Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
- Andrzej Ditrich
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
I was wondering about: gun housing-where they are from?
Didn't find any vessel it could be from-just similar but not the same...maybe Batterie Gneisnau had special housing for it's guns???
Brgds (= best regards !)
@ndrew
Didn't find any vessel it could be from-just similar but not the same...maybe Batterie Gneisnau had special housing for it's guns???
Brgds (= best regards !)
@ndrew
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
Hello
Some early picture's of the B. Gneisenau at Pas de Calais ( end 1940/41 )
Photo's = Ebay
Regards Jos
Some early picture's of the B. Gneisenau at Pas de Calais ( end 1940/41 )
Photo's = Ebay
Regards Jos
- Attachments
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- 15 cm S.K.L.40 2.jpg (19.17 KiB) Viewed 4411 times
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- 15 cm S.K.L_12.jpg (17.55 KiB) Viewed 4411 times
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- Location: Canada
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
According to Hogg the 17cm railway guns were taken from 1901/2 batch 'designed as the casemate guns of the Deutschland class predreadnaughts.
The 15cm SKL 40 guns were used as coastal and fortress guns from WW-I
Kaiser Fredrich III class mounted 15cm L40 guns and were built in 1895-1902 time period. By 1915/16 , four out of five had been relegated to barrack/prisoner ships and possibly disarmed? The last "Kaiser Wihelm der Grosse" was used as a target ship and most likely would have been disarmed.
The Wittelsbach class also employed the 15cmL40 guns. Most were reduced to excercise/training ships by 1914, but it looks like they maynot have been disarmed until after the war.
Several gross kreuser also employed 15cm L40 guns built betweem 1898-1902.....Prinz Heinrich and Furst Bismarck
Both were reclassed as tenders and disarmed by 1916.
The 15cm SKL 40 guns were used as coastal and fortress guns from WW-I
Kaiser Fredrich III class mounted 15cm L40 guns and were built in 1895-1902 time period. By 1915/16 , four out of five had been relegated to barrack/prisoner ships and possibly disarmed? The last "Kaiser Wihelm der Grosse" was used as a target ship and most likely would have been disarmed.
The Wittelsbach class also employed the 15cmL40 guns. Most were reduced to excercise/training ships by 1914, but it looks like they maynot have been disarmed until after the war.
Several gross kreuser also employed 15cm L40 guns built betweem 1898-1902.....Prinz Heinrich and Furst Bismarck
Both were reclassed as tenders and disarmed by 1916.
- schwarzermai
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- Location: Germany
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
hello
is this Marine-E.-Batterie Gneisenau at transport?
Uwe
is this Marine-E.-Batterie Gneisenau at transport?
Uwe
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=223633
My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"
http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/
My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"
http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
Nice find, Uwe !
Yes, these are 15 cm SK L/45 guns behind armored shields of MKB Gneisenau. We can recognize for example the two folding arms along the side of the railcar with their triangular shapes and their three big holes. The 15 cm K(E) and 17 cm K(E) were mounted on the same type of railcars but had no shield and the folding arms only had two big holes in them.
For comparison, one of the guns of MKB Gneisenau near Cherbourg in 1942 with the platform still unfolded:
(source: article by Alain Chazette on MKB Gneisenau in Cherbourg - Magazine 39/45 No. 213 - June 2004)
Emmanuel
Yes, these are 15 cm SK L/45 guns behind armored shields of MKB Gneisenau. We can recognize for example the two folding arms along the side of the railcar with their triangular shapes and their three big holes. The 15 cm K(E) and 17 cm K(E) were mounted on the same type of railcars but had no shield and the folding arms only had two big holes in them.
For comparison, one of the guns of MKB Gneisenau near Cherbourg in 1942 with the platform still unfolded:
(source: article by Alain Chazette on MKB Gneisenau in Cherbourg - Magazine 39/45 No. 213 - June 2004)
Emmanuel
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
Interesting pictures! I read that an attempt to shell Cherbourg by a British battleship (Revenge) in 1940 was stopped prematurely because the Cherbourg guns were getting too close with their shots - but still they didn't hit anything. Why do you think the channel guns fired more than a thousand rounds without sinking or seriously damaging any ships? I watched film of the shells falling around a group of merchant ships. A spotter aircraft showed up, but so did the RAF, so the spotter plane left immediately - could that have something to do with the inaccuracy?
