Despite overshadowed by the natural beauties of Norway, the heritage of the rich war history of this Country would really deserve a dedicated trip. Thanks to its geographical location, this Scandinavian Nation had a primary strategic role both in WWII and the Cold War.
Hitler’s Third Reich military forces conquered Norway early in WWII (Spring 1940), gaining an effective stronghold for launching sea and air patrolling missions over the Norwegian Sea and the northern Atlantic. The long coastline stretching from the Skagerrak strait up to North Cape was made impenetrable to enemy invasion, building anew a capillary network of fortifications – the Atlantic Wall. This masterpiece of military engineering was based on an extensive catalog of reinforced concrete standard elements (Regelbau in German), ranging from fortified casemates to radar towers, to observation and target range finding stations, to bunkerized gun batteries, etc. These elements were assembled in larger fortified compounds, placed in key strategic locations along the coast or in the narrow firths reaching to major ports and towns, like Bergen or Trondheim.
Typically run by the Kriegsmarine (Navy) or Luftwaffe (Air Force), these forts may comprise measuring stations, anti-shipping guns, anti-aircraft cannons, plus barracks, services, ammo storages, and even airfields in some cases. They were built not only in Norway, but having been originally planned by the Third Reich to protect the entire coast of conquered continental Europe, they were erected along the shoreline also from Denmark down to France.
As a matter of fact, many of the Norwegian fortresses of the Atlantic Wall rank today among the most massive and well-preserved of the entire line (see here for some highlights).
But the war history of Norway, and of its mighty military infrastructure, didn’t stop with the end of WWII. With the start of the Cold War, Norway became a NATO founding member, and once again of great strategic value. It found itself in close proximity to the USSR, and with a long coastline facing the sea corridor taking from the highly-militarized Murmansk and Kola Peninsula (see here) to the northern Atlantic.
Most of the Atlantic Wall forts, especially anti-shipping and anti-aircraft gun batteries, were obsolete by the 1950s, and were soon deactivated. Some were abandoned or, when retained by the Norwegian military, they were modified to cover new functions.
In a few cases, the original mission of the site by the Third Reich was retained by NATO forces in the Cold War. This is the case of the torpedo battery in Herdla.
The fortress of Herdla was a major strategic fort in the Atlantic Wall, allowing to keep a watch on the entry point to the inner waters leading to the large industrial and military port of Bergen. Thanks to the morphology of the area, featuring a rare spot of flat land nearby a steep and rocky cliff, an airfield was installed by the Third Reich besides a set of bunkers, effectively hidden in the rocks. A land-based torpedo battery, consisting of a range-finding and aiming station and torpedo-firing tubes, was part of the fort.
During the Cold War, it was decided that the torpedo battery could be still a valuable asset, and Herdla was retained by the Norwegian military – by comparison, the airfield, too short for the requirements of the jet-era, was not. Over the years, the torpedo battery was potentiated to keep up-to-date against the technological offensive capabilities of the Eastern Bloc, and to exploit the most modern identification and surveillance techniques.
The torpedo battery was part of a larger naval fort, which controlled also the barrier of sea mines implemented to stop a sea-based intrusion towards Bergen.
As a matter of fact, the area control functions and the offensive capability of Herdla were retained until the early-2000s, when the fortress was deactivated following the end of the Cold War and defense budget cuts.
Luckily however, the often neglected Cold War chapter of warfare history has in Herdla a valuable asset – an accurately preserved fortress regularly open for a visit. A modern visitor center welcomes the more curious travelers, leaving Bergen towards the remoteness of the coast. It retraces the WWII heritage of the Herdla site, thanks to an exhibition centered around an original Focke-Wulf FW190, recently salvaged from the bottom of the sea, and with a special history to tell. Then a visit to the battery, looking like it had just been left by the military staff, is a unique emotion for both the specialized war technology enthusiasts and the general public as well.
The following report and photos is from a visit taken in Summer 2022.
Sights
As outlined in the overview, the Herdla site today is centered on two major highlights. One is the visitor center, with the preserved relic of a unique Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf FW190. The other is the former torpedo battery and Navy area command bunker, Norwegian facilities installed during the Cold War in bunkers dating to the Third Reich era.
Visitor center & Focke-Wulf FW190 exhibition
The relic of a Focke-Wulf FW190 A-3 German fighter from WWII is hosted in a dedicated room, where a scenic lighting makes this impressive exhibit literally shine.
This exemplar of the iconic Third Reich fighter, produced in some thousands examples, and now almost impossible to find especially in Europe, is ‘Gelbe 16’ (which can be translated in ‘Yellow 16’) of 12./JG5, and its history is deeply related to Herdla.
It took off on December 15th, 1943, from the airfield the Luftwaffe had established on the flat area now lying ahead of the visitor center, at the time a very active German airbase.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Following troubles with the engine, it ditched in the cold inner water near the island of Misje, some ten miles south of Herdla, the pilot being able to abandon the doomed aircraft, and being saved by local fishermen – and returned to the Luftwaffe, who had a Norwegian resistance prisoner released in acknowledgment.
The aircraft sank to the bottom of the sea, but its memory was not lost by some of the locals, who clearly remembered the events. The Focke-Wulf remained there for 63 years, but it was finally located and pinpointed by the Norwegian Navy, instigated by local interest, in 2005. After preparatory work – including exploration dives, to assess the condition and to set-up recovery operations – the fairly well-preserved wreck was lifted to the surface on November 1st, 2006, and loaded on a tug. Conservative restoration work then took place in Bergen.
Instrumentation and the machine guns were all recovered, together with many further fragments of equipment. Interestingly, evidence of repaint was found during conservation, retracing some previous assignments. Yet the history of this very exemplar remains difficult to write in its entirety.
Finally, following completion of conservation works, a new home for the aircraft was prepared in Herdla, where a hangar was built anew – and this is where you can see it today.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The aircraft is in an exceptional state of conservation, considering it spent 63 years in sea water. The fuselage, wings and tail are not significantly damaged, with just some paneling having disappeared on tail control surfaces, due to corrosion. The swastika on the vertical stabilizer is still perfectly evident, like other painted details.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The propeller blades are all bent downstream, as typical for an emergency landing carried out without the landing gear and the engine still running. The tail wheel is there with its original tire, the emblem of the German brand ‘Continental’, still in business today, being clearly noticeable.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The instrumentation from the pilot’s control panel has been put on display separately. Also a gyroscope has been found. Everything is only slightly damaged. Similarly, the two machine guns, dismounted prior to lifting the aircraft from the sea, are little damaged, and displayed with some ammo.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Complementing the exhibition are a few other pieces from other wrecks, as well as some quality scale models and dioramas portraying Herdla in the days of Third Reich tenancy.
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
FW-190 Restored – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Torpedo Battery
Access to the torpedo battery, which was built in WWII just above sea level, is from a gate on the land side. From outside, the bunkers in the fortress of Herdla appear especially well-deceived in the rocks of the cliff.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
What is seen today inside, however, dates to the years of Norwegian tenancy. The facility was updated in several instances during the Cold War, the last in the 1990s. Immediately past the gate, you get access to a modern and neat mechanics shop, where a partly dismounted torpedo allows to have a suggestive look inside this marvelous weapon.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Interestingly, Norway inherited and went on operating a significant number of German G7a (TI) torpedoes. This was the standard torpedo employed by the Kriegsmarine since 1934, and with some modifications (‘TI’ standing for ‘first variant’, the later variants bearing other codes), for the full span of WWII.
Propulsion power for this torpedo was from a piston engine, fed by high-pressure vapor obtained by the combustion of Decaline with compressed air stored onboard, mixed in a heater (i.e. a combustion chamber) with fresh water, similarly stored in a tank. The resulting mixture fed a 4-cylinder radial piston engine, driving two counter-rotating propellers. The exhaust in the water produced a distinctive contrail of bubbles, and the presence of a high-frequency moving mechanism had the side-effect of a significant noise emission. The head of the cylinders can be clearly seen in the dismounted exemplar.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Guidance was provided by rudder steering controlled with the help of gyros, whereas depth was controlled via a mechanical depth sensor. The torpedo could stay close to the surface or keep an assigned depth. In WWII the torpedo had no homing device – i.e. it was ‘blind’, thus requiring carefully putting it on a target-intercept trajectory. It could however cover pre-determined trajectories of some sophistication. The set-point selection for guidance and the yaw regulation gyro assembly have been taken out of the torpedo, and can be checked out in detail.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The range could be selected before launching, and was traded off with speed. It could be between 5.500 and 13.200 yards, and the speed ranged between 44 kn and 30 kn correspondingly. The German origin of the torpedo on display is betrayed by the writings in German on some parts.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Leaving the workshop through a gate towards the inner part of the bunker, a roomy supply storage area can be found, with some interesting material including torpedo parts, as well as a torpedo launching cannon.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
This item represents the primary way of launching torpedoes in the early Cold War from land-based batteries or ship decks. This was a technology inherited from WWII, when coastal batteries of the Atlantic Wall ejected torpedoes from slots in the bunker wall, shortly above the surface of the water, employing cannons similar to this one (which dates from the Cold War period), thanks to a burst of compressed air. This cheaper, but less ‘stealthy’ and accurate launching procedure, was replaced by underwater launching tubes only over the years of the Cold War, featuring an increase in the level of sophistication of warfare. Correspondingly, the slots in the side of the torpedo battery bunker facing the water were bricked up, and torpedo cannons were retained mostly for use from the deck of warships.
From the storage room you get access to the core area of the battery. This is through a decontamination lock, with gear for anti-contamination testing, including paper strips for checking contamination from poisonous gas.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The battery features two diesel generators for electric power, employed in case of disconnection from the regional grid.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Less usual – for a military facility – is the presence of two air compressors. Compressed air is relevant for torpedo operation, being employed for the launch burst from the torpedo tube, as well as for propulsion and gyros in the G7a torpedo. The air compressors in Herdla are made by Junkers, solid German technology from 1961!
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
A few bunkerized resting rooms for the staff manning the battery can be found in the same area, besides the power/compressed air supply room and the torpedo room. The resting rooms are minimal as usual, with suspended berths, and much personal military equipment on display – coats, blankets, medical kits, and more technical material.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Finally, the core of the battery is the torpedo room. This is much longer than wider, access is via the short side. In the Third Reich years, the launching slot was on the short side to the opposite end of the room, right above the water. Today, this slot has been bricked up, and there is no window at all.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The torpedoes are aligned on racks along the long sides of the room. The launching system is via two underwater tubes, which are accessed via obliquely mounted hatches, one to each side of the room at the level of the floor. The section of the racks closer to the entrance door is actually a pivoting slide. The slide could be pitched down, thus allowing the torpedo to slip through the hatch in the firing tube. The original launch control console can be found to the right of the access door – in a mint condition, it looks really like it had just been put in standby following a drill!
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Over the years, the stockpile of G7a TI torpedoes was upgraded especially in terms of guidance. The major modification was the adoption of wired control. This is based on a thin electric cable unwinding as the torpedo proceeds along its trajectory, keeping it linked with the launching battery. This upgraded model is called G7a TI mod 1. Control via a steering joystick and trajectory monitoring system could provide manual guidance to the torpedo, thus sharply increasing the chance of target interception. This technology is still in use today. Wire tubes can be found on top of the rudder of torpedoes.
Besides the G7a, Herdla battery received the TP613 torpedo, a weapon developed in Sweden in the early 1980s from previous designs. Exemplars of this torpedo, still in use, are visible in the torpedo room. In terms of mechanics, the piston engine of this torpedo is powered by the reaction of alcohol and Hydrogen-peroxide. In terms of guidance, this torpedo features improved wired communication for guidance and power setting (i.e. changing torpedo speed during the run), as well as passive sonar homing. A dismounted section exposing the engine can be found on display.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The wire tube installation on top of the rudder is featured also on this model, and examples of the wire are on display.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The original guidance console, made by Decca, with a prominent joystick on it, is on display as well!
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Training and proficiency checks are typically carried out without a warhead, but with an instructional head. Distinctively painted in shocking red, and with powerful lights in them – to show their position to simulated targets during training exercises, when needed – these are on display in a number. Since the torpedoes, just like missiles, are very expensive, a way of recovering them after instructional use has been envisioned, in the form of inflating bags coming out of the head, increasing the buoyancy of the emptied torpedo and forcing it to surface when reactants tanks are empty and power is off.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Offensive warheads can be exchanged with dummy ones for training, bolting them to the body of the torpedo, which remains totally unchanged. A warhead with a 600 lbs explosive load, triggered by a proximity pistol, was typically put on G7a torpedoes. The proximity pistol was made of four petals, which on contact with the target were bent towards a conductive metal ring around the nose cone of the torpedo, closing an electric circuit and triggering the explosion.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Leaving the torpedo room and the bunker is via the same way you came in.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Sea Mines & Area Control Center
But your visit is not over. As mentioned, the Herdla coastal battery hosts an area control center, with provision to manage target detection facilities and the minefields in the waters around Bergen.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
This part was built in a facility strongly potentiated with tight doors, typical to the shockwave-proof military construction syllabus of the Cold War. A sequence of roomy vaults carved in the rock hides a number of containerized modules, together with an exhibition of sea mines and related apparatus.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Most notably, an L-type Mk 2 moored mine and a Mk 51 bottom mine are on display, with a understated control panel. The latter is actually a portable controller for triggering the mines. Already before WWII, sea mines were often put on the bottom of the sea in shallow waters, or moored in deeper waters, to control access inner waters, firths, ports, etc. The Germans made extensive use of this technique in Norway, and following WWII this strategy was inherited by Norway to protect its waters from (primarily) Soviet intrusion.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Despite contact mines were still popular in WWII, they have been surpassed and gradually replaced already in that age by proximity mines, based on noise and – especially – magnetic sensors. Today, proximity fuses activated by the magnetic field of ships or submarines passing nearby are standard technology. Onboard electronics allows to distinguish between the magnetic signature (i.e. fingerprint) of different ships, thus avoiding any issue for civilian or friendly traffic, and activating only against enemy shipping. Degaussing techniques – i.e. the ability of military ships to hide their signature – have forced to improve detection technology, which is today extremely sophisticated.
