The ultimate fortification thread!

Weiss Wurst · Post by **Weiss Wurst** » 30 Jul 2003 16:46

Ugh! That just infuriates me! Thats history and they treat it like so much trifle!

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 04 Aug 2003 22:59

Hallo!

In order to save this topic from "dying", I have decided to invite the entire forum for a "viritual walk" in the remains of Heeresküsten batterie 18/978 Ogna.

Ogna is one of the few beaches in Norway. It is located about 60 KM`s south of Stavanger, in South western Norway.

The battery was equipped with 4 x flak39(r). It might sound strange that a coastal defence battery was equipped with AA guns, but this battery was more like a "dual-purpose" battery, which is rather rare.

Construction started in 1942 under command of Org. Todt "Einsatzgruppe Wiking". It became operational in 1943, but never 100% completed.
The crew at a battery like this, was probably around 80 men.

This "walk" starts at the entrance to the battery. A text book example of a Vf65a bunker "Ringstand für Kampfwagen kanone" protected the road leading up to the battery, aswell as the harbour in the background.
The 5cm KwK39 L/42 is long gone, but the Behelfssockellafette (Bh.sk.L)
mounting is still present......

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 04 Aug 2003 23:17

Just where the road leads up to the mountain top, a double MG post protetcts the road, aswell as a flat field next to the battery. The MG post is only made of rocks, and typical for batteries in Norway. The roof has collapsed, but still the sectors aswell as the MG mountings are clearly visible.

50 meters closer to the batterysite, there is a small field which once had 3 barracks for the crew. The barracks are gone, but the Luftschutz bunker(Air raid shelter) will never go away. Again, this is also a huge room made in solid granite.

A few meters inside the battery area, the main ammunition stores are blasted into the rocks. I once heard that "Norway is the land of the tunnels" and indeed, many batteries here has tunnels like this.

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 04 Aug 2003 23:30

A small road leads up to the gunpositions. On each side of the road, hidden in a small valley, there are 2 Ringstand 58c Bunkers with attacments for Mortars. This was a part of the close defence weapons, and were only manned if the battery was attacked from shore.

The Mortar was placed on top of the column inside, making only the barrel point out, while the crew were safe of shrapnel.

The whole bunker also got a layer of extra concrete in order to intergrate it in the terrain.

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 04 Aug 2003 23:45

On a small hill above the mortar bunkers, the first emplacement for the light 2cm Flak shows up. The elevated triangle under the gun mad it possible to aim direct fire at ground targets, aswell as planes (Even though ground targets are most unlikely here

)

At this stage, you might ask yourself where the beach is?
It is actually 4-5 kilometres up north.
The battery was designed to protect the beach. If a landing attempt was made on the beach, the battery would be able to bombard the beach much longer than they would have if they got the enemy "right in the face" By placing the battery on place like this, they were guarranteed that there would be no landing attempt in the middle of the battery area.

Tom Houlihan · Post by **Tom Houlihan** » 04 Aug 2003 23:53

Outstanding posts, my friend! Commentary and photos are very helpful.
Thanks!

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 04 Aug 2003 23:53

By turning around, and facing the sea, you will see the backside of the Leitstand (firecontrol post). The small emplacement in the front was probably used as a temporary emplacement for the rangefinder, before the main bunker was ready. No one knows for sure, but atleast a decent conclution

herring · Post by **herring** » 05 Aug 2003 14:18

Hello Erik!

As usually - truly fantastic pictures!!!
Do you also take some measurments of non- standard or unknown bunkers ? I'm often doing so - I've noticed, that from year to year bunkers are being destroyed, and sometimes a picture is not sufficient to determine the type of it.

regards
Maciej

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 15:26

As usually - truly fantastic pictures!!!

Thanks!

Do you also take some measurments of non- standard or unknown bunkers ?

So far, only those which are built in several places, but yet the same.
There are just too many different ones up here to make drawings of....
Maybe when I`m finished with visiting all the 221 batteries in Norway, I will start working on the details

Most of the bunkers in Norway are built in protected areas, close to the sea. No one will ever be allowed to build anything this close to the sea, so I`m not so afraid of them dissapearing!

So, ready to continue?

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 15:38

Walking up on the left side, the emplacement on top is barely visible. Since this battery was also used as a flak battery, it`s reasonable to think that this emplacement once was used as "Befehls-Stelle" (Range finding) when fireing at planes.
The big slit on the front was used for observation, and usually batteries of medium size would use "Entfernungsmesser 4M" for rangefinding.

Acloser look, shows that someone called "Bekker" wrote his name in the wet concrete in July 1944!

The rounded front usually means that this is a Regelbau 636, but you can newer be sure before you have had a look inside!

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 15:48

Just a last look at this beauty before we go in........

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 16:05

At once when you enter the stairs leading down into the bunker, a big steelplate with a slit is directed towards the entrance.
An expert would say:
"Ah! Eingangsverteidigungsscharte 48P8. Designed in 1935 as "Gewehrschartenverscluss" but becouse of the 40mm thikcness, it was only used indoor later in the war"
The rest of us just call it entrance defence......
Iu.II Gesch. tells us that we might be heading somewhere else too!?!

The main door is divided in two parts. The reason for this is simply that if any debris would block the door, it was still possible to open the upper part!
St, which means "Standhaftiger" tells that this bunker has a 2 meter thick roof, and you ar inside a "safe area"

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 16:57

after a quick look inside the bunker, which is totally empty, it`s easy to classify this bunker as a pure SK, not a R-636 like it looks on the outside!
"SK" means "Sonderkonstruktion" and means that it is not a standarized counstruction from the Regelbau system.
The bunker is smaller than the 636, and lesser rooms. The interesting part is a tunnel entrance inside the bunker! Maybe it leads us to I & II Geschutz, 2 of the gunpositions!

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 17:14

After some 20-30 metres inside the tunnel (Which feels like 2-300)
the tunnel splits in 2 separate ways. Just turn left and after 20 more meters, it ends up in a ammunition store. There is daylight here again, so this must be the first gunposition. A closer look in the ammunition room reveals the letters

Spr.Gr.AZ = Spreng granate Anschlag zünder (HE detonation on impact)
Zt.Z = Zeit Zünder (Time delay)

Erik E · Post by **Erik E** » 05 Aug 2003 17:27

The gunpositions are not spectacular at all....
Just open emlacements...... There is a second ammunition store connected to the emplacement, but not the tunnel.
This reads PZ which would be Panzer granate