Battery Moltke

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Battery Moltke
Part of Atlantic Wall
Les Landes, St Ouen, Jersey
Battery Moltke, Les Landes, Jersey.JPG
Battery Moltke seen in 2013
War Ensign of Germany (1938-1945).svgReichsadler der Deutsches Reich (1933–1945).svg
Kriegsmarine Ensign
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Site information
Owner People of Jersey
Open to
the public
Yes
Condition Some structures restored, others ruined
Site history
Built 1941
Built by Organisation Todt
In use 1941-45
Materials Concrete, steel and timber
Events Occupation of the Channel Islands
Garrison information
Garrison Kriegsmarine

Battery Moltke or Batterie Moltke is an uncompleted World War II former coastal artillery battery in St Ouen in the north west of Jersey.[1] It was constructed by Organisation Todt for the Wehrmacht during the Occupation of the Channel Islands.

The battery structures include bunkers, gun emplacements and the Marine Peilstand 3 tower, which are located on Les Landes, a coastal heathland area at the north end of St Ouen's Bay.[2] The bunker was left unfinished at the end of the war, when completed there would have been an M132 Command Bunker like at Battery Lothringen and the main armament would have consisted of 4x 15 cm SK C/28.

The primary purpose of this battery would have been the defence of St Ouen's Bay in the event of an amphibious assault by the Allies, although Jersey's entire coastline would have been within range of the guns, as would the stretch of water between Jersey and Sark.

Gun emplacements

A 15.5 cm K 418(f) at Battery Moltke in 2013
Gun emplacement at Battery Moltke, Les Landes, Jersey

Four captured French Canon de 155mm GPF, known as the 15.5 cm K 418(f) by the Germans, were located at Moltke.[3] One of the original guns can be seen there today. These guns could be fully rotated to fire in any direction. They had a maximum range of around 19,500 m.

The French guns were intended to be temporary until more modern 15 cm SK C/28 guns could be delivered, these guns never arrived.

MP3 tower

Marine Peilstand 3

The Marine Peilstand 3 tower, or MP3 tower, is one of nine planned towers, in Jersey, for use in observing targets at sea. It is similar to the other two completed towers of this type (MP1 and MP2).

The tower is located at the top of a steep sloping, west-facing cliff. It has seven floors including a windowless underground floor and the walled top deck where a Seetakt radar was located. The land-side entrance is on the third level.

Ringstände

One of the Ringstände which was built to accommodate the turret from a captured Renault FT-17[4]

Examples of Ringstände can be found at the battery site. These are a type of defensive fighting position known as Tobruk by the Allies, and are small bunkers constructed from concrete with an aperture on the top which was used to mount a turret from an otherwise obsolete tank.

Present day

In 2013, the exterior areas of the site is accessible at all times. The Channel Islands Occupation Society operates some of the bunkers as a museum.[5]

One may visit the gun emplacements at any time. Two cannon barrels recovered from the foot of the nearby cliffs are on display in one of the emplacements. These two salvaged barrels were not originally located at Moltke.

See also

References

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  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  5. Channel Islands Occupation Society

External links