Furthermore, for the protection of ports and friendly waters, sea mines are typically controlled and triggered by hand, upon detection and localization of enemy shipping, by means of dedicated detection facilities on land or water. This improves precision and allows more flexible defensive-offensive tactics, since a human chain of command has control on the minefield, instead of a pre-determined computer program.
To trigger the mines, consoles like that on display are employed, where a trigger for each mine allows precise control over the minefield.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
The first containerized control center hosts a similar, yet much more modern, dedicated console. Everything in this movable control center is very neat, and really looking like reactivation might take place in just moments! Of interest is also the situation map, covering the area around Herdla and the water inlet to Bergen.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
A nearby container reveals berths and a small living area for stationing staff.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Yet another container hosts a complete situation room covering the area. Similar to the coastal battery in Stevnsfort, Denmark (see here), a careful eye was constantly overlooking the shipping in the area.
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
Cold War Coastal Torpedo Battery – Command and Control – Operations room – Atlantic Wall – Herdla Fort – Bergen – Norway
In the same container, a console for steering torpedoes, more modern than that previously seen in the torpedo battery, is on display.
All in all, Herdla is a one-of-a-kind destination, of primary interest for those interested in Cold War military history, enjoyable and easy to visit. Totally recommended for everybody with an interest in history, with much to see and learn for the kids as well.
Getting there & Visiting
Herdla fortress features an official visitor center with a large parking area, and amenities including a small restaurant and a shop. The official website is here. It can be reached about 27 miles north of central Bergen, roughly 45 minutes by car. The address is Herdla Museum, Herdla Fort, 5315 Herdla.
The torpedo battery and control bunker can be visited only on a guided tour. Visiting from abroad, we scheduled an appointment, and were shown around by the very knowledgeable guide Lars Ågren, a retired officer of the Royal Norwegian Navy. He joined the Navy in the late 1970s, in time to gain a substantial, hands-on Cold War experience during the final, high-tech part of that confrontation. He was promoted to tasks in the NATO headquarters in Belgium, later returning to Norway, and totaling more than 37 years in service. He is strongly involved in the management of the Herdla site. Chance is for you to embark on a visit with this guide, or other very competent guides who will satisfy the appetites of more committed war technicians and engineers, being capable of entertaining also the younger public as well.
A visit to the torpedo battery and control center may last about 1 hour. Seasonal changes to opening times may apply, as common in Northern Countries, therefore carefully check the website.
War actions in Scandinavia constitute a crucial stage in the unfolding of WWII events in Europe. The strategic position of the Scandinavian peninsula was not overlooked by strategists in the Third Reich and the USSR, and by the Western Allies. As a matter of fact, the German invasion of Denmark and Norway took place as early as the Spring of 1940, starting just weeks before the invasion of Holland, Belgium and France.
History & Remains – A Quick Summary
For Germany in WWII, the long and impervious coast of Norway constituted an ideal strong point to carry out raids over the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, the northern Atlantic and the Barents Sea, interfering with resupply convoys from Britain and the US. Especially after the start of the war against the USSR in 1941, the polar routes going to Murmansk – the only non-freezing port on the northern coast of the USSR – were within range of German warships and aircraft operating from the north of Norway. Control over Norway and Denmark meant total control on the access to the Baltic Sea, thus protecting the northern coast of Germany from direct attack by the Western Allies, allowing unimpeded action against the Soviet Union on that sea. Of the greatest importance in the northern European territory was also the abundance of raw materials – mainly metals for industrial production – so desperately needed by the Third Reich.
For the Allies, keeping Scandinavia was an objective of great relevance in the early stages of the war, since this territory could be a convenient springboard to launch attacks against the flat and easy coast of Germany. In the rapidly changing complex alliances and diplomatic relationships of the early stage of WWII (1939-40), Norway and Sweden tried to keep out of the war. Finland fought the Winter War against the USSR (itself one of the results of the Ribbentrop-Molotov pact, albeit not to the knowledge of the Finns), loosing part of its territory and strengthening its link with Germany for some years to come (see this post). The Third Reich attacked Norway by air and sea in April 1940, and help was sought especially in Britain. King Haakon VII of Norway left for exile in England, and the initial battles of WWII between the Reich and the UK were fought – mainly at sea – in proximity of Norwegian ports.
The Atlantic Wall
Possibly the most impressive military trace of WWII in Europe, the Atlantic Wall – a defense line stretching from France to northern Norway – was designed and built in Denmark and Germany, immediately following the successful push of the Third Reich into these Countries. Actually, those are the Countries where the most relevant remains of this interesting trace of war can be found today. A very ambitious project both in purpose and required resources, the Atlantic Wall never reached completion. Despite that, the geography of Norway, with a coastline featuring only limited access to the inland area, allowed to create an effective barrier against a potential enemy landing. Hundreds of gun batteries, complemented with anti-aircraft artillery and radars, constituted a powerful deterrent against any invasion. As a matter of fact, after the unique episode of the Battle of Narvik in the early stages of WWII, no Allied forces ever landed in Norway from the sea for the rest of the war.
A complete visit to all sites of the Atlantic Wall in Norway is a really immense task, due to the number of installations and their geographical remoteness. However, a few impressive highlights can be found in convenient locations, and can be easily visited by everybody. In this post some of them are presented – the colossal battery ‘Vara’, the southern fortified area of Lista, the forts of Fjell and Tellevik near Bergen, and the massive cannons of Austratt.
War Museums
But other fragments of the rich legacy of WWII in Norway can be retraced also away from the preserved installations of the Atlantic Wall. An interesting page is that of naval warfare deployed by the Navy of the Third Reich – the Kriegsmarine – to counter Allied shipping activities. Names like Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau are frequently found in history books as well as in movies or scale model shops, and they are just a few of the mighty vessels linked to the Scandinavian war theater. Dedicated exhibitions can be found in little but impressively rich museums on these topics. In this post, the Tirpitz Museum in Alta, the War Museum of Narvik and the exhibition in the visitor center of North Cape are covered.
Special interest sites
Heroic actions involving the Norwegian resistance organization are proudly remembered all over the Nation. A particularly interesting location being the Rjukan hydroelectric power-plant, which produced heavy water, a key-component in the research leading to the preparation of fissile material. This strategic asset was highly needed by the German nuclear program. On the other hand, its possession by the Third Reich was seen as a clear and present danger by the Allies, who tried to have the plant destroyed in several instances. The Norwegian resistance was clearly much involved in sabotage missions, due to the difficulty in targeting the place through air bombing raids. The power-plant is today a nice museum, covered in this post.
Photographs in this chapter were collected on a visit in August 2022.
Sights
The map below shows the location of the sites mentioned in this chapter. Their listing in the descriptions roughly follows a clockwise sense, starting from the southernmost point of Kristiansand (Vara battery). Red items are in disrepair, whereas blue ones are official tourist destinations.
The Vara battery was built as the core of the strongly fortified area around Kristiansand. Thanks to its position close to the southernmost tip of the Norwegian territory, this port town is still today very busy with passenger and freight traffic from nearby Denmark.
The Third Reich military started to lay sea mines as soon as it gained control of both sides of the Skagerrak strait. The coast around Kristiansand was reinforced with several coastal artillery pieces, and production of a set of special 38 cm caliber guns – called Siegfried -was started by the Krupp ironworks in Essen in 1940. The aim was that of controlling access to the Baltic sea by means of two batteries of long-range naval guns, one to the south in Denmark (Hanstholm, see here), and one to the north in Kristiansand.
The cannons should be capable of revolving by 360 degrees, and special concrete rotundas were prepared for the scope in a location called Møvik, on the southwestern end of the gulf of Kristiansand. The complex morphology of the terrain in this site led to a smaller than desirable area for the battery, where all technical buildings – including ammo storages – had to be built relatively close to one another. These massive constructions alone, built by the same ‘Organisation Todt’ responsible for the implementation of the coastal defense positions all over Europe, make for a remarkable work of engineering, carried out with the help of local builders, working relentlessly around the clock to have these emplacements ready as soon as possible.
In the event, only three of the four Siegfried cannons made their way to the battery in Kristiansand, one being apparently lost when the transport ship carrying it was sunk on the Baltic Sea. Transporting these 110 ton, around 60 ft long barrels by rail from Germany into the narrow valleys of Scandinavia was not an easy task. However, two cannons were test-fired in May 1942, and the third in November the same year.
The battery received the name ‘Vara’, after a high-ranking official killed in Guernsey in 1941.
Battery Vara went through the war without seeing an involvement in any major war action, and was mainly test-fired only. The whole installation, comprising target detection points, analog computers for target aiming, ammo storages – including more than 1.400 shells! – and many other service buildings, was inherited intact by the Norwegian Armed Forces in 1945, similar to many other installations along the coast of the Skagerrak and the North Sea. It was incorporated in the Norwegian coastal artillery between 1946 and 1954, being later placed in reserve having by then become obsolete for Cold War warfare standards. Two cannons were scrapped, whereas one – the only entirely surviving battery Nr. 2 – was luckily kept. The site survived subsequent stages of demolition works over the next decades, but in the early 1990s it was finally re-opened as a museum.
Cannon Nr. 2
Today, the centerpiece of the visit is constituted by a walk around the perfectly preserved building of cannon Nr.2. This bunkerized building is composed of a set of technical rooms, for ammo assembly and storage, as well as for services like Diesel power generators, and an adjoining rotunda, where the big cannon revolved around a pinion, and could be pointed to its target, following instructions from the battery control center. The latter elaborated target data from detection, identification, measuring and range-finding positions scattered around the battery perimeter.
Access to the back of the concrete building is via the original hatch, closed by iron doors. You can see the narrow-gauge railway track leading in. This linked the cannon buildings with the ammo storages around, and allowed to supply the cannon with ammo parts (the explosive cartridge and the shell are not assembled in a single unity for larger cannons, unlike for lighter weapons). The hatch drives you into a long corridor, the backbone of the bunkerized quarters behind the cannon rotunda. Here some shells have been put on the original railway trolley for display.
The cannon building hosted a permanent watch of a few men, which manned it permanently in shifts. A living room with some berths is the only one offering some comfort in the building.
A number of rooms in the bunker are dedicated to the power generator plant. A primary and a back-up generator share the same room. Of special interest are the labels on all machines and mechanisms, proudly made in Germany – in some cases, by brands still existing today.
Electric power was required for the motion of the cannon, besides for smaller appliances like lights and radios. The cannons could make use of the regional grid, but since an unstable supply might have damaged the cannon motors, aiming operations were often carried out on the controlled internal power grid, fed by the generators, and producing an optimal output.
Beside the generator room, the air conditioning plant (not for comfort, but to slightly pressurize the bunker in order to repel and pump-out poisonous or exhaust gas), the Diesel tank and the water tank for cooling the generator can be seen in adjoining rooms.
To the far end of the corridor, a radio room was used to maintain a link with the battery command post, located more than 1 mile away from Vara battery. Actually, by design the electric signals to orient the cannon could be given by the control post, and the radio communication system was there for backup.
On the other side of the corridor with respect to the generator rooms – i.e. towards the cannon rotunda – are four adjoining rooms, used to store the components of the explosive cartridges and shells. The shells and cartridges prepared for firing were moved via a crane to a tray, and from there sent side-wards to the rotunda, where they were loaded on a trolley. The cranes, trays and slots linking these rooms to the rotunda can be found around the area of the bunker closer to the rotunda.
The cranes moved along tracks hanging from the ceiling. These tracks had some switch points, allowing to allow the crane to move across different rooms in the bunker.
Inside these rooms, today you can find much original material of special interest. Specimens of high-explosive (yellow) and armor-piercing (blue) shells are displayed. The weight of the shells was around 800 kg, where the cartridge could feature different weights, roughly from 100 to 200 kg.
The top range of these cannons and shells was around 43 km. Smaller 500 kg shells could alternatively be fired by Siegfried cannons, with a longer range of 55 km. Furthermore, the cannon could be test-fired during drills with smaller caliber shots, by reducing the bore of the cannon. This was a very useful feature, since the estimated loss of barrel metal due to attrition was a staggering 0.25 kg per shot, implying a life of the barrel of only around 250-300 shots, firing with sufficient accuracy. Shooting smaller shells allowed to spare barrel wear and extend the time between overhauls of the cannon.