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
It was on the night of October 10-11, 1940. I read that the Germans (MKB Hamburg maybe) started firing only after the British ships had stopped firing and were thus starting returning north to England. It seems to me that it would have taken a lucky shot to hit a vessel sailing in the opposite direction without knowing its speed and the distance.
I don't think that MKB Gneisenau was still in the Cherbourg area at that time. See our discussion here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0&t=180780
Emmanuel
I don't think that MKB Gneisenau was still in the Cherbourg area at that time. See our discussion here:
http://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic. ... 0&t=180780
Emmanuel
- schwarzermai
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
found in "Brieftagebuch" Stoart Ob West 1942:
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=223633
My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"
http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/
My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"
http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/
- schwarzermai
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- Posts: 1417
- Joined: 09 Mar 2013, 07:52
- Location: Germany
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
Uwe
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=223633
My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"
http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/
My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"
http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/
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- Location: Germany
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
Hello all!
In the early morning of Sept. 1st, 1939, an Eisenbahn-Artillerie (most likely Gneisenau, would you agree?) started firing on the small and militarily insignificant villages of Bakalarzewo and Raczki near the former East Prussian-Polish border. The villages were shot to fire.
Some days before the battery had been parked in the railway station of Treuburg (Olecko). The shooting position was outside of Treuburg on the railtrack Treuburg-Reuß (now: Olecko-Czymochen-Suwalki) near the stop of Prostgergut. In the morning of Sept. 1st soldiers knocked on the doors of nearby situated houses and asked the people to open the windows in order to prevent them splintering.
This artillery raid was never ever reported, neither in newspapers nor in diaries-of-war of the Third Army, at that time responsible of all military actions in this area.
I personally have witnessed the explosions by hearing (being citizen of Treuburg at that time), seeing afterwords the smoke of the fires from a distance (15 - 20 km). And I've spoken recently to some of the people who were ordered to open the windows in the above mentioned houses.
Best regards
Treuburger
In the early morning of Sept. 1st, 1939, an Eisenbahn-Artillerie (most likely Gneisenau, would you agree?) started firing on the small and militarily insignificant villages of Bakalarzewo and Raczki near the former East Prussian-Polish border. The villages were shot to fire.
Some days before the battery had been parked in the railway station of Treuburg (Olecko). The shooting position was outside of Treuburg on the railtrack Treuburg-Reuß (now: Olecko-Czymochen-Suwalki) near the stop of Prostgergut. In the morning of Sept. 1st soldiers knocked on the doors of nearby situated houses and asked the people to open the windows in order to prevent them splintering.
This artillery raid was never ever reported, neither in newspapers nor in diaries-of-war of the Third Army, at that time responsible of all military actions in this area.
I personally have witnessed the explosions by hearing (being citizen of Treuburg at that time), seeing afterwords the smoke of the fires from a distance (15 - 20 km). And I've spoken recently to some of the people who were ordered to open the windows in the above mentioned houses.
Best regards
Treuburger
Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau
Interesting episode, deserving a separate topic.In the early morning of Sept. 1st, 1939, an Eisenbahn-Artillerie (most likely Gneisenau, would you agree?) started firing on the small and militarily insignificant villages of Bakalarzewo and Raczki near the former East Prussian-Polish border.
Would opening windows in houses 1-2km away (according to a map of the area) be warranted when firing 15cm guns?
Perhaps a 24cm or even 28cm railroad gun was used.
Re:
Hello @ndrew,Andrzej Ditrich wrote:I could also add that this rail battery were also supposed to fight near Hel(Hela) in end of september 1939.
It probably had the position near Gdynia.It is not confirmed if it shoot but reported to have it's position there.
In September this battery was stationinng in East Prussia and transported to Gdynia was a difficult job-because of destroyed bridge in Tczew(Dirschau).That is why it was loaded on ferry in Tczew and transported through Vistula river.It is reported that till the end of september it took it's position near Gdynia.
In my opinion it is very likely that battery shooted to Hel.
I wonder if anyone could confirm/denay my informations
Brgds
@ndrew
some answer needs time
the transport was not so easy, there was missing the right ship, the first idea ,the sweden ferrys "Preußen" and "Deutschland" .
At last they could use the steamer "Hohenhörn". The last news 28.09.39 from Pillau, at Danzig 29.09, planned 30.9. Putzig
Best Regard
Beate
Last edited by bettika on 28 Oct 2015, 22:39, edited 1 time in total.