Bunkers with tank turrets!

[Erik E]

Hallo!
As many of you know, these "Panzerstellungen" were used all over the "Atlantikwall", mainly in airport defences.

I am looking for info on which units they belonged to. Were they used by Luftwaffe ground personell or the regular infantry, or maybe both???
Maybe some of you have photos which shows uniforms or maybe a Wehrpass with entries like 3,7cm KWK(t),or MG37(t)?? Some French turrets like Renault FT-17 were also used, but I don`t know what these would be called in German.......

Erik E

[Andy H]

Hi Erik

The island of Jersey had some 30 3.7cm Kwk 144(f) installed on the island and one such posistion still has the FT17 turret in situ at St.Aubins fort

Andy from the Shire

[Andy H]

Erik

The 2 tank turret emplacements at Noirmont point on Jersey were manned by men of the 3/Marine.Art.Abt 604.

Also a single 5cm Kwk 39 was employed on Jersey at Green Island.
Of the 30 Kwk144(f)'s mentioned earlier 10 were Renault R35 Turrets

aNDY FROM THE sHIRE

[Erik E]

Thanks Andy!

I have found a couple of turrets which were used by a "Festungs infanterie batalion" So it seems like this equipment could be used by allmost anyone?

I have never seen or heard of any wehrpasses with such entries, but there have to be a lot of them! There were over 50 of them near the airport where I live.

EE

[Robert Hurst]

Hi Erik E

Thought you'd be interested in these pics. The top photo was taken from 'Small Arms, Artillery and Special Weapons of the Third Reich', by Terry Gander and Peter Chamberlain and the bottom photo was taken from 'Czechoslovak Armored Fighting Vehicles 1918-1948', by Charles K. Kliment and Vladimir Francev.

Regards

Bob

[Erik E]

Thanks Robert!

Newer heard that "AMC 35" turrets were used on bunkers!

Erik

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

The 'new vanguard' from Osprey on Panther Variants has a section dedicated to the Panther turret bunkers...

Christian

[Erik E]

Sounds interesting!
Have you got it?

EE

[Robert Hurst]

Hi Erik

Came across these two photos in my copy of 'German Defensive Batteries & Gun Emplacements', by Karl-Heinz & Michael Schmeelke.

Regards

Bob

[Erik E]

Thanks again Robert!

How many books do you have

Have you got any numbers of how many French turrets actually were deployed?

Erik

[Christian Ankerstjerne]

Hi Erik

yes, I have the book, and it's very good. Although it doesn't cover each subject in as much as their other works, I think it covers enough - then, you can always buy more detailed books on what you find interresting...

Christian

[varjag]

Not strictly WW 2 - but I've had the dubious honour of firing such a turret sunk in a concrete coastal-defence bunker in SE Sweden. Most if not all tanks - had power-driven fans to extract the fumes - a luxuary missing in most of these contraptions, including the one I fired. It had a 3" tank-gun and a coaxial 8mm MG. It also as a courtesy - had a handcranked extraction-fan, thank-u-very-much. After some 3-4 rounds of 3" and a 250rd belt of 8mm - the eyes of entire crew were RUNNING and gun-laying became extremely difficult - everybody cheering the poor sod who cranked the extraction-fan to break-point. With little noticable results - I might add. A partial solution - might have been to 'open the hatches' but we weren't allowed to do that. I suspect that in a battened-down condition most of these emplacements - wouldhave experienced a similar problem.

[Erik E]

had power-driven fans to extract the fumes

When I was in the artillery, we used the 155 mm M109.
The problem of the smoke had been solved by adding small holes in the barrel outside the vehichle. When the grenade passed the holes, it sucked the smoke along with it.



Erik

[FLECKTARN]

renault

[Valtoro]

Picture taken from a local War museum, Renault(?)
turret covering the Ferry place Brevik-Stathelle, probably manned by men from Lager Rohrbrunn.

/Valtoro.