The sealed canisters for the explosive cartridges, with original markings in German, can still be seen piled in a room!
More material on display includes a rare example of fire direction computer. Actually, that on display is smaller than the one originally used for the long-range cannons of Vara battery, but it provides a good idea of the level of sophistication of this mechanism. Data like target distance, velocity, orientation, wind speed and direction, etc. were set as input to this analog computer, producing fire direction variables to point the cannon. An incredible masterpiece of engineering and craftsmanship, this type of computer is difficult to find in museums, and allows to appreciate the level of development of warfare back in the 1940s.
Data including range of the target was found with the help of special instrumentation. A stereoscopic range-finder was installed in the battery command post, with an arm of 12 m, which allowed good accuracy for very distant targets – required for the long range of the cannons of Vara battery. Smaller instruments with the same principle are displayed in one of the rooms.
Among the special features of this bunkerized building are the restored, original writings from German times, as well as a one-of-a-kind painting made by a Soviet prisoner of war.
From the bunkerized room, you can get access to the rotunda. Cartridges put on trolleys moved along a circular railway track all around the rotunda. This way, cartridges could be taken to the cannon whatever the direction it was pointing. Once to the base of the cannon turret, the explosive charge and the shell were lifted separately by means of two special elevators, up to the level of the gun shutter.
An impressive feature of the rotunda is the ring cover for the circular railway. In order to protect the railway passage from above, while allowing the cannon to rotate, a roof made of thick metal scales was implemented. When revolving around the pinion, the cannon turret would automatically lift the scales on its passage. The sound of the scales being lifted and released while the cannon body was revolving must have been really an experience!
Here the back of the barrel dominates the relatively large firing chamber. The shutter has been left open, so you can see the sunlight through the barrel.
The shell and explosive charge were received from the two elevators on a special tray, and here they were finally aligned one before the other. Somewhat in contrast to the top-notch technology level of the installation, the cartridge had to be pushed from the back into the barrel by hand. A long wooden stick was used for the task. Actually, it was so long that it protruded from the back of the cannon turret, thus requiring a small hatch to be pierced in the metal armor correspondingly. On one side of the barrel, instrumentation for measuring the pointing direction is still in place.
The position of cannon Nr.1 was prepared unusually close to that of Nr.2. As said, this was due to the limited available area on the uneven coast section where the battery was put in place. However, Nr.1 never received a cannon. Conversely, it was modified later in the war, when experimenting with cannon protection from air-dropped high-yield bombs. The rotunda was capped with a very thick concrete roof, sustained by sidewalls which limited the side-wards rotation of the cannon to 120 degrees.
The rotunda can be walked freely. The central pinion is still in place. Inside, the ceiling is covered in original metal panels. The round corridor for the trolleys can still be seen, but there is no access left to the bunkerized part.
Following the railway around the site is a great way to find what remains today of the original installation. There are two bulky ammo storages. These were reportedly more thickly armored than usual, in view of a higher risk of getting hit, due to the unusual proximity with the cannons – designated targets for the enemy.
Furthermore, other smaller buildings are scattered around, which may have served as storage for lighter weapons.
The positions of cannons Nr. 3 and Nr. 4 have been largely demolished, and access is permanently shut to the bunkerized part. However, you can easily climb to the top level, to get a nice view of the rotunda.
Vara is in the top-five list of the most famous surviving installations of the Atlantic Wall in Europe, and a visit to this destination is in itself a good reason for a detour to Norway for war historians and like-minded people. Due to its proximity to the port of Kristiansand, just minutes apart by car, and the relatively easy-to-reach location in the most populated part of Norway, it is also a top destination for any tourist in the area. As a matter of fact, the place is run as a top-level museum, with great reception capability, and is visited by thousands of visitors per year.
Visiting can be performed on a self-guided basis, with an explanation leaflet which allows to get much from your visit, especially if you are not new to installations of the Atlantic Wall (which are mostly standardized, despite Vara having really oversized guns!). A tour of the main features – cannon Nr.2 and the building of Nr.1 – may take 1 hour at least, for an averagely interested person. For an in-depth visit and a quick tour of the premises including other remains, more than 2 hours are needed. Thanks to the exceptional level of conservation and the explanation of whatever is on display, the visit is not boring and may be very rewarding even for younger people.
Large parking on site, picnic tables and warm reception are available – as usual in Norway! Website with full information here.
Nordberg & Marka Batteries – Farsund
Located in the southwestern corner of the Norwegian territory, about 100 miles south of the port of Stavanger, the municipality of Farsund encompasses a number of small coastal villages, around the landmark represented by the lighthouse of Lista.
Two batteries were set up by the German occupation forces as part of the Atlantic wall, both fully operative by 1942. The northern one is called Nordberg fort, where the southern one, very close to the shore line, is known as Marka fort. Between the two, the Germans installed a full-scale airbase, with a runway of roughly 1.5 km, complemented by hangars and shelters largely standing today. Following the end of WWII and the withdrawal of the German military, all these installations were converted for military use by the Norwegian armed forces, which also developed the original airfield into a more modern airbase by stretching the runway.
Today, Nordberg fort is a museum. The German Navy was in charge of the station, which had as centerpieces three 150 mm cannons, with a range of around 23 km. The cannons have been scrapped (with the exception of a lighter piece of Russian make). However, the firing positions are still there, linked by a semi-interred trench.
You can see also the original control point for the battery, developed by the Norwegians more recently, and the concrete base for a radar antenna originally on site.
Several original buildings for services – canteen, hospital,… – are still there, making for a an interesting opportunity to see how this installation looked like back in the 1940s.
The Marka fort was assembled around six 150 mm guns, located very close to the sea, grouped in two batteries of three firing positions each. A huge bunkerized command post was built in the premises of the fort. Today, after the Norwegian military left at the end of the Cold War, the Marka battery is basically a ghost site, despite being still in a relatively good shape.
The control bunker is especially interesting, since you can access the top level and watch the sea from the very same room and windows originally used by the German Navy troops! The general arrangement of the bunker is similar to other command posts you can find on the Atlantic Wall – especially in Denmark (see here).
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
The positions for the coastal guns can be reached close to the control bunker. They are uncovered round areas, slightly below the level of the ground, framed by a circular reinforced sidewall.
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
More Atlantic Wall remains, like bunkers, foundations for radar stations, or emplacements for lighter guns, can be be found scattered in the area of Farsund – which kept its military site status well after the Germans had left.
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Marka Battery Lista Farsund – Atlantic Wall – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The museum of Nordberg keeps some of the buildings on the respective site open. However, the majority of the site is open 24 hours, and can be walked freely. A visit may take about 1 hour. A convenient parking can be found right ahead of the modern and welcoming visitor center, from where you can effortlessly reach most of the points of interest in this installation. Website with full information here.
The site of Marka – not part of any museum – can be approached at any time with some walking in the rural area along the coast line. A good starting point for an exploration is here, where you can leave your car and move along an easy trail to the command bunker and the gun rotundas about 0.5 miles west.
Fjell Fortress – Bergen
Bergen was a strategic base of the German Navy, which received a fortified submarine deck among the largest, most active and longest lasting in the history of WWII. The complex morphology of the territory around this port town allowed to effectively protect the access by means of a network of nine firing emplacements. One of them – Fjell – was of exceptional power and range.
It was built between 1942-43 diverting one of the batteries of battleship Gneisenau, which had been damaged beyond repair by an air raid while in port at Kiel (Germany). The battery was composed of three 28 cm guns in a single turret. The latter was very compact in design, a real masterpiece of naval engineering, but nonetheless it featured a rather tall substructure, with all that was needed to operate the guns – protruding from the relatively sleek top of the turret, surfacing on the ground.
Placing this special battery in Fjell required carving the rocky coast, creating a cylindrical underground pit, inside coated with concrete, to host the turret. The turret, an assembly of around 1.000 tonnes with the guns on top, was then transported up to this elevated site, and lowered into the pit. The battery was test fired in the mid of 1943. It acted as an effective deterrent, and reportedly never used in combat.
The battery was incorporated in the Norwegian coastal defense after WWII, and sadly scrapped in 1968, since by then obsolete, but not yet considered an historical landmark.
Clearly, the battery was in the middle of an off-limits military area in wartime, where bunkers for several services and for the the troops, at least two radar antennas and many emplacements for lighter defensive weapons were installed to protect the battery from ground and air attacks.
Today, the bunker-pit where the turret used to rest is the centerpiece of a visit to the site. Starting from the visitor center on top, where the guns used to be, you can descend to the base of the cylindrical pit – roughly 30 ft in diameter and 75 in depth! Here you can see the rooms originally employed for storing the explosive cartridges and the shells for the cannons. These were supplied on trolleys and slides, and sent inside the metal turret, to be lifted up to the level of the cannons for firing.
Most of the original German mechanical and electrical systems is still there to see, including wiring, phones, cranes, trolleys, and examples of shells and cartridges.
Back then, you got access to these storage areas from an entrance on the same level (i.e. not from the top of the turret, but from the base). You can see this entrance, as well as the curved corridor leading from the gate to the ammo storage area. Here, examples of sea mines and other war material can be found. The corridor has narrow-gauge railway track, which was used for resupplying the ammo storage from outside.
The corridor is curved, and firing positions are strategically placed to cover it, in order to counter enemy intrusion.
The bunker gives access to the living quarters for the troops. These are well preserved, and feature brick walls to help insulating the inside from the wet rock of the walls and ceilings.
Services, like toilets, sauna, washing machines and more, are original from the German tenancy. Especially the water basins appear very stylish, a good example of German design from the era.
Besides the main turret bunker, as said the Fjell site offers other constructions on a vast area, which can be checked out from the outside – also since the premises are at least formally military grounds still today.
The road reaching the site from the parking, gently climbing uphill, is reportedly the original main access to the Third Reich site. An interesting tank-stopping device can be seen to the lower end of the road – heavy stones on top of light pillars on the sides of the road. The pillars could be blown, and the stones would fall cutting the road, in case of a potential intrusion.
The fort of Fjell, about 15 miles west of central Bergen, is professionally run as a museum. Parking is only possible to the base of the cliff where the turret used to stand. From there, a 0.8 miles road climbs to the entrance. The scenic location and the nice rural area around make for an enjoyable walk. Visiting inside is only possibly on guided tours, offered also in English (an possibly other languages). A small restaurant can be found on top, where an observation deck has been built in place of the battery.
The location of the parking is here. A visit may take around 45 minutes, excluding the time needed to climb uphill and descend to the parking. Website with full information here.
Tellevik Fort – Bergen
The coastal fort of Tellevik, on the eastern head of the Norhordland Bridge, 15 miles north of Bergen, was part of the lighter defense artillery put in place by the German military to defend any access by water to Bergen. The battery was built by order of the Third Reich, profiting from the forced labor of Soviet prisoners of war.
Lighter howitzers were enough to cover the narrow water passages in proximity of the town. The elevation of the emplacement is low, slightly above the water surface.
The battery of Tellevik was centered on two such howitzers, placed on open-top positions. The two guns can be seen still today, on round concrete firing positions. The giant bridge today largely obstructing the field of sight was not there at the time of the German occupation.
A monument to Norwegian seamen victims to sea mines laid by the German to protect the access to Bergen is concurrently located on the site of the Tellevik battery.
Tellevik is an open air memorial, which can be walked freely 24/7. It can be reached by inputting these coordinates to a GPS navigation app.
A visit may take about 15 minutes, a nice detour from exceptionally crowded downtown Bergen.
Austrått Fortress – Austrått
Similar to Bergen, the major port of Trondheim was a strategic base for the German Navy. Protected by a long firth, the port was an ideal base for submarines and warships, to intercept convoys in the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, the Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea. Correspondingly, a number of coastal forts was prepared by the German occupation forces to counter any unauthorized access to the waterways leading to Trondheim.
The most powerful and impressive of these batteries is the Austratt Fort. Similar to the fortress of Fjell near Bergen (see above), Austratt received one of the turrets of the ill-fated battleship Gneisenau, damaged while moored in Kiel, in February 1942. A control and aiming position was put in place a few miles apart along the coast, whereas the battery was surrounded by an off-limits area, stuffed with bunkers for the troops, ammo storage bunkers, and lighter guns for protection against an attack by land.
A major difference between the two ‘sister sites’ of Fjell and Austratt is that in the latter the cannons are still there!
Following the installation of the turret, test fired in September 1943, the fort saw little action, acting as a deterrent, and effectively preventing any serious intrusion by the Allies towards Trondheim from the sea. After the demise of the Third Reich, the fort was taken over by the Norwegian coastal defense, stricken off in 1968, and restored as a museum in the early 1990s.
The cannons are on top of a hill. From the outside, the massive three-barreled turret is really impressive in size!
The barrels can be seen besides the original range-finder – with its impressive arm, granting good measuring accuracy even at a large distance from the target. This item, with its bell-shaped cover, was originally part of the control point, located southwest of the battery, in a location currently very close to an active base of the Norwegian Air Force (Orland).
