Batterie Scharnhorst 15cm K18

[MNO KI]

Hi All
We have now been working on excavating and restoring nearly half of this batterie site. It was mostly covered over soon after the end of the war. We have restored the "Schwabenland" emplacement to it's original condition and are currently busy excavating all the connecting trenches, ammunition and personnel bunkers as well as the "Brandenberg" emplacement.
We would like to put a gun back into one of the positions if this is possible. Does anyone know the whereabouts of any remaining relics of a k18. I know of three examples at Aberdeen PG, Belgrade and the Koblenz collection, but are there any more that are known about.

Regards
Paul

[MNO KI]

Some more pics

[AvB]

Wow Paul that looks really great since the last I've been there!
Good job! Unfortunately I don't have a 15cm K18 in my back garden!

[MNO KI]

Thanks Arthur
Things are going really well, but we still have loads of trenches and bunkers to excavate. We're going to be here for a while yet.

Regards
Paul

[jopaerya]

Hello Paul

Are there also plans to restore the Drehlafette on the place were the bolds are ??

Regards Jos

[MNO KI]

Hi Jos
Yes, but we don't have much information. Do you have any good pictures or plans of the mount for the K18

Regards
Paul

[jopaerya]

Hello Paul

Normelly these guns were placed on a "Schwere Drehbettung" .

Drawing = Fortification 20 2006
Photo = Ebay.de

Regards Jos

[M19 MADMAL]

Hi all,

Superb work Paul

Do you have any good pictures or plans of the mount for the K18

I guess you know of these 2 photos of Batterie Schlieffen on Jersey (formally Batterie Gneisenau on Guernsey, but I thought I would post them for general interest.

The construction of the emplacement is almost identical to your photo of Scharnhorst's today. Batterie Blutcher on Alderney also used the same pivot mounting for its 15cm K 18's

Regards,
Malcolm

[Sturm78]

Hi Malcolm, Great photos!! Thank you very much.

But in these photos I think that the guns is attached to its own platform, designed specifically for this gun for use in field (not specifically for coastal use).

Regards Stutm78

[M19 MADMAL]

But in these photos I think that the guns is attached to its own platform, designed specifically for this gun for use in field (not specifically for coastal use).

Good point Sturm78,
Shown on page 419 in the exerlent book "Uniforms & Traditions of the German Army 1933-1945". Volume 3. by John R. Angolia and Adolf Schlicht (ISBN No. 0-912138-37-8) is a 15cm K39 (which looks like an evolved version of the K18???) and how it would be transported in 3 loads as follows, Barrel, carrage and firing platform, as shown below.

The K18 at Batterie Schlieffen is shown with its trail legs closed with a bar/handle at the back to push the gun around on it rails. Would the trail legs need to be opened for firing when the barrel was fully raised up or is there space between the trail arms to allow for the barrel to recoil???

Regards,
Malcolm

[MNO KI]

Thanks Malcolm
I was just about to scan the pic from the review article.
What we found strange when we cleared the first emplacement was that the bolts were not in a uniform pattern. You would think that something that rotates 360 degrees would be circular or square, and the deep circular holes suggested these were to accomodate part of a mount not designed to be fitted to a concrete base.

Regards
Paul

[Sturm78]

Hi Malcolm

The 15cm K39 is a gun totally different in design to 15cm K18. The K18 have a box trail (so this gun never could open their legs because they have not it ) and K39 hve a split trail with two legs.
The K18 was transported in two loads: carriage trailer with platform and barrel trailer. The K39 was a Krupp design for export (Turkish) and the K18 was a Rheinmetall design.

Regards Sturm78

[MNO KI]

Hi Malcolm
There is mention in CIOS Review 32 that one of the Schlieffen emplacements still exists. Has anybody investigated this one to see if anything remains of the mounting?
Also does anyone know of the existance of any scale drawings of the K18 good enough to build a replica carriage?

Regards
Paul

[jopaerya]

Hello

Here a other photo of the traversing platform from the 15 cm K 18

Photo = Small Arms , Artillery and Special Weapons

Regards Jos

[The Edge]

For comparation with original one...