Batterie Moltke
Batterie Moltke March 9th 1945
Batterie Moltke 5./HKAR 1265
Located at the south of Les Landes. Originally planned to be 'Marinebatterie 1' armed with four 15cm SK c/28 guns in revolving turrets. Four fortress type gun emplacements were built to house these, but the guns never made it to Jersey. Older 15.5cm French GPF field guns were used instead.
Main equipment used at Batterie Moltke
• Four 15.5cm K418(f) Field guns in open positions.
• Three 3.7cm Flak emplacements
• 150cm Searchlight named 'Artur'.
• Three MG311(f) in Renault FT17 tank Turrets.
• One 3.7cm Pak 36 Anti-tank gun
• Four fortress standard gun emplacements
• Four reinforced open emplacements
• Four type M151 personnel shelters
• Five type 512 ammunition bunkers
The below photos are from Batterie Moltke taken by the Germans in 1942 showing forced labourers, working under the control of Organisation Todt, building the site. Photos copyright and under licence of the Bundesarchiv.
Left, OT Slave and forced Labour camp Lager Mölders was found where St Georges estate is now in St Ouen. This camp held Spanish, Ukrainian & Russian. The Spanish were used in the construction of the site. This is the most likely site for the labours being used to construct the batterie.
The Guns
Batterie Moltke was designed for 4 15cm Naval Artillery Guns that never arrive. The Germans instead use four 155mm Captured French Artillery guns “Canon de 155 Grande Puissance Filloux” (GPF) designated by the Germans as the “K 418(f)”. These four guns arrived on the Island in early 1941 and two were placed Near Corbiere and two at Batterie Moltke. In 1943 all four are reunited at Moltke to complete the four gun Batterie. Where are they now? well, one was recovered from the Gun Graveyard in the 90’s and is on display at Gun Position Number 4. The other three are still at the bottom of the cliffs photos below.
Gun Specification
Weight: 13,000 kg (28,660 lbs)
Barrel length: 5.915 m (20 ft) L/38.2
Shell: separate-loading, cased charge. 43 kg (95 lb)
Caliber: 155 mm (6.10 in)
Recoil: 1.8m 10° to 1.1 28°
Carriage: split trail
Elevation: 0° to +35°
Traverse: 60°
Rate of fire: 2 rpm
Velocity: 735 m/s (2,411 ft/s)
Range: 12.5 Miles
The video is the best example we have of one of these French guns being fired. This is the US M12 155 mm Gun Motor Carriage. The M12 was a U.S. self-propelled gun developed during the Second World War. It mounted a 155 mm gun derived from the French Canon de 155mm GPF field gun
Gun Emplacement Number 1
Gun Emplacement Number 2
Gun Emplacement Number 3
The barrel is from Batterie Roon. In August 1944 British destroyer HMS Onslaught was attacking a German convoy. The convoy came within range of Batterie Roon. The Germans opened fire and HMS Onslaught withdrew. During this exchange, one of the 4 K532’s shells exploded in the breach killing 23-year-old Greman Anton Stützle. Five other members of his gun crew were injured.
Gun Emplacement Number 4