Despite access to the the firing chamber being possible through a hatch to the back of the turret, the tour follows the way a shell would travel from storage to firing. Hence you start your tour from an entrance to the side of the hill, at the same level of the bottom of the cylindrical tower supporting the guns. This metal tower was taken from the Gneisenau together with the cannons, and put in a pit carved in the rock for the purpose in Austratt.
Access through the side of the hill is protected by a smaller gun. Once inside, you find yourself in a curvy corridor, with a narrow-gauge railway track for the trolleys needed to carry the shells and cartridges inside. A firing position behind an embrassure points against the entrance, for further protection of the site against an intrusion.
The bunker in Austratt – but the same happened to many installations of the Atlantic Wall in Norway – was plagued with severe humidity problems. Immediately besides the entrance, a room with a water basin is fed by natural water dripping from the ceiling and from the rocky walls around.
Original machines for tooling, put in place for maintenance purposes back in the Third Reich years, are still there and working. Similarly, a primary and a backup Diesel generators supplying the fort are still in place, with all ancillary plants, like big Diesel and water tanks for cooling. This is original machinery too, as witnessed by the tags of the mechanical components, all made in Germany.
Living quarters were at the bottom level too. Trying to supply some comfort, the rocky walls were covered with bricks and wood, especially against humidity. These rooms have been partly refurbished with a good resemblance to the original ones. They include the kitchen and some of the sleeping quarters for the troops. However, since humidity was really extreme, troops spent limited time here especially for sleeping, and provisional barracks were built outside of the installation instead.
Hygienic services were reportedly extremely advanced compared to Norwegian standards of the time. Fully working toilets, lavatories and showers were taken as a blueprint by the Norwegian Army after the war. The electric water heater put in place in the Austratt battery was apparently among the first installed in the whole Country – it can still be seen.
Explosive cartridges, fuses and shells arriving from the bunker entry you have walked through at the beginning of your tour would be eventually lifted upstairs. Shells, either high-yield explosive or armor-piercing, would be stored in a chamber featuring cranes hanging from the ceiling, used to put the shells on trolleys. These trolleys transported the shells to the lower level of the turret. The chamber where the shells were stored is physically separated by the turret by means of a concrete wall.
Tight compartments are often found in war bunkers of the Atlantic Wall, and this can be explained by the fact that the deadliest effect of an enemy shot (either a cannon shell from a warship, or an air-dropped bomb) would be that of an overpressure wave (shockwave), capable of killing many in just moments. Overpressure effects can be effectively reduced by putting physical obstacles on the way the shockwave would travel – walls, tight doors, etc. – or by forcing it into smaller passages, like hatches or smaller doors and windows. Therefore, bunkers like Austratt are built in rather small rooms, connected only through narrow hatches and doors.
Again in the storage chamber for the shells, extensive writing in German can be found on many of the mechanisms and electric plants. Everything is original and exceptionally well conserved, just like the Germans had just left!
The lowest level of the turret, where the shells would arrive from the storage chamber to be loaded on elevators going to the upper levels, is a masterpiece of engineering. The technical problem here was that of connecting the slides from the storage chamber, which are anchored to the ground, to the receiving slides on the turret, which could pivot around 360 degrees. The designer of the turret solved the issue by placing an intermediate ring, revolving independently, and capable of connecting the fixed slides from the storage chamber to the revolving platform on the turret. The extremely compact size of the overall design, originally prepared for fitting into a warship, and the elegance and precision of the mechanism resemble those of a pocket watch from the 1920s more than a cannon!
On the turret, you can see three elevators for the three barrels, which were therefore fed independently.
Going upstairs, you meet the storage room for the explosive cartridges. These used to be stored in sealed canisters on display, original from the time. This storage room is placed to the side of the corresponding level in the turret, in a similar fashion to the shells storage below.
Climbing up one more level inside the turret, you reach a platform with the motors for moving the battery around its vertical axis, and for lifting or lowering the three monster barrels. The motion involved high-pressure mechanisms, rather complex and requiring many valves and extensive piping.
To the back of each of the barrels, you can see a large empty volume for recoil. The battery rested on a ball bearing – one of the pretty sizable metal balls is on display.
Finally, the firing chamber can be found on the top level in the turret. Here the shells and cartridges were received, aligned and loaded from the back into the barrels by a pushing mechanical arm. Three independent mechanisms were put in place for the scope in the firing chamber.
You can exit the turret from the hatch to the back of the turret, concluding your tour. In the video below you can see a portrait of the battery from the air, made with a drone.
All in all, similar to the Vara battery (see above), Austratt is in an exceptional state of conservation in the Norwegian and European panorama of artillery engineering from WWII, and a visit may be super-interesting for any public.
Visiting
Despite being relatively close to Trondheim on a map, as usual in Norway, Austratt is a more than two hours drive from the town, and reaching requires taking at least one ferry. However, as noted, this location is a pinnacle in the Atlantic Wall, and surely deserves a visit for technicians and non-technical public as well, and of course for the kids.
Access to the exterior is possible at any time, but visiting inside is only possible on guided tours. The guide is very knowledgeable and makes the visit interesting also for a technically-minded public. The visit inside may take around 1 hour, more if you make questions and show some interest. Convenient parking by the gate of the fort, easy access to the area around the battery. Moving inside can be requiring for non-fit people.
As pointed out in the introduction to this chapter, Norway is rich of memorials from WWII. Even close to some of the attractions in this wonderful Country which are must-see stops for other reasons, features recalling memories from war actions are offered to a curious eye.
Two notable examples are the visitor center of the Arctic Circle along the E6, as well as that of North Cape.
Scandinavia has been a bloody and extremely active theater of war all along WWII, and Norway was directly involved in significant war actions since the first year of the conflict. As a matter of fact, most of the impressive line of fortifications constituting the Atlantic Wall was erected by deploying forced laborers, typically prisoners of war from the Eastern Front, primarily including Russians, other people from the USSR, and Balkan prisoners.
Soviet troops attacked the northernmost German-occupied region from the North, together with the Finns, after the latter negotiated a separate peace with the USSR in late 1944. The retreating Germans opposed a fierce resistance, and it was in this latest stage of the war that most physical damage to towns and installations was caused in Norway, since German troops were ordered to burn up all positions they had to leave.
These facts explain the many Soviet monuments and war cemeteries scattered especially in the northern part of Norway still today – commemorating Soviet soldiers fallen either in war actions or as prisoners of war in the harsh conditions of northern Norway.
One such monument, albeit overlooked, is prominently placed besides the visitor center of the Arctic Circle.
Soviet Memorial – Arctic Circle Visitor Center – WWII – Norway
Soviet Memorial – Arctic Circle Visitor Center – WWII – Norway
Soviet Memorial – Arctic Circle Visitor Center – WWII – Norway
The interest of Germany for Norway was primarily for its strategic position, which became an asset of special value after the start of the war against the USSR in mid-1941. The convoys feeding vital material to the USSR from Britain and the US had to go to Murmansk (see here) and the Kola Peninsula, i.e. over the Barents Sea. This was conveniently controlled by the German occupants, operating from the Norwegian coast.
In the visitor center of North Cape some panels are dedicated to this topic, showing an impression of the structure and routes followed by Allied convoys going to the USSR.
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Detailed panels with maps and pictures recall the last battle of the German battleship Scharnhorst, which was confronted by the group of the British battleship HMS Duke of York, in an epic battle relatively close to North Cape. The massive German battleship, deployed to Norway with Tirpitz (a sister ship of the famous Bismarck) to block the resupply traffic to the USSR, was hit several times and finally sunk in the freezing last days of 1943. The battle was posthumously named ‘Battle of North Cape’. A detailed scaled model of the German battleship is similarly on display in the visitor center.
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Polar Convoys to the USSR & Scharnhorst Exhibition – North Cape – Nordkapp – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The visitor center of the Arctic Circle on the road E6, with a small Soviet monument, can be found here. The monument is open 24/7.
The visitor center of North Cape is… at North Cape! The inside can be accessed during opening times, and the tables with information on WWII convoys and battles are on an underground mezzanine. Website with full information here.
War Museum – Narvik
The port town of Narvik was founded in the 19th century as a commercial base for exporting iron ore from Sweden. A small town by the sea, surrounded by steep-climbing mountains, and in a remote location well north of the Arctic Circle, Narvik was turned for about two months into a though theater of war for the Germans, following their occupation of Norway.
It was here that the British started a battle to stop the German push to the north, as soon as the 10th of April 1940, basically at the same time as the Germans had reached the town during their conquering campaign.
What resulted was a complex, multi-stage operation, lasting until early June 1940.
At first, the British fleet mounted a naval attack, carried out with a flotilla of five destroyers. This force clashed with the local German complement of ten destroyers. The British operation met with mixed success, and was finally repelled by the German navy operating in the narrow waters around Narvik, at the price of two destroyers on each side – plus several cargo ships destroyed in the battle. Three days later, on the 13th of April, a new force, composed of the British battleship HMS Warspite and 9 destroyers, launched another assault, resulting in the complete loss of the German destroyers fleet in the region – German warships were either sunk or scuttled.
The Germans however kept control of the town. A mixed force of British, Polish and French troops, together with the Norwegians, started an operation to conquer the town by land. The operation was successful, and the German troops had to retreat along the coast, away from Narvik. However, the start of the Battle of France – the invasion of France by the Third Reich – on the 10th of May, 1940, resulted in a rapid loss of priority of Narvik as a strategic target for the Allies. It was decided in Britain to withdraw from Norway, and to evacuate all previously landed military forces from Narvik. The town fell under German control on June 8th, basically concluding the conquer of Norway by the Third Reich.
The Allied landings around Narvik in 1940 where the first on the European continent in WWII, carried out without the participation of the US, more than three years before operations in southern Italy or Normandy.
The town of Narvik is still today an active commercial port of primary relevance in the region. The heritage of war actions is preserved in a purpose-installed museum, modernly designed and easy to visit.
On a first floor, the naval operations around Narvik are described by means of technological 3D board with virtual projections – very nice and lively. Around the board, memorabilia from the British and German warships taking part to the operations back in the Spring of 1940 have been put on display.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
They include an original Nazi eagle from one of the ships. Since the campaign around Narvik included also air and land operations, war traces including parts of aircraft, guns, mortars, machine guns, first-aid kits and many uniforms are also on display.
Uniforms are from the many corps which took part to those actions – they are British, German, Polish and even French.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
On a second floor, you are offered displays of artifacts retracing other aspects of WWII in Norway. These include land mines – put in place by the Germans along the coast, similar to Denmark, to impede Allied landings – an Enigma coding machine, Third Reich memorabilia, a section of the Tirpitz armored hull, radio machinery supplied to the resistance, as well as personal items belonging to former prisoners of war.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
Finally, on the last floor heavier weapons are put on display, including torpedoes, light armored vehicles and more, even for post-WWII times.
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
War Museum Narvik – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The battle of Narvik is one of the best known from WWII in Norway, and the little museum in the town center duly retraces its timeline, through an elegant exhibition, sufficiently rich to satisfy even the most exigent experts, but not so extensive to be boring for the general public. A really well designed museum, surely worth a visit, which may last from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your level of interest.
The location is right besides the town hall, and can be found here. Parking opportunities on the street nearby. Website with information here.
Tirpitz Museum – Alta
The German battleship Tirpitz was laid down as the only sister ship to the well-known Bismark. Eventually, she underwent developments which made her the heaviest battleship built in Europe. Her actions were concentrated along a limited time frame, between January 1942 and November 1944, when she was finally sunk by British Lancaster bombers, making use of Tallboy high-yield bombs.
She spent her operative life along the coasts of Norway, where she constituted an effective deterrent against a sea-launched Allied invasion, and was employed tactically against resupply convoys going to the USSR.
Tirpitz was a strategic target for the Allies, which tried to get rid of her by no less than seven war operations, meeting with limited success until the last one.
With an armor more than 30 cm thick, Tirpitz was marginally maneuverable especially at lower speed, but the hull was very difficult to penetrate, and the four turrets and eight 38 cm barrels, plus twelve side-shooting 15 cm barrels, complemented by many more defensive weapons, made it a dangerous asset against land and sea targets.
The ship capsized and sunk in shallow water in the bay of Tromso, and following the end of the war, she was largely dismantled. Original pieces of the ship could be collected, as well as some personal belongings from the crew. Some more were taken out from the water over the years.
The museum in Alta is dedicated to the memory of the ship, and offers an extremely rich collection of items connected with Tirpitz. Furthermore, by means of memorabilia items, it retraces the history of the war years in the northernmost region of Norway – Finnmark. The reason for installing the Tirpitz Museum in Kåfjord, near Alta, is bound to the fact that the battleship was based here for a period, as witnessed by some historical pictures. The museum has a rich guestbook, which includes top-ranking military staff from several Countries.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
The small museum is home to some of the finest and largest scales models portraying Tirpitz. The level of detail and the accuracy of the reconstruction is really stunning.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Some smaller diorama models portray scenes from the life onboard, or details of special interest. An unusual one portrays the capsized hull of the ship, following the sinking!
