Railway and “beute” heavy artillery at Anzio

[Manuferey]

I just came across Generalmajor Kuehn’s post-war (1947) recollection of the German artillery present at Anzio in early 1944 transcribed in the US document FMS D-0158.

I am curious if we can trust his information on heavy artillery or not. Here is the list of heavy artillery units mentioned by Kuehn.

1) Artillerie-Abteilung 998: 3 x “French 220-mm guns”.
I suspect that they were 220 mm L Mle 1917 i.e. 22 cm K532(f). However, I found a list of independent artillery units on http://sturmvogel.orbat.com/artillery.html that mentions 21 cm Mrs [18] for this unit for the same period.

2) Batterie “Erhardt”: “2 x French 240-mm railway guns”.
I can only think of the 24 cm K557(f) (240 mm Mle 1884 or Mle 1917) as the 240 mm Mle 1893-96M “Colonies” (24 cm K558(f)) are all accounted for in coastal naval batteries in France and Norway.
The only origin that makes sense to me is the four 240 mm Mle 1917 guns of the 14th Battery of the French 372e R.A.L.V.F that were delivered to Italy (but not captured by the Germans or Italians) as part of the June 1940 armistice clauses (Information from Guy François on a French forum). These guns would have been seized by the Germans after the 1943 armistice between Italy and the Allies.

3) 1 x 28 cm K5 from E-Bttr. 712 and 1 x 28 cm K5 from E-Bttr. 725.
These are the two famous Robert and Leopold thought to be the single “Anzio Annie”.
Until now, I had read that both K5 at Anzio belonged to E-Bttr 712.
2./725 was indeed armed with 2 x 28 cm K5 but I thought it remained in Northern France.

What do you think?

Emmanuel

[jopaerya]

Don't know if this information fits with Anzio http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... t#p1769320

Regards Jos

[schwarzermai]

Hello Emmanuel

998 was created as a 22cm Mrs. 531 Unit - in summer 1944 they had mixed 22cm Mrs. 531 and 12,2cm K. 390 (r)
in April 1945 the unit have this weapons include 21cm Mrs. 520(i)
i never saw 21cm Mrs. 18 at 998



Erhardt was shown in OoB with 2x 24cm K. (E) (f) - no detailed infos

Uwe

[schwarzermai]

3) 1 x 28 cm K5 from E-Bttr. 712 and 1 x 28 cm K5 from E-Bttr. 725.
These are the two famous Robert and Leopold thought to be the single “Anzio Annie”.
Until now, I had read that both K5 at Anzio belonged to E-Bttr 712.
2./725 was indeed armed with 2 x 28 cm K5 but I thought it remained in Northern France.

What do you think?

Emmanuel

Hello Emmanuel

Stab Eisb.Art.Abt. 725 was in use in northern france together with Eisenbahn-Batterie 1./725 (2x Th.Br. Kanonen)

Eisenbahn-Batterien 710 and 2./725 were in Italy under Stab Heeres-Küst.Art.Rgt. 933
both batterys each filed 1x K5 "for use in the south" (according to report from may 1st 1944)

Uwe

[Manuferey]

Great stuff ! Thank you, guys !

So "Robert" and Leopold" were actually from two different E-batteries ! Do we know which name was in which battery?

uwe: regarding "21 Mrs [18]" for sAA 998, the added "[18]" was my assumption.

Emmanuel

[schwarzermai]

Hello Emmanuel

Jan' 30th - 1944




Uwe

[Manuferey]

Thank you, uwe.

K(E)557(f) confirmed for Bttr. Erhardt.

Emmanuel

[Manuferey]

Jos found an interesting archive dated 1.12.44 (see below) and posted it here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0&t=185709

It still shows 2 x 28 cm K5 in E.712 and 2./725 in December 1944. Since one gun in each E-Batterie, Leopold & Robert, had been spiked by its crew at Civitavecchia in May 44 and captured there in June 44 by American troops, it would mean that each battery received a new K5 after May or June 44. And since no new K5 had been built in 1944 (only 2 x 31 cm K 5 Glatt), these two K5 would have had to be transferred from other batteries.



Emmanuel

[schwarzermai]

http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... n#p1775984

[Manuferey]

Thanks uwe ! I missed that.

Emmanuel

[Andy H]

Hi

Hope this is of interest
http://samilitaryhistory.org/vol133lw.html

Regards

Andy H

[schwarzermai]

Hello, and i hope my book is of interest too:

Einsatz der Eisenbahn-Batterie Borchers an der Anzio-Nettuno-Front 1944

http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/Batterie-Borchers.htm

Uwe