K.B. Gneisenau at IJmuiden 1940 ( Hoogovens ) ??

Photo = Ebay

Regards Jos

[jopaerya]

Here a other Britsh naval bombardment at Cherbourg like the post from Manu Fri Aug 17, 2012 9:58 pm

Documents = NARA

Regards Jos