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Besides the scale models, original instrumentation, shells, wooden slabs from the deck, and more parts of the ship are put on display.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
A room is dedicated to the operations carried out against the battleship. The ship was reportedly attacked several times without substantial damage. One of the attacks was carried out by the British, recurring to mini-submarines. Among the artifacts on display are the decorations to the men involved in these operations.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Extremely interesting artifacts in the museum include material from the crew, taken away after the sinking over the years – sometimes found in the area as recently as the year 2000.
These include typewriters, cutlery with swastika emblems, musical instruments, sport suits with prominent Third Reich insignia, and many personal belongings.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
In one case, the cabinet or wallet of a crewman revealed cash and stamps from the time.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Among the countless items in this exhibition are original material – including radio stations – employed by the resistance movements in Norway, as well as light weapons, uniforms and decorations of the Soviet troops who operated in the Finnmark region, helping in repelling the Germans in the last stages of WWII.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
On the outside, the anchor and parts of the armor of Tirpitz can be seen, together with an official memorial stone.
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Tirpitz Battleship Museum Alta – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The museum is located some five miles from Alta, in the small settlement of Kåfjord. It is hosted in a single, small wooden building – possibly a former canteen – to be found here, with a small parking nearby. A website with full visiting information is here.
Visiting the museum may take from 30 minutes to 1 hour depending on your level of interest.
Vemork Hydroelectric Power Plant & Heavy Water Facility – Rjukan
The nuclear program of the Third Reich is still today a matter for researchers, since – mysteriously enough – most documentation disappeared by the end of the war. Among the ascertained facts were the excellence of nuclear scientist in Germany at the time on the one hand, and the total lack of adequate quantities of raw material, or plants for processing it, to actually build real nuclear weapons on the other.
The latter is witnessed by the great strategic value attributed to the plant in Rjukan, hidden in a scenic deep valley in the region of Telemark, in southern Norway, about three hours by car from Oslo. A hydroelectric plant there – the exact name is Vemork power-plant – was employed to produce heavy water through a dedicated electrolysis separation process, which requires huge amounts of energy. Heavy water is a key component for the production of Plutonium – in turn required for atomic weapons – in heavy-water reactors.
Also the Norwegians understood the value of the plant. As soon as the winds of war started blowing from Germany in early 1940, heavy water then in storage was taken away to France, and later to Britain following the invasion of France by the Third Reich.
After Norway had been occupied by the Reich, the plant was at the center of three sabotage operations. Extremely risky and partly ending in disaster, these operations were carried out both by Norwegian and British staff, parachuted from Britain.
It took until 1944 to mortally hit the plant, well protected by its own natural setting. Two dedicated bombing raids carried out by US bombers damaged the plant beyond repair – at least in the late war scenario, when the Third Reich reaction capacity was weakening every day. The final act in the Norwegian heavy water saga was the sinking of the small boat – named Hydro – loaded with the reserve of heavy water from Vemork, having just started its trip to Germany on Lake Tinn.
The plant was again in business in the years after the war, and remained operative until the early 1990s, involved in production of various chemicals.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Today, it is a much visited museum. Actually, the most impressive part of the plant is that of the hydroelectric turbines. Aligned in a single immense hangar, these now silent giant machinery send glimpses of the original, fashionable early-1900 industrial style.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Some of the turbines and generator assemblies – manufactured by AEG, as witnessed by the labels – are really huge.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
A suspended platform allows to capture with a bird’s eye the entire hall. Here you can see also completely analog control panels, again in a very elegant style from the era.
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Vemork Power Plant Heavy Water Rjukan – WWII – Norway
Visiting
The museum in Vemork can be reached in less than 3 hours driving from central Oslo. The power-plant can be approached walking from the parking (here) over a suspended bridge crossing the deep valley. The area is very scenic. The highlight of the show is the hall with the power turbines. A visit may take from a few minutes to more than 1 hour for more interested subjects.
A website with full information can be found here.
After the end of WWII and the collapse of the Third Reich, the territory now belonging to the Czech Republic fell on the Soviet side of the Iron Curtain. Together with today’s Slovakia, it formed the now disappeared unitary state of Czechoslovakia. Despite laying right on the border with the West – including Bavaria, which was part of West Germany and NATO – communist Czechoslovakia enjoyed a relative autonomy from the USSR, until the announced liberally-oriented reforms of the local communist leader Dubcek in the spring of 1968 triggered a violent reaction by the Soviet leader of the time, Leonid Brezhnev (see here). About 250’000 troops from the Warsaw Pact, including the USSR, landed in the Country. As a result, the Soviets established a more hardcore and USSR-compliant local communist regime, and largely increased their military presence.
Similar to the German Democratic Republic (see here for instance), Hungary (see here) or Poland (see here), since then also in Czechoslovakia the local national Army was flanked by a significant contingent of Soviet troops, who left only after the entire Soviet-fueled communist empire started to crumble, at the beginning of the 1990s.
Consequently, for the last two decades of the Cold War, Czechoslovakia was a highly militarized country similar to other ones in the Warsaw Pact (see here). Its geographical position on the border with the West meant it received supply for a high-technology anti-aircraft barrier (see here). Two major airbases in Czechoslovakia were taken over for use by the Soviets and strongly potentiated (see here).
Soviet Nuclear Depots in Czechoslovakia
Beside conventional forces, also nuclear warheads were part of the arsenal deployed in this Country. Where in the late 1960s Soviet strategic nuclear forces were already mostly based on submarine-launched missiles and ICBMs ground-launched from within the USSR’s borders, tactical forces were forward-deployed to satellite countries, to be readily operative in case of war in Europe. Missile systems like the SCUD, Luna (NATO: Frog) and Tochka (NATO: Scarab) were deployed to the Warsaw Pact, supplying either the local Armies or the Soviet forces on site. Typically armed with conventional warheads, these systems were compatible with nuclear warheads too, making them more versatile, and of great use in case of a war against NATO forces in central and western Europe (see here).
Irrespective of their employment by a local national Army or a Soviet missile force, nuclear warheads were kept separated from the rest of the missile system for security, and invariably under strict and exclusive Soviet control. Bunker sites were purpose built in all components of the Warsaw Pact for storing nuclear warheads – see page 46 of this CIA document, showing with some accuracy the location of the corresponding bases.
Granit– and Basalt-type bunkers were typically prepared on airfields or artillery bases, for short-term storage of soon-to-be-launched nuclear weapons. Instead, top-security Monolith-type bunkers (the triangles on the map in the CIA document) were intended for long-term storage of nuclear ordnance.
Monolith-type bunkers were built by local companies on a standard design in the Soviet military inventory, and were implemented in satellite Countries in the late 1960s. Czechoslovakia received three such sites, which took the names Javor 50, by the town of Bílina, Javor 51, close to Míšov, and Javor 52, close to the town of Bělá pod Bezdězem. All three locations are in the north-western regions of today’s Czech Republic.
The Soviet military started withdrawing the nuclear warheads from satellite Countries in 1989, months before the collapse of the wall in Berlin. As for Czechoslovakia, by 1990 all nuclear forces had been moved back to the USSR. Following the end of the Cold War, Monolith-bunkers – similar to most of the colossal inventory of forward-deployed military installations formerly set up by the Soviet Union – were declared surplus by the Countries where they had been implemented.
These primary relics of the Cold War have known since then different destinies. Some of them have been hastily demolished, and together with their associated fragments of recent history, they have almost completely disappeared into oblivion. Luckily, a few are currently still in private hands, and still in existence (see here and here) – specimens of recent military technology, and a vivid memento from recent history, when the map of Europe looked very different from now. Two can be visited, of which one is Javor 51, in the Czech Republic, the main topic of this post. This has been turned into the ‘Atom Museum’, which has the distinction of being the only Monolith-type site in the world offering visits on a regular schedule (the other open site is Podborsko, in Poland, covered here, which is open by appointment).
Also displayed in the following are some pictures of the now inaccessible site Javor 52 in former Czechoslovakia. Photographs were taken in 2020 (Javor 52) and 2022 (Javor 51).
Sights
Javor 51 – The Atom Museum, Míšov
An exceptionally well preserved and high-profile witness of the Cold War, the nuclear depot Javor 51 is a good example of a Monolith-type installation. These bases were centered around two identical semi-interred bunkers for nuclear warheads.
When starting a visit, you will soon make your way to the unloading platform of bunker Nr.1. The shape of the metal canopy, and the small control booth with glass windows overlooking the platform are pretty unique to this site. The metal wall fencing the unloading area is still in its camo coat outside, and greenish paint inside. Caution writings in Russian are still clearly visible. Concrete slabs clearly bear the date of manufacture – 1968. This site was reportedly activated on the 26th of December, 1968.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Even the lamps look original. Some of the – likely – tons of material left by the Soviets on the premises of this site has been put on display ahead of the massive bunker door.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The opening mechanism of the latter is a nice work of mechanics. Four plugs actually lock or unlock the door. They can be moved by means of a manual crank, or likely in the past via an electric mechanism (some wiring is still visible). The thickness of the doors is really impressive (look for the cap of my wide lens on the ground in a picture below for comparison!).
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Each bunker had two ground-level entrances to the opposite ends, each with two blast-proof doors in a sequence. Warheads were transported by truck, unloaded beside the entrance of one of the two bunkers, and carried inside through the two doors, which constituted an air-tight airlock.
Today, you can see the inside main hall of the bunkers from the outside during a visit. This was likely not the case in the days of operation. The opening procedure required a request signal to travel all the way to Moscow, and a trigger signal traveling in the opposite direction. Once past the first (external) door with the warhead trolley, that door was shut, and the procedure was repeated for the second door, giving access to the inside of the bunker.
A security trigger told Moscow when the door was open. It can still be seen hanging from top of the door frame.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Once inside, you find yourself on a suspended concrete platform. The warhead trolley had to be lowered via a crane – still in place – to the bottom of the cellar ahead, i.e. to the underground level. The stairs now greatly facilitating visitor’s motion around the bunker were not in place back then, and descending to the underground level for the technicians was via a hatch in the floor of the suspended platform, and a ladder close to the side wall.
On the platform, an original Soviet-made air conditioning system can be seen – with original labeling – and signs in Russian are on display on the walls.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The platform is also a vantage point to see the extensive array of heat-exchangers put along a sidewall of the central hall – atmosphere control was of primary importance for the relatively delicate nuclear warheads. Each of them traveled and was kept in a pressurized canister. However, also the storage site was under careful atmospheric control.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
To the opposite end of the bunker, the inner tight door of the second entrance can be clearly seen, ahead of another suspended platform. The warheads left the bunker for maintenance (they might have left also for use, but this never happened, except possibly on drills) from that entrance, which had a loading platform outside for putting the warheads on trucks (this can be better seen in other Monolith sites, like Urkut in Hungary, or Stolzenhain in Germany).
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Down on the lower level, the main bunker hall gives access to one side to four big cellars, where the warheads spent their time in storage, and to the other sides to technical rooms. The pavement in the storage cellars features the original metal strongpoints, used to anchor the trolleys for the warheads to the ground. This was in case of a shockwave investing the site in an attack, to avoid the trolleys moving and crashing against one another. The original hooks with spherical joints to link the trolley to the strongpoints are also on display.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The storage cellars today have been used to display informative panels, with many interesting pictures and schemes. These include some from major sites connected with the history of nuclear weaponry in the Soviet Union (like from the test site of Semipalatinsk) and the US (like the Titan Museum near Tucson, AZ, covered in this post).
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
A few former technical rooms are used to store much original technical gear. This ranges from spare parts, tools and personal gear like working suits left by the Soviets (most with signs in Russian), to items ‘Made in Czechoslovakia’ or even radiation detectors from Britain and the West, gathered here for display and comparison.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Some of these spare parts are wrapped and sealed in Russian, looking like they were cataloged back in the time of operations.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
In the main hall, many rare vintage pictures retrace the presence of Soviet military forces on this site as well as others in Czechoslovakia. Magnified copies of rare pictures portray the trucks, canisters and the very warheads likely involved in transport and storage in Javor 51. Actually, much mystery exists around the deployment of nuclear ordnance by the USSR outside its borders (not only to Czechoslovakia). Historical and technical information today made available, even to a dedicated public, is very limited, making this chapter of Cold War history even more intriguing.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Again in the central hall, cabinets for monitoring the nuclear warheads can be seen hanging from the walls, painted in blue. Each warhead used to be stored in a canister, which was periodically linked to these cabinets to check the inner atmosphere, temperature, etc., in order to monitor the health of its very sensitive content.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
A large part of the technical/living rooms has been preserved in its original appearance. You can see parts of an air conditioning system, a big water tank, a toilet, a now empty bedroom for the troops. The bunker was constantly manned inside by typically six people, who operated in shifts. They did not sleep there, nor used the toilet much due to poor drainage. However, these facilities were used in drills, and were intended for the case of real war operations, when the bunker might have been sealed from the outside.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The electric cabinets take a dedicated room, like the huge air filters and pumps (Soviet made), installed to grant survival of the people inside the bunker in case of an attack with nuclear weapons or other special warfare. Clearly, the level of safety in the design of the bunker stemmed from the fact that it was considered by the Soviet as a a strategic target for NATO forces.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The last technical rooms host a big Diesel generator, supplied with air from the outside, and a big fuel tank in an adjoining room. Many labels bear writings in Russian, but the generator appears to be made in Czechoslovakia. The bunker was linked to the usual electric power grid of the region, and the generator was intended for emergency operations, in case the grid was lost or the bunker was isolated.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
From the technical area, it was possible to access or exit the bunker, via a human-size airlock. The innermost tight door can be seen painted in yellow, with a locking mechanism resembling that of the major tight doors for the missile warheads. Outside the airlock, climbing three levels of ladders was required to get to the surface. This was the normal access to the bunker for the military technical staff, except when warheads arrived or left the storage (this was made via the major entrances, as explained).
