StP Waldam Fort Vert Batterie MI
BATTERIE · K.V.A. B Dunquerque Freie Küste S/W · AOK 15 Nord Pas de Calais · France
StP Waldam M.K.B
Batterie Waldam more an experimental defence with some interesting bunker designs. M.K.B. Marine Küsten Batterie a naval unit with orders to protect the north of the port of Calais.
In the summer 1940 the Kriegsmarine installed 4 17cm average batteries between Waldam and Gris-Nez for the close defense of the Seelöwe Operation to attack Britain.
This is one of the four M batteries, they were named “Coastal batteries M” of the Marine Artillery Abteilung 244.
StP Waldam M.K.B. MI.
StP106 Dresden M.K.B. MII.
Wn164a Sickingen M.K.B. MIV.
StP Waldam M.K.B
StP Waldam M.K.B
Iconic view of M.K.B. Waldam.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Iconic view of M.K.B. Waldam 1944.
SHM 1946
StP Waldam M.K.B
Batterie M.A.A.244. 2 x M270 casemates.
1 x SK/Schartenstand turning concrete hood (M305 Emplacement for 15cm SKC/28 in Kst.MPLC/36).
1 x FCP (Leitstand/SK).
1 x R612 casemate.
1 x SK/Maschinenbunker.
5 x Munitions bunker.
28 x Feldm bunkers.
2 x Wellblech.
3 x 15cm S.K.C./28 guns.
1 x 7.5cm F.K.
1 x 2.5cm Pak 112(f).
Flak:
4 x 4cm Bofors guns.
1 x 3.7cm Flak.
2 x 2cm Flak.
1 x 150cm Searchlight.
10 x assorted machine gun defences.
Geoportail
StP Waldam M.K.B
Fire Control Post from rear.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Fire Control Post from rear 1944.
SHM
StP Waldam M.K.B
The area of the batterie was a French coastal batterie, taken over by the German Army (Heers) and three 17cm SL L/40 guns were mounted in open emplacements. The guns were ex ships 17cm guns of the Schwere Artillerieabteilung 216. In 1942 the site was taken over by the Kriegsmarine and they then placed three 15cm C/28 guns in open emplacements by the Marineartillerieabteilung 244.
1942 and the Schartenbauprogramm (placing as many guns under the cover of casemates). Two large M270 casemates were built side by side in 1944.
In 1942 the rotating unique bunker was built by the Festungspionierkommandeur at Pionierpark in Gennevillers. Waldam was selected to have the first one of this style to be built in March 1944.
The turret/cupola weighing in at 750ton on rotated wheels from an old French battleships turret. The only problem was that sometimes when the gun fired the turret slipped off its runners and had to be put back on.
German 1944 plan
StP Waldam M.K.B
A lone sentry box where a soldier could cower out of the rain and wind, possibly sit on a wooden plank but always aware of who was entering or leaving.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Guard room building.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Guard room building. Everybody and everything arriving and leaving the batterie site would have had to check in here.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
FA ==== Feldmässig Ausbau.
Wache = Guard.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
We could not get inside.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
This is as close as we could get.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Continuing on.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
FA Lager = Feldmässig Ausbau. Camp (barracks).
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Garage and Lager bunker on left
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StP Waldam M.K.B
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StP Waldam M.K.B
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StP Waldam M.K.B
More Tetrahedral.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 1, 1950m3 of concrete and steel reinforcement, 20m long, 8m high and 15m wide and built in the early part of 1944.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 1, 15m across with a 15cm S.K.C./28 gun.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 1, gun room badly damaged for its 15cm S.K.C./28 gun.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 1, gun hooks to lift in the gun..
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The view towards the North Sea..
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Light marine ammunition bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Light ammunition bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Two roomed ammunition bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Two roomed ammunition bunker.
I am not sure what the niche is between the doors.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
View across the back of the batterie position.
I believe the rounded roofed bunker maybe the machinery bunker with a garage in front.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Garage type bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Garage type bunker looking inside.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Garage type bunker looking the roof has a square hole in the roof?
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StP Waldam M.K.B
I also believe this is the Kitchen/Kanteen bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Two roomed ammunition bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 entrance to the Tobruk defence. A nice set of steel ladders run up to it and even hand hold steels still in place.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 entrance into the casemate with a close combat defence. A machine gun in the close combat defence could cover the rear of the bunker and the steps up to the Tobruk defence.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 entrance corridor showing the next close combat defence.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 the close combat embrasure covering the rear door from the passage and the other photo is the other side of the combat embrasure inside its own small room in the casemate.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 ammunition shell room. The slot in the far wall is where the shells would be passed through to the gun room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 Cartridge case room. The door to the close combat embrasure covering the outside rear entrance.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 close combat room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270 close combat room. Note the what looks like heavy machine gun rounds ricochet off the wall.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 Close combat 483P2.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 gun room. Looking down into the fired shell case room. When the gun is fired the case is removed from the breach and dropped down one of two holes in the floor and retrieved via square manhole cover.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 gun room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 vary bad damage in the roof space.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 looking out of the gun room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 2 casemate M270.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Turm 3 M305 plus FCP. There were also about three other open emplacements laid out between the casemates for three 17cm Heers guns (army guns).
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StP Waldam M.K.B
M305 casemate has its own history.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
M305 cupola showing a rather nasty hit by passably a 3" tank shell??
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Hooks probably for camouflage attachments.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Looking down at the turret fitting. The cupola originally turned by man power via cranking handles, later I believe they fitted a small engine to help turn it. The cupola was independent of the gun and could either be turned when the gun turned or if it was only needed to turn the gun a few degrees the turret would be left in position.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The embrasure was bricked up to make as little room as possible to stop Allied guns shooting in as the British and Canadians advanced north.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
This is the floor of the gun room, that stayed still, the gun and the turret could turn 360°.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Inside the gun room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Ammunition supply would come up through this man hole in the floor.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
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StP Waldam M.K.B
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Looking down into the casemates ammunition rooms cellar.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The view at the rear of the casemate with the double rear entrance in the basement and the cupola on the top.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Entrance into the basement.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Rear steps down into the central corridor.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The central corridor to the centre of the casemate.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Fire Control Post on three layers.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Looking up to the second and third layer.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Rear entrance. The door and windows had steel door and shutters.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Fire Control Post - Leitstand. The rear room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The lowest observation room.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Where some form of machinery was hung??
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The way out and the remains of some poor immigrant left here.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
The way up to the next floor. Too old and decrepit to climb the concrete.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Another small garage.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Garage inside.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Garage the roof. Two of these bunkers have a square hole in the roof??
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StP Waldam M.K.B
One of the Naval crew bunkers.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Not a lot of room inside.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Light recess and that is about all we could find inside this bunker.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Way out.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
Base for a small crane to load and unload ammunition.
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StP Waldam M.K.B
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