Koto Fortress

[Akira Takizawa]

Alexander,

OK. I will sent a mail to them.

Taki

[Cheerio_Fujisaki]

does anyone have a rough map and or picture of the koto fortress?

Cheerio

[Akira Takizawa]

https://4travel.jp/travelogue/10346309

There is a map at the bottom of the page.

Taki

[forttravel]

More photos of dome shaped shelter emplacements for howitzers.

[Akira Takizawa]

Thank you for interesting photos. It is Type 7 30cm Howitzer.

Taki

[Statist]

Thanks you for the very interesting photos. Presumably these photos were taken after September 12, 1945.
By this date, the concrete casemate for the 410 mm howitzer and one of the concrete casemates for the 305 mm howitzer remained not blown up. The remaining fortifications of Koto fortress were already blown up.
A 410 mm howitzer and one of the 305 mm howitzers were prepared for transportation to the Soviet Union.
Ferry Japanese heavy howitzers across the river Ussuri and river Iman was made in January-February 1946, when ice strengthened on the rivers and both howitzers were transferred to Grafsky Peninsula and further to the railway station Iman-1 (now – Dalnerechensk).
On March 21, 1946, the Japanese 410-mm and 305-mm howitzers were loaded onto the rail platform and sent to the city of Leningrad to plant No. 232.
Sorry for repeating the information.

[Akira Takizawa]

So, 40cm howitzer was sent to Leningrad? But, it is not existing in Russia, now. It was scrapped after research?

Taki

[Statist]

Most likely, captured large-caliber weapons underwent the necessary repairs at weapons factories and were placed on storage sites. It is most likely that in the 1960s the vast majority of captured large-caliber artillery pieces was destroyed.

The Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (TsAMO) contains schemes of soviet shell explosions near the casemates of 305 mm and 410 mm Japanese howitzers.

305 fallen.jpg (31.42 KiB) Viewed 725 times

410 fallen.jpg (36.94 KiB) Viewed 725 times

There is a report on the combat activities of the 804th separate reconnaissance artillery division - 804 орадн (TsAMO, Fund: 390, Inventory: 0008801, Case: 0011, Document start sheet in file: 351). The task of this military unit was to establish the coordinates of Japanese batteries.

The graph of enemy artillery fire activity on the plot of 109th fortified region shows the number of shells fired of Japanese artillery.

It was found that the total number of shells fired 240 mm howitzers was 56 rounds. The number of shells fired 305-mm howitzers was 48 rounds. The number of shells fired a 410-mm howitzer was 107 rounds. As can be seen, the total number of shells of 305 mm and 240 mm very small for four guns, which allows us to conclude that part of their ruptures is attributed to 410 mm howitzers.

We need summarize the total number of registered shells fired of large-caliber Japanese guns, their number is 206 rounds. Probably some of the shells remained unaccounted for.