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Back outside, the second bunker, Nr.2, can be found at a short distance from the former. Nr.2 is being prepared for an exhibition on technology. At the time of writing, it can be toured except for the technical/living rooms. It is in a very good condition, and allows to get similar details as the previous Nr.1 on the construction of this type of facility – including the heating/air conditioning system.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The blue cabinets for plugging the canister for routine status checking and maintenance can be found also in Nr.2 in good shape.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Clearly visible here are the doors closing the technical areas and the warhead cellars. The latter were monitored for security just like the external airtight doors of the bunker, each with a sensor telling controllers whether the cellar was locked or not.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The airlock is covered in soot, possibly the result of a fire. Ahead of the entrance, the unloading platform is very interesting, having a unique set of light doors which had to be opened to allow trucks to come in. The concrete part of the platform appears slightly off-standard, with a short lateral concrete ramp, giving access to the main platform from one side. Parts of missiles – original – are being gathered in this area for display.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Monolith sites include two bunkers, which are the core of a strongly defended fenced area. In Javor 51, fences except the external one have been removed for the safety of visitors (rusty barbed wire can be very dangerous). These can still be found in other similar installations (see here). Similarly, the troops and technicians working on site lived in purpose-built housing, segregated from local communities. In Javor 51, this housing still exists, but cannot be visited.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Leaving the place, you can visit the nice visitor/gathering center, and even find some interesting souvenirs!
Getting there and visiting
All in all, the Atom Museum prepared at Javor 51 is a top destination for everybody interested in the history of the Cold War, nuclear warfare, Soviet history, military history, etc.
Credit goes to the owner of the place, Dr. Vaclav Vitovec, who is leading this remarkable preservation effort, and is a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic guide to the site for those visiting. Dr. Vitovec is also the owner of the border museum in Rozvadov, covered in this post.
The Javor 51 site is actually fairly well known at least to a dedicated public, having been visited by historians, scientists and notable figures – including Francis Gary Powers, Jr., who is very active in preserving the history of the Cold War.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The commitment of the museum’s managers is witnessed also by the nice website (also in English), where you can sign-up for a visit on pre-arranged days – as of 2022, all Saturdays in the warm season – or contact the staff for setting up a personalized visit. It is nice to see a good involvement by the local population (the great majority of visitors on regular visits are Czech), including many from younger generations. The exhibits tell much on the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and this is a major topic in the guided tour in Czech. Actually, the Czech Republic has a strong nuclear tradition, with many power plants in use, and a commitment for the development of nuclear energy in the future.
Soviet Nuclear Bunker Czech Republic – Javor 51 – Atom Museum
The location is around 25 miles southeast of Plzen, or 60 miles southwest of Prague. Easy to reach by car. The exact address is Míšov 51, 33563 Míšov, Czechia. Full info on their website. Visiting on a normal scheduled visit is on a partly-guided basis, meaning that you will get an intro (in Czech) of around 40 minutes, than you will be allowed to access the bunkers and visit on your own, for all the time you like. You might end up spending more than 2 hours checking out the site and everything is in it, if you have a special interest for the topic. Dr. Vitovec is fluent in English, and can provide much information upon request.
Javor 52 – Bělá pod Bezdězem
The Monolith-type site Javor 52 has been willingly demolished, likely by the Government of the Czech Republic, as it was the case for most other similar (or more in general, Soviet-related) sites in Poland and Germany.
However, it was hard to get completely rid of any trace of an installation so bulky and reinforced. Therefore, some remains can still be found and explored.
Some technical buildings still in use close to the bunkers may have been there from the days of operation.
Getting close to the bunker area, traces of the multiple fences originally around the site can be found, either in the trees or in the vicinity of unmaintained roads. Wooden or concrete posts with fragments of barbed wire are clearly visible. Also reinforced concrete shooting points can be spotted in the wild vegetation.
As typical, two bunkers were erected on site, and similarly to Javor 51 (see above), in Javor 52 they are aligned, with the entrances all along the same ideal orientation.
The bunkers in Javor 52 have been interred, so that they are now hardly noticeable from the outside, except to a careful eye. Looking inside the eastern one, it is possible to get a view of the open doors of the main airlock, providing a distant view of the inner main hall.
The western bunker is in a better general condition, and the main hall still retains a pretty unique writing in Russian. The ladder descending from the suspended platform has been substituted with a posthumous, regular ladder. Much metalwork has disappeared though, including the heat exchangers, the crane, and the tight doors.
Between the bunkers, a concrete pool can be found – still watertight! – with a function which is hard to guess. A pool for civil use was installed in Stolzenhain (and reportedly also in Javor 52, but I had not the time to watch out for it), but this was in the low-security of the site, far from the bunkers.
Access to this place is possible without violating any property sign, but is clearly not encouraged. Going unnoticed is made tricky by the presence of a public facility nearby – a shelter for foreigners and some education activity. Parking out of sight is possible along the road 27235, north of the complex and to the west of the road – trailheads and corresponding parking areas can be found there. Check out some satellite map to find a way to the exact location of the bunkers – their respective entrances are approximately here (eastern bunker) and here (western bunker).
I visited the site in 2020, and the entrances appeared very dangerous and easy to seal in a permanent way. I do not have any further update, but would suggest to go prepared to find definitively interred and totally inaccessible bunkers.
Javor 50 – Bílina – Quick note
As of 2020, the site of Javor 50 is in a peculiar state of ‘conservation’. The place is closed to the public, but entering would be basically unimpeded, since the external fence to the former military base is mostly collapsed and interrupted. The Soviet quarters insider still have much to offer – including writing in Russian, a scheme of the base, and much more. Likely, the bunkers are also still in a relatively good shape.
Much surprisingly though, somebody is living there with watchdogs, in miserable conditions, keeping visitors out. It is likely that an official visit may be booked by getting in touch with the municipality, since it appears that the site is not used for anything. However I was not successful in connecting with anybody there, therefore I have no suggestion on this point. The of the main entrance is here.
A pleasant country in northern Europe, Denmark is geographically surrounded by the North and Baltic seas, and shares its only land border with Germany. In the late 1930s, this meant having a very dangerous dictatorship as the only neighbor, and no possible direct help coming by land from other allies. Without natural defenses against and attack from the south, the Kingdom of Denmark was militarily occupied basically in one day, on April 9th, 1940. This happened through a joint operation carried out by the land, air and naval forces of Nazi Germany.
A quick historical overview
The interest of Germany in controlling Danish territory was mainly strategic. It served as a springboard to attack Norway further north. The latter was in itself more interesting to the economy of the Third Reich, as it was rich of natural resources, including raw materials not available in Germany. These were so needed by the Führer, who was dreaming of making Germany independent from international supply trade.
Furthermore, controlling both Denmark and Norway meant control over the eastern coast of the North Sea, and a chance to control the only access to the Baltic Sea. The USSR was not a declared enemy before 1941, but withdrawing from the mutual cooperation pact with Stalin – signed in a hurry just days before the invasion of Poland in September 1939 – at some point, and openly attacking Russia, had been in the mind of the Führer since he first put on paper his worrying geopolitical thoughts. By controlling the Baltic, Hitler could control sea trade to non-freezing ports of the USSR, which in 1940 had already taken over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania in agreement with Germany.
As a matter of fact, the conquer of Norway was not without significant losses for Germany. This was also the result of Britain starting to militarily oppose Germany. The two countries had been already at war since September 1939, but without any serious confrontation having taken place for months.
Since then, the British – and later also the American – threat from the west had to be faced through the fortification of the western coast of the Third Reich, which by the end of the summer of 1940 extended roughly from the Pyrenees in southern France to Kirkenes in northern Norway. This highly visionary task was taken up very seriously by the German military-economic machine, and produced the ‘Atlantikwall’ – which translates pretty obviously into the ‘Atlantic Wall’. This long defensive line had to be built all along the coast, and was mainly based on a catalog of standardized reinforced concrete constructions, to be reproduced in great numbers. Construction was coordinated by the main contractor, the German ‘Organization Todt’, which made extensive use of subcontracted local companies in the various occupied states where construction had to take place.
Despite the majority of the elements in the line were reinforced barracks for troops watching the coastline, ammo and supply storages, command and communication bunkers, canteens, and other service buildings, there were of course also a number of heavier constructions. These included coastal gun batteries, to counter attacking ships, lighter gun batteries, to stop troops attempting a beach landing, aiming stations, to adjust the line of fire of gun batteries, anti-aircraft guns to defend the line from air attacks, and some technical buildings serving as bases for advanced radar systems. The latter were among the most useful and widespread items along the line, as German technology developed fast during the war, to produce powerful detection systems against air and sea menaces.
Needless to remember, similar to many pharaonic works conceived by the Führer and his entourage, the Atlantic Wall was never completed, and it failed to spare the Third Reich from total annihilation. The once-modern military installations along the western coast of Europe soon became obsolete, as war changed face at a quick pace following WWII, with new weapons and techniques. Furthermore, the front line of the new Cold War shifted geographically to the middle of Europe. A tangible sign of enemy occupation, the massive bunkers of the Atlantic Wall met different destinies depending on the country. However, albeit only rarely preserved, thanks to their bulkiness and sturdy make, they are in most cases still visible.
About this post
Being the first land along the western coast to fall under German control, work on the Atlantic Wall started in Denmark earlier than anywhere else. Today extensive traces of the line are still pointing the shores of the North Sea.
A few focal points are preserved as first-class museums. These include the strongholds of Hirtsthals and the huge battery at Hanstholm, in Northern Jutland. The latter had been designed around a cluster of four monster coastal guns, to the aim of controlling the passage through the Skagerrak channel, providing access to the Baltic Sea. A twin battery – Vara – was built to the north of the strait in Norway.
Closer to the German border, the area of Blavand – featuring also the famous ‘Tirpitz battery’ in its arsenal – is another example of a partly preserved portion of the line. Bangsbo fort in Frederikshaven has been partly refurbished and opened as a museum, after being used by the Danish military for a while. There you can find one of the few remaining examples of an Atlantic Wall installation with its original guns still in place.
Smaller strongholds, opened as smaller scale museums or left to more adventurous explorers, often feature unique special constructions, which justify a detour at least for more committed war historians. These include the Skagen battery, the disguised bunkers in Thyboron, and the complicated Stauning battery, built on two opposite coasts of a closed firth.
All these sites – and a few more – are covered in this post, which is based on photographs taken in August 2019. Denmark is officially protecting the installations of the Atlantic Wall as historical buildings – unlike France, for instance – so visiting even abandoned sites maybe rewarding, especially if they are out of the mainstream touristic routes. Unfortunately, many bunkers now closer to crowded touristic areas have been damaged by vandals.
Sights
Map
The sites covered in this post are listed on the following map. Sites opened as museums are pinpointed in red, wild sites are marked in blue.
The sites are listed in the post following the coastline of Jutland from its southwestern end.
Located about 50 miles north of the German border along the coast of the North Sea, the small town of Blavand sits on a promontory protruding towards the sea, and protecting the access to the port town of Esbjerg – still today a major commercial port of Denmark.
The area of Blavand saw the construction of an incredible number of Atlantic Wall elements, which grew up in more instances during the war years.
Close by the parking ahead of the lighthouse on the very tip of the promontory, you can find trailheads leading to the southern and western shores of the promontory.
The southern shore makes for a typical North Sea landscape – an endless sand beach. What makes it different from others is the number of light bunkers placed along the shoreline. Despite little imposing, this model – type ‘F’ – was purpose built for the wide shores of Denmark in 1944, in view of a potential enemy beach landing. These firing positions were armed with machine guns, and placed at pre-determined intervals – about 1’500 ft – matching their accuracy range.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Many bunkers are slowly sinking in the sand, and only small parts of them can be seen emerging from the ground.
Others have been turned into strange sculptures, adding a horse head and tail.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Under favorable tide conditions, you may enter some of the bunkers. There you can appreciate their simple structure, with a defensive embrasure by the entrance (looking towards the coast) and loopholes to the sides of the firing chamber.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
On the beach close to the lighthouse you can find a very big bunker with a wide hollow cave on the inland side, which used to support a searchlight.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Along the western shore you can find more massive bunkers. These include four former coastal gun batteries. These heavier constructions have assumed strange attitudes, after sinking in the sand somewhat irregularly over the years.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Looking towards the inland from the beach, you can spot an aiming/fire control positions, with a distinctive bulbous roof and a long curved slot on the facade.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Your walk along the northern shore may be interrupted by safety warnings concerning mine threat. As a complement to the defensive potential of the Atlantic Wall, extensive minefields were set up on most of the Danish beaches. This turned into a big issue soon after WWII, when an extensive demining action had to be carried out.
