Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

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zmija
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#16

Post by zmija » 31 Oct 2005, 22:36

Where did all these big guns come from? Does anyone have any information on that? There is a well known Atlantik Wall propaganda photo (can be seen in many books) of a German guard standing next to a barrel of a big gun. Was that gun taken from a ship? If yes wich one, if no where did it come from.

jopaerya
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#17

Post by jopaerya » 01 Nov 2005, 20:17

Hello Zmija

I think you mean the picture of Marine Batterie Lindemann
near Sangatte in France , the guns were 40,6 cm .

Regards Jos


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Andrzej Ditrich
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#18

Post by Andrzej Ditrich » 08 Aug 2011, 14:34

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

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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#19

Post by jopaerya » 17 Nov 2011, 18:24

Hello

Some early picture's of the B. Gneisenau at Pas de Calais ( end 1940/41 )

Photo's = Ebay

Regards Jos
Attachments
15 cm S.K.L.40 2.jpg
15 cm S.K.L.40 2.jpg (19.17 KiB) Viewed 4411 times
15 cm S.K.L_12.jpg
15 cm S.K.L_12.jpg (17.55 KiB) Viewed 4411 times

Paul Lakowski
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#20

Post by Paul Lakowski » 19 Nov 2011, 20:45

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.

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schwarzermai
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#21

Post by schwarzermai » 15 May 2014, 22:56

hello

is this Marine-E.-Batterie Gneisenau at transport?

Image

Uwe
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=223633

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Manuferey
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#22

Post by Manuferey » 16 May 2014, 02:39

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:
Image
(source: article by Alain Chazette on MKB Gneisenau in Cherbourg - Magazine 39/45 No. 213 - June 2004)

Emmanuel

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sitalkes
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#23

Post by sitalkes » 16 May 2014, 06:15

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?

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Manuferey
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#24

Post by Manuferey » 17 May 2014, 03:02

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. 8O

Image

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

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schwarzermai
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#25

Post by schwarzermai » 20 Jun 2014, 15:33

found in "Brieftagebuch" Stoart Ob West 1942:

Image
Image
Image
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=223633

My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"

http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/

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schwarzermai
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#26

Post by schwarzermai » 10 Jul 2014, 16:45

Image
Image
Image
Image

Uwe
viewtopic.php?f=19&t=223633

My Bookproject: "Organisationsgeschichte der deutschen Heeresartillerie im II. Weltkrieg"

http://balsi.de/Heeresartillerie/

Treuburger
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#27

Post by Treuburger » 14 Jun 2015, 15:46

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

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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#28

Post by GregSingh » 15 Jun 2015, 06:13

:welcome:
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.
Interesting episode, deserving a separate topic.
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.

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bettika
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Re:

#29

Post by bettika » 28 Oct 2015, 22:25

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
Hello @ndrew,
some answer needs time :lol:
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
Attachments
0542 1939 09 28 T_1022 4039II.jpg
T_1022 4039II 1939 09 28
0514 Batterie Gneisenau Hohenhörn.jpg
0510 Hohenhörn 1939 09 27 Batterie Gneisenau.jpg
1939 09 27
0508 Hohenhörn 1939 09 26.jpg
1939 09 26
0500 Batterie Gneisenau Fährschiff oder Bahn 1939 09 25.jpg
1939 09 25
Last edited by bettika on 28 Oct 2015, 22:39, edited 1 time in total.

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bettika
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Re: Eisenbahn-Batterie Gneisenau

#30

Post by bettika » 28 Oct 2015, 22:29

some more source
Beate
Attachments
T_1022 4040 II 0493 Batterie Gneisenau.jpg
T_1022 4040 II 0492 1939 09 23 Batterie Gneisenau.jpg
T_1022 4040 II 1939 09 23

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