Railway batterie's with name's

[jopaerya]

Hello All

We all know the naval railway batterie Gneisenau , but in Italy I found several other names .

Eisenbahn-Batterie "Wotan"
Eisenbahn-Batterie "Hagen"
Eisenbahn-Batterie „Erhardt“

The E-Batterie Erhardt could the 2 x 24 cm K (E) , but what about the other two ??

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Jos,

We know indeed (thanks to Guy/ALVF in his "Eisenbahnartillerie" book) that 2./725 and E.712 were equipped with 2 x 28 cm K5 each. So, 1/2 of them would have had one 28 cm each. Separately, sAA 764 had three batteries of 17 cm K18. So 6 guns would make sense with two batteries of 3 guns each. Therefore, I agree with you that it leaves the 24 cm K(E) guns for E-Bttr Erhardt.

Could the three German naval railway batteries (Wotan, Hagen and Erhardt) have been Italian railway batteries taken over by the Germans after the September 1943 armistice?

In the following thread, we know that the Italians were handed among others four ex-French 240mm Mle 84/17 by the Germans after the June 1940 armistice.
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0&t=193757

Two of these guns could have ended up in E-Battr. Erhardt and would fit the designation 24 cm K (E) fr.

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

Yes Emmanuel

That would be a good option , I will try to find more information on the other two railway batterie's .

Regards Jos

[schwarzermai]

hello

Wotan and Hagen were Geräte-Batteries (i think with each 1x K5)
both were use to refill the Eisenbahnbatterie 712 at september 1st 1944

Hagen
Feldpostnummer 24018 (6.5.1944 Eisenbahn-Batterie Hagen - LXXV. AK.)

Wotan
Feldpostnummer 21119 (6.5.1944 für Eisenbahn-Batterie Wotan - LXXV. AK.)


uwe

[jopaerya]

Hello Uwe

Thanks for your information about the Art. units and explenation of the Hagen and Wotan guns .

Regards Jos

[schwarzermai]

Hello

5.5.1944 - A.O.K. 14
Hagen & Wotan numbered with 932 and 933



scan shows eisenbahn-artillery-units only at LXXV. Armeekorps

Uwe

[Manuferey]

Interesting find. Thanks, uwe.

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

The only unit I could find that fit with the numbers are the
Heeres-Küstenartillerie-Regiments-Stab 932
Heeres-Küstenartillerie-Regiments-Stab 933

Regards Jos

[jopaerya]

Wotan and Hagen are known batteries, Hauser is for me a new one .

Germandocsinrussia.org

Regards Jos

[Manuferey]

Very interesting piece of the puzzle, Jos.

We now know that E-Bttr. Wotan and Hagen were armed with 194 mm ex-French railway guns. I assume that these 6 guns were among the 12 given by the Germans to Italy after June 40 and "re-captured" after September 1943. Separately, from pictures and footage, we know that a certain number among these 12 guns were also used by the Co-belligerent Italian forces. Does someone know how many were indeed used by the Co-belligerent Italian Army ? 6?

As for the 24 cm K557(f), we know that the Italians obtained 4 of them from the Germans and that 2 had been "recaptured" by their donors after September 1943 to form E-Bttr. Erhardt. From Jos' document, it seems that the other 2 guns were used to form E-Bttr. Hauser.

Emmanuel

[schwarzermai]

Hello Jos, are these OoB's from around May 1944?
uwe

[jopaerya]

No, from end 1944 , Regards Jos

P.S. interesting on the Hauser battery is the sign (bo) Bodenstandig, typical for a Railway gun

[Manuferey]

P.S. interesting on the Hauser battery is the sign (bo) Bodenstandig, typical for a Railway gun

Jos,

Don't you mean "non typical"?

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

You are right, Emmanuel

[schwarzermai]

Hi

in action

at area of Livorno – Batterien 691, 2./725, "Hagen", "Wotan"
at area of Rimini – Batterie "Hauser“

uwe