Furthermore, part of the Blavand promontory is occupied by a military firing range. When training exercises are taking place, special warning lights are lit and flags are raised, to delimit the territory where you should not venture.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
In the dunes slightly inland from the shoreline, it is possible to find another big number of bunkers. They are not always visible from the distance, and entrance is in most cases from one side only – the only side emerging from the sand.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A very distinctive item is the colossal platform for a ‘Mammut’ type long-range anti-aircraft radar. This used to be operated by the Luftwaffe, whereas other bunkers in Blavand – like elsewhere along the Atlantic Wall – used to be run by other branches of the Germany military.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The base for the radar is in itself a rather complex bunker, with several cavities and extensive piping, once needed for power cables feeding the antenna, as well as other wiring.
Close by, a smaller radar base bunker used to be operated by the German Navy. Also here, holes and passages for cables can be found in the walls and roof.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
It is noteworthy how many bunkers feature traces of original decorations, like painted walls, fake wallpaper, frescoes and small frieze lines. This is typical to many other installations of the Atlantic Wall.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Metal hardware can be found in the form of a bulky aiming turret emerging from a bunker.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
In another instance, a mortar mouth pops out from the ground.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The underground bunker underneath the latter can be explored with some difficulty – there are also quite annoying bats inside -, but it reveals an aiming wheel with original markings in a reinforced concrete dome!
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
An interesting sight nearby the lighthouse is the tower once supporting a ‘See Riese’ radar. The protruding arms once sustained a wooden platform for military operators.
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stronghold Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The area of Blavand is rather extensive and rich of diverse installations, so notwithstanding the general bad shape of most of the bunkers, visiting may easily take 3-4 hours for a committed tourist, getting inside most of the items. A good starting point is the free parking by the lighthouse, provided you come early especially in summer, cause it tends to get more and more crowded along the day.
Blavand – ‘Tirpitz’ Coastal Guns
Despite at least some of the bunkers on the shores of Blavand being in a relatively good shape, there is a part of the Atlantic Wall which is officially preserved as a museum. This is one of the two unfinished bunkers intended to support a set of massive 38 cm coastal guns.
These guns – four, two for each bunker – were originally intended to be put on board battleship Gneisenau. The latter got damaged in port, and the guns were diverted to coastal use. The decision to build the Tirpitz battery to protect the port of Esbjerg came relatively late during the war, in 1944. As a result, construction of the battery supporting structures was not completed when the war ended, and the four never installed guns were scrapped – except one, which can be admired in Hanstholm (see below).
The name ‘Tirpitz’ attributed to this battery is of uncertain origin, and sometimes this installation is also referred to as ‘Vogelnest’.
The museum has been built only in the southernmost bunker. The installation is very modern (and crowded), and it has been designed as a thematic museum in five sections. Two of the most interesting are about the Atlantic Wall and its impact on local life, and on the extensive mining and demining operations on the shores of Denmark.
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Other sections are related to amber trade and local seamen activities.
Finally, you can get access to the base of the gun turret. Photographs are bad here, due to very poor lighting and limitations on camera use.
You can see a central round dome, surrounded by an external corridor. Traces of a post-war explosion can be noticed looking at the metal part of the construction.
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Outside of the museum you can find a cannon cut in pieces, plus rigs used for construction. The bulky concrete arms protruding from the roof were meant to support the crane for mounting the cannons.
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
With a five minutes walk from this bunker, you can get to the northern battery. This is not preserved, and the entrances have been bricked up. Yet you may better appreciate the size of the bunker from this exemplar than from the one turned into a museum.
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Tirpitz Battery Blaavand (Blåvand) Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The museum is located east of Oksby along Tane Hedevey, a local road connecting Blavand to Esbjerg. There are signs along the road, and a large parking ahead of the entrance. The museum is very modern, and may turn very crowded in summer. Website with full information here. You can visit on your own with an audio-guide. The visit to the military-related sections may take about 1 hour.
Adding a walk to the northern battery will take further 20 minutes at most, as there is no chance to step in.
Stauning Battery
Construction of this battery started in the second half of 1944, and consequently it was only partially completed before the end of the war. The geography of the Stauning battery is rather peculiar. The intended design was based on four coastal guns to be placed on the inland side of the Ringkobing firth – basically a lake with a channel-like small mouth connecting it to the sea. On the other coast of the firth, i.e. very close to the North Sea in Hvide Sande, the aiming station for the battery was finally built.
In the event, only one of the reinforced concrete gun positions reached completion, whereas the other three cannons were kept on basic, not reinforced aprons. The gun bunker is the only exemplar of this model built along the Atlantic Wall, and was designed around a 19,4 cm gun manufactured in France.
Located far from the shore in a secluded area of the countryside, this battery is in a relatively good shape, and thanks to the hard soil its position has not drifted since it was installed. You can even walk on top.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
More elements are scattered in the bushes and over the private pasture nearby. Among them, a firing position presumably for anti-aircraft or light field guns, and corresponding ammo storages.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There is also a reinforced concrete barrack or command post. This can be toured inside, revealing some metal piping still in place.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Traces of gun concrete platforms – likely gun firing positions – blown up after the war can be seen, similar to many smaller cubic buildings of uncertain purpose.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A couple of unattractive half-interred ‘living bunker’ can be found too, another design present only in Denmark – the type was named ‘Falkenhorst III’. Inside, traces of original wall paintings can be easily spotted.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There is actually a fire direction post of some sort in this part of the battery too. This is a square-based concrete booth, with an adjoining living bunker.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The aiming position in Hvide Sande is rather easy to find, on top of a mound close to the city center. There are actually two concrete accesses on the eastern side of the hill. The one closer to the top gives access to the metal dome you can spot on top of the mound.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Climbing up to the dome is possible along a rusty ladder, going through a narrow vertical passage. Once there you can see the mounting of a telescope for measurements. There are side slots looking outside, and an original marked wheel to provide measurements. You can also spot small foldable wooden tables (or perhaps jump-seats).
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Downstairs, there are a few panels explaining the history of the battery.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The second concrete entrance gives access to a ‘living bunker’ for the troops, with explanatory panels on the history of the place.
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Stauning Battery Hvide Sande Point Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The inland part of the Stauning battery with the gun station is located close to Stauningvej 55. You may park your car not far north from this address, on a wide lot close to the entrance of a local residential area. Most notably, this battery is about .5 miles from the beautiful Danish Museum of Flight (see this post). Exploring the battery may take 1-1.5 hours, as the place is totally wild and inconvenient to visit.
The Hvide Sande point is on the northern rim of the channel linking the firth to the North Sea. You can see the mound close by a major round about, where road 181 meets Troldbjergsvej. There are several parking options nearby. The place is technically not abandoned, but there was no ticket/staff, and it was totally dark when I visited. You would better take a small torch with you.
Sondervig
Just as an example of how extensive the construction of the Atlantic Wall was in Denmark, you may have a look to the beach in Sondervig, where people spending the day by the sea are accustomed to the view of the monstrous German bunkers pointing the shore.
Atlantic Wall Sondervig Beach Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Sondervig Beach Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
You may find a parking spot in Sondervig and access this famous touristic beach by foot.
Thyboron
The coastal battery at Thyboron has a unique place in the panorama of Atlantic Wall buildings. Here a sort of sample list of possible deceptive techniques were tested on otherwise normal bunkers. The usual constructions pointing the shore have a strange appearance here, thanks to the imaginative talent of a Danish architect – who turned out to be a spy working for the Allies.
At least two gun batteries bear a special roof, resembling that of a house. Also thanks to erosion, they now have even odder shapes, resembling some Star Wars spaceship.
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
An observation bunker bears a tiled roof. Surprisingly, an apparently original fragment of telegraph wire can be found inside.
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Given the position of the bunkers – lying isolated on a deserted beach – it’s pretty difficult to suppose this kind of deception was ever effective…
There are also some more straightforward constructions around, some of them in a relatively good shape. The cusped lintels above most doors and openings are typical to elements of the Atlantic Wall in northern countries, and are made for protecting the passages against snow and icing rain.
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Just inland from the ‘sample list’, you can find a large underground bunker, somewhat difficult to access – it is sinking in the sand. Conspicuous traces of original wall painting and even writings in German can be found on the walls.
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The message in German is a warning message, telling to stay away of the walls in case of bombardment. This warning sign is rather ubiquitous in Danish bunkers.
Close to the the city center – and actually a part of the Coastal Center, a museum for children dedicated to the life along the western coast of Jutland – it is possible to find another bunker deceived as a wooden house! This deception technique is far more convincing than those on the shore…
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
To visit the bunkers on the shore you can reach a convenient public parking at the southern end of Vesterhavsgade, southern Thyboron. Visiting these bunkers may take about 45 minutes for a committed tourist. To get to the Coastal Center you may follow the signs and park at your convenience ahead of the building. The deceived bunker can be seen from the outside of the museum, so getting the ticket is not needed if you are not interested in the rest of the installation.
Extra feature – Sea War Museum, Thyboron
Thyboron has a prominent place in WWI history, being the Danish village closest to the area of the Battle of Jutland, one of the very few naval battles of that war, and one of the top-ranking in history for the number of vessels and tonnage involved, and for the casualties – almost 9’000 seamen were killed.
The battle was fought between two major formations of the the German Kaiser on one side and the King of England on the other. Started almost by chance, as the two opposing factions appeared on the same sector unaware of each other, the fighting was so intense that cannon fire was heard along the shores of Thyboron for many hours. The battle ended with a tactical defeat on the British side, but the Kriegsmarine of the Kaiser avoided any other serious clashes with the British for the rest of the war – in this sense, this was a British strategic victory.
Today, a monument dedicated to those who perished in the Battle of Jutland occupies a wide area over a promontory in northern Thyboron, close by the Coastal Center (see above).
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
A nice museum dedicated to sea war has been put in place nearby. On the exterior you can find old mines, torpedoes and even parts of relics taken from the bottom of the sea.
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Inside you can find many unique artifacts, including cannons, insignia, and everyday items from ships taking parts to the Battle of Jutland.
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Also unique are parts of early submarines dating from WWI, recovered from the sea thanks to novel investigation and capture technologies.
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
The museum is at large dedicated to naval battles and ventures of WWI. A section is dedicated to the most modern sea archaeology techniques.
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Sea War Museum Thyboron (Thyborøn) Jutland Battle WWI Denmark
Outside of the museum, you may spot a few Atlantic Wall bunkers as well, likely converted into more modern military installations in a post-WWII period. They are apparently run as museums, but they were closed when I passed by.
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Thyboron (Thyborøn) Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The Sea War Museum is located very close to the Coastal Center in central Thyboron. Dedicated free parking right ahead of the entrance. Visiting may take about 1.5-2 hours for more committed subjects, despite the small size. The museum is stacked with extremely interesting details, the exhibition is rich and well made. Really an interesting detour for anybody interested in sea war. Website here.
Agger
Agger is located north of the Thyboron Channel, and can be reached with a five minutes ferry ride from nearby Thyboron. The long, windy, wild and distressing beaches south of the village of Agger are not really welcoming, nor easy to visit. Yet here you can find some unique and imposing elements of the Atlantic Wall.
These include a firing control bunker of the Navy. A feature often found also elsewhere, you can see some of the concrete bunkers are made of joined blocks. Light can be seen coming from the thin slots between the blocks in some occasions.
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Another special construction here is the support tower for a ‘Seetakt’ radar. The tall concrete tower is assembled together with a bulkier concrete base.
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The assembly has slipped to the shoreline, and today it can be neared only in favorable tide conditions. Furthermore, it is sitting in a banked attitude, making it looking really derelict.
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Agger Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Thanks also to a rather bad weather, these elements of the Atlantic Wall looked really eerie when I visited!
Getting there and moving around
The Agger site is wild and not signaled. The area is part of a national preserve, and part of the endless beach is a stage for kites, surfing activities and other beach sports. There is an official parking at the western end of Lange Mole Vej, less than five minutes by car from the ferry terminal to Thyboron. From there you should go to the beach and walk north for about 15 minutes to get to the tower, the highlight of the show.
You may spot it from the distance. I could not get in the tower due to unfavorable tide conditions, but visiting inside may not take much time, for the expected condition is not good, with little left to see.
Hanstholm
The Hanstholm battery is one of the most developed of the entire Atlantic Wall. As pointed out in the introduction, together with the sister site ‘Vara’ in Norway – about 80 miles north – this battery was centered on four massive 38 cm cannons, installed to obstruct surface passage through the Skagerrak, and de facto controlling the access to the Baltic Sea.
An initial battery based on less powerful 17 cm coastal guns was put in place as soon as 1940. The gigantic 38 cm guns arrived only later and were tested, but never used in action. The metal parts of the firing stations, including the turrets and guns, were eventually scrapped in the early 1950s. Over the years, this huge installation, with more than 300 bunkers fell largely into private hands, and today many former storage bunkers are used as warehouses for machinery and goods by local owners.
