Highlights from my holiday this summer!

[Erik E]

Hallo!

Thought I would post a summary of my 14 days holiday this summer!

Day 1:
LOTs of driving to reach our starting point, Trondheim.
It takes 14-15 hours, and we crossed mountains up to 1200 meters, still covered with snow!

[Erik E]

Day 2:
Arrived late at Trondheim. Visited several flak batteries around the city, among with the 2 submarinebunkers Dora 1 & 2.

Guess the photos speak for themselves, but just look at these walls compared to the trucks!!

[Erik E]

Day 3:
The "holiday starts for real

7 coastalbatteries among with several strongpoints and flak batteries visited on our way eastwards to Ørlandet at the entrance of the Trondheimsfjord.

[Erik E]

Day 4:

Starting off with the Island Tarva outside Ørlandet.
This island got the first Kriegsmarine 28 cm battery ever located outside Germany. In 1944, a huge radarposition (Tanne) was located on the same island.

[Erik E]

Day 4 continued:

After returning from Tarva (Which took most of the day)
We finally headed for the last remaining turret of the cruiser "Gneisenau"

The museum itself was locked, but outside views were still possible.

[Xavier]

green with envy!!

will you exchange vias-a-vis one week of greenery for one week of snow?

http://community.webshots.com/photo/155 ... 7822upSftp

one a more serious note, nice pictures, thansk for sharing with us Erik.

best regards

Xavier
Instandsetzungtruppfuhrer

[Erik E]

Thanks Xavier!
Had to take an hour off due to a "connection timeout"

Day 5:

Permission to enter the airfield at Ørlandet.
Most of the airport had gone through changes, but of interest there were still 8 hangars for Me-109, together with 6 x 622 bunkers in the heavy flakbatteries surrounding the airport.

Later we headed for another island, Storfosna, but also this is still active military area.

[Juha Tompuri]

Beautiful pics Erik,

Thanks for sharing them with us.
Did the Norwegian coastal artillery use the Gneisenau guns post-WWII?

Regards, Juha

[Erik E]

Day 6:

Slowly heading southwards. Becouse of huge distances "only" 4 batteries and a Gefechtsstand planned for this day.

No spectacular batteries, but the Gefechtsstand for Artilleriegruppe Drontheim West, located at the island Hemnskjel, turned out to be great!

The bunker itself is a R117, typical westwallstyle. The owner has started making a museum inside, which allready started looking interesting!
They have 2 10,5 fieldguns along with several interior/equipment details, documents, maps+++ They just got a really rare gun too (Not yet restored) A ex-Czhech 21cm Mörser(t) Kurtz

Most of the strongpoint covering the bunker is also intact, among the interesting objects, a FT-17 tankturret on a bunker!

[Erik E]

Beautiful pics Erik,

Thanks for sharing them with us.
Did the Norwegian coastal artillery use the Gneisenau guns post-WWII?

Thanks Juha

The gun was taken into the Norwegian coastal artillery in October 1945 after a testfireing. Training of the crew took place in 1948 with good help from the former German crew. Refresher training courses were later held in 1951 and 1953.
During a testfireing in 1951, the gun hit a moving target at a distance of 22000 meters(!!) The turret was operational until 1968, when it was closed down. Luckily, the Norwegian army did a good maintenance job until 1977, when it was decided to close it down for good.
in 1990, the Norwegian state decided that the turret shoud be reopened as mueum.

[Erik E]

Day 7:
Still heading southwards, 5 batteries visited this day.
No real highlights, but some interesting detalis from place to place.

[Erik E]

Day 8:

Reaching the northen districts of Kristiansund, we arrived at HKB Kvalvik.
This is what we call "open air museum" and ofcourse, they also have some interesting stuff

Worth mentioning is the 12cm K370(b) ex-Belgian Cockerill gun. Probably the last remaining in the world!??

[Erik E]

Day 8 continued:

Later that day we arrived at HKB Bud, also one of theose "open air museums"

A really nice R636 firecontrolpost, another 15cm SKL/45 (Not original emplacement) And some kilometers to the north, the last remaining FuMo3 Zerstörersäule radar in the world !?

[Erik E]

Day 9:

The former airfield on the Island Gossen outside Molde.
In addition to the airfield, also 3 coastalbatteries are located on the island.

Very interesting island, and judging by maps we recieved a few days afterwards, we missed a lot...... Like a 4cm Flak28

[Erik E]

Day 10:

Started off at a very secret location
A most intact R633 bunker for M19 Maschinengranatwerfer.
The launcher itself is still fitted inside with most of the original equipment.... Even some tools!