Nonetheless, battery Nr.3 has been turned into a modern museum, after being largely refurbished to its original splendor. As such, it is a one-of-a-kind museum, with thousands of visitors per year. Two more turrets and a number of bunkers are left to explorers. While they are not actively maintained, they are still in a rather good shape, and responsible exploration is even supported with some indications.
The area of the Hanstholm is almost 4 square miles. In order not to get disoriented, a good starting point is the museum in and around turret Nr.3. There you are greeted by a pretty unique 38 cm cannon! This is actually from the Tirpitz battery (see above), but it is exactly the same item once installed in Hanstholm. The size is really remarkable, especially when compared to more modest and usual 15 cm coastal guns, on display.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The modern museum offers a quick recap of the history of the place, with memorabilia including everyday items, letters, maps and original weapons.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Once you are done with that, you can get access to the underground part, where you first meet the ammo storage rooms, on the side of a long corridor aligned along a narrow gauge railway track. This was used to connect the firing stations – i.e. the four bunkers with the guns – to larger ammo storages scattered around the are of the fort.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There are two major adjoining rooms along the corridor, each dedicated to a different part of the cartridge. The piercing part – the ‘bullet’ – and the exploding fuse were kept separated from each other. This is similar to naval guns, and typical to larger calibers. The complicated railings hanging from the roof were made to allow moving the parts of the cartridge by means of movable cranes.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
In action, the bullets and fuses were loaded on a slide, and from there on trolleys which would enter the turret from below. Today, as the turret is not there any more, the trolleys are in an open air corridor, apparently without any sense. It is noteworthy that the inscriptions and frescoes are all original, albeit refurbished.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The structure of the firing station and of the Hanstholm fort can be better appreciated from the drawings and models below.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A second part of the firing station is the bunker for the complement of men needed to operate this complicated cannon. The place was permanently watched, with shifts spending the night in underground quarters. Those pertaining to firing station Nr.3 have been refurbished, and provide a vivid impression of the original appearance. There are sleeping and living quarters, as well as large, military style showers and toilets.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There is also a complete power station, with two Diesel generators, a mechanics shop, water tanks and more.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Out of the Nr.3 firing station you are encouraged to tour at least part of the site along a series of prescribed trails. Among the items you meet on this tour is one of the ammo storages. It is not dissimilar from the ammo storage part of the firing station. The ammo parts were loaded on a railway car passing through, and from there moved towards the gun turret.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There are also many smaller storage and service bunkers, some bearing interesting original inscriptions inside.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The Hanstholm fort was defended by field cannons and anti-aircraft guns. Emplacements for the latter can be spotted around in more instances.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Another suggested part of the visit is firing station Nr.4, which is not really preserved, but is not in a generally bad shape either. You can get in only if you have a torchlight. Visiting may offer something very similar to Nr.3, except everything is more derelict – but for this reason, may be more authentic.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
In the living part, you can find inscriptions in German and traces of the original wall paint. With a general knowledge of the plan from the visit to Nr.3, you may easily recognize the corresponding rooms – power station, toilets, living rooms, etc.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
To get to the ammo storage part, you can walk along the round corridor outside. No trolleys left here, differently from Nr.3.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Inside the ammo storage rooms, you notice that the inscriptions have been largely canceled for some reason, but the slides as well as the frescoes above them are still there.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Still part of the suggested itinerary, you can find a control station, in a rather bad shape, and more interestingly a very peculiar building, located on top of a cliff.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
This was a fire direction station. Due to the high-tech nature of the Hanstholm battery, fire direction worked on what can be considered archaic computers! The building has many floors. There is provision for a permanent team of technicians, hosted in living and sleeping quarters downstairs.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The top floors used to host the computing machines, which were fed by measurements from instruments mounted in metal domes, facing on the roof of the building. The room for the computing machines is rather dark, and due to the black walls it is difficult to see anything even with a torch.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The Hanstholm site offers several ancillary bunkers open to the public. Among them, one for a generator, supplying the whole fort in case of a grid failure.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Another bunker is an ammo storage, with a big concrete arch outside, for a moving crane operating above railway cars. Narrow gauge railway tracks can be seen still today in this part.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The pivot in the middle of firing station Nr.2 has been interred after the war, but the living/sleeping quarters for the troops and the ammo storage parts can be visited, albeit they are not connected any more by a direct passage.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A visit to this firing station is very interesting, for writings are in a generally better shape than in Nr.4, even though this too has not been refurbished.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
In the ammo storage part, writings are especially abundant. You can see also traces of the original telephone wiring.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The last firing station, Nr.1, is not accessible, even though not interred.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
As said, there are many other bunkers an remains around, which are typically not accessible, especially the farther you go from the museum. They are now largely on private land and used for something else.
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hanstholm Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The Hanstholm strongpoint is a must for everyone interested in the Atlantic Wall! The museum is modern, completely accessible, with a convenient parking and all usual facilities. Website here.
The refurbished part is basically only firing station Nr.3, but many other bunkers, like the fire control center, as well as firing stations Nr.2 and 4 are open for explorers, and they have not been spoiled by vandals. You need to go with a torchlight and proper clothing, but the visit may be very rewarding.
Many more bunkers around are closed to the public, as they are now private property and used for other purposes.
Due to the enormous size of the area, visiting may easily turn into a full-day or even multi-days business for an enthusiast. For the general public, a visit to the museum and one of the trails may take a 2-3 hours depending on the level of interest.
Hirtshals
Similar to Hanstholm (see above), the area of Hirtshals was soon selected by the Wehrmacht for a coastal fortification, thanks to its strategic position overlooking the mouth of the Skagerrak strait.
The first four 105 mm field guns were positioned here as soon as summer 1941. They occupied open-air concrete aprons, which still today bear trace of the original camouflage paint and deceptive net.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A peculiarity of this fort is its extensive network of trenches, which connect all the battle stations to the living quarters for the troops and the service buildings, like the canteen-bunker and the hospital-bunker.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
On top of the steep cliff dropping to sea level, you can find the bunkers for the guns. These were moved from the open aprons in 1944, into purpose built reinforced concrete firing positions. A special feature here is the steep flight of stair giving access to the gun area from behind. This construction was made necessary by the particular morphology and rock type of the cliff.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
You can spot significant traces of the original camo paint, and the letters ‘St’ on many walls, meaning ‘Ständig’, i.e. resistant in German. These letters were used to mark those buildings capable of sustaining shelling and bombing raids.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A bulbous roof allows to easily recognize the fire direction station.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A more rare item in Hirtshals is the base for the ‘See Riese’ radar. This is a hexagonal concrete hollow platform. The bunker underneath it would serve to host a Diesel power generator.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Back from the coastline, you may enjoy a long exploration of the trenches and of the many restored bunkers. Many bear original markings and paintings.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
In some rare cases, you can also find original decorative paintings, likely made by the soldiers stationed in the bunkers.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Restored bunkers include a ‘living bunker’, but many other installations are in good conditions, like interred shelters, ammo storages, etc. Traces of cables, armored doors – some of them with glass lights – and telephone wires can be found in many bunkers.
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Furthermore, in Hirtshals you have the chance to get a bird’s eye view of the fort, by climbing on top of the local lighthouse!
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Hirtshals Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The Hirtshals site is an open-air museum. There are technically opening times, but the area is not fenced, so if you are looking for a visit to the exteriors, you can walk around freely at any time. The museum has a website here, and guided visits are offered in many occasions. Many bunkers were closed when I visited, and they might be visible only with a guide. Some other bunkers are open and lighted, whereas the majority are basically left to explorers – open and not lighted – but rather accessible and very easy to visit, maybe with the help of a small torch. There is not a clear entrance (the area is not fenced), nor permanent staff on the site.
There are explanatory signs for basically all of the bunkers, in double Danish/German language.
The parking is ahead of the lighthouse, which is a different entity and operates with opening times you can find here. The parking is large and free. Climbing on top of the lighthouse is possible at a small fee – apparently only Danish Crowns cash accepted.
Together with a climb on top of the lighthouse, the visit may take from 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on your level of interest.
Skagen
The Skagen area is mostly famous for its location on the very tip of the Jutland peninsula, the natural northern end of continental Europe, and ideally as the geographical point where the North Sea and Baltic Sea join together. The long and quiet shores there and the population of seals contribute to making Skagen a prominent touristic attraction, often crowded with visitors from Denmark and abroad.
What people going there may not expect is the presence of a number of massive firing positions from the years of the German occupation! These are concentrated along the eastern coast, and include firing position for 120 mm coastal guns, overlooking the Skagerrak strait.
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There are also a fire control bunker, which has drifted to the shoreline, as well as radar support bunkers.
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Unfortunately, these installations have been left to the elements and – most sadly – to vandals. Except for their huge size, there is not much left to appreciate.
But there is more related to the Atlantic Wall in Skagen. A former hospital bunker has been partly refurbished and converted into a very interesting smaller museum on the local battery.
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Inside, you can first appreciate the special size of the doors and corridors, made to allow moving stretchers around.
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Put on display are several items related to the history of the Skagen fortress. There are uniforms from the time, photos from the years of operations, and everyday items left over by the Wehrmacht.
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Some of the rooms have been reconstructed, and provide a vivid impression of the original appearance.
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Skagen Battery Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Among the exhibits are also some relics from a downed British aircraft.
Getting there and moving around
Visiting the Skagen battery is easier from the small parking Hvide Fyr, Fyrvej, 9990 Skagen. This parking is free. Going on the Baltic shore from the parking means a five minutes walk along a prepared path. A quick walk with a look to the abandoned battery would take about 20 minutes.
You may either walk to the tip from there, or better move your car to shorten the walk, going to the huge dedicated parking area where the road N.40 ends. This parking is not free.
You will find the Skagen Bunker-Museum in the former hospital bunker immediately to the southwestern side of the parking. Website here.
Visiting may take about 30-45 minutes, an interesting small detour from the local natural attractions.
Bangsbo
Comparatively less fortified than the North Sea coast, the eastern cost of Jutland is the place of a primary military and commercial port named Frederikshavn. This is also a starting point for travelers going to Norway from central Europe.
Here the Germans installed one of the few strongpoints on this side of the peninsula. What makes the so-called Bangsbo fort unique among the Atlantic Wall installations is the fact that three of the four original guns in the coastal battery are still in place!
The main area of Bangsbo fort, where the coastal battery is located, can be found to the south of the town, and is somewhat similar to Hirtshals (see above). Both are located on top of a cliff, with a significant area to the back dedicated to command, living and service bunkers.
Today, some of these bunkers have been completely refurbished. These include the command bunker for the local commander of the Kriegsmarine (the German Navy). This is super-interesting, with many artifacts from the time, from military gear to swastika-marked dishware, from maps to photographs of general Rommel – who superintended the construction of the Atlantic Wall – visiting the installation, and much more.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Much interesting is especially the reconstruction of the command/meeting room.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Scattered over the premises of the military area are cannons and several strange items, like a tank turret intended to be placed on top of a defensive Tobruk.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There are a refurbished hospital bunker and reconstructed living quarters.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The firing control post roughly at the center of the area is another highlight, having been completely refurbished, with plenty of Nazi insignia and original material.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
To the back of the bunker are a living and command area, whereas the front part is an observation deck.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The firing positions with guns are numbered from Nr.1 to 3. They are based on 15 cm coastal guns, installed in 1944, replacing older and smaller pieces.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The guns can be walked around. The cartridge supply slides to the back of the firing chamber are still in place.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Guns Nr. 1 and 3 are similar, whereas the central gun was taken from a Danish cruiser cannibalized by the Germans in Kiel during the war. Today, it bears a greenish paint.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
There used to be a fourth cannon with a field of fire of 360 degrees. Trace of a platform can be seen, as well as an anti-aircraft gun.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
The fort shares a border with an active military area, so a part of the original installations cannot be visited. Others are open only for those visiting on guided tours. These include a radar-supporting station. Others can be entered, but are basically empty.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
A minor part of the Bansgbo fort is located north of Frederikshavn. It is a partially preserved anti-aircraft firing station. This was made of four firing places and a central fire direction point. The latter is still visible at least from the outside.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
One of the anti aircraft guns is also in place. The rest of the installation has been filled with land and made inaccessible.
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Atlantic Wall Frederikshavn Bansgbo Fort Denmark Nazi Defense Line Atlantikwall
Getting there and moving around
The major part of Bansgbo fort can be found south of Frederikshavn. It can be accessed from Bakkevej, which ends with the parking of the museum. Website here. The area can be walked and accessed with a ticket. There are picnic facilities and a small shop. Guided tours are offered at pre-defined times, see the website. You can get a good impression even by walking around on your own, but some bunkers can be accessed only with a guide. I did not join a guided tour, and all the pictures above are from a self-guided visit.
The site is not huge, but very interesting thanks to preservation efforts. It may easily deserve a 2 hours visit.
The anti-aircraft site is located north of Frederikshaven, and can be reached from Nordre Strandvej. You may park on the large free parking made for the local beach. This smaller installation may be visited in 10-15 minutes without a ticket.
