{{Infobox military installation , name = Battery Oldenburg , native_name = , partof =

Atlantic Wall The Atlantic Wall () was an extensive system of coastal defence and fortification, coastal defences and fortifications built by Nazi Germany between 1942 and 1944 along the coast of continental Europe and Scandinavia as a defense (military), d ...

, location =

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

Pas de Calais The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait, historically known as the Dover Narrows, is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, and separating Great Britain from continental ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, image = Battery Oldenburg 2013.JPG , image_size = 300px , caption = Battery Oldenburg 2013, Calais France , map_type = , map_size = , map_alt = , map_caption = , type = , coordinates = {{Coord, 50, 58, 33.47, N, 1, 54, 17.38, E, type:landmark_scale:1000_region:FR, display=inline,title , code = , built = 1941-1942 , builder =

Organisation Todt Organisation Todt (OT; ) was a Civil engineering, civil and military engineering organisation in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, named for its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior member of the Nazi Party. The organisation was responsible ...

, materials =

Concrete Concrete is a composite material composed of aggregate bound together with a fluid cement that cures to a solid over time. It is the second-most-used substance (after water), the most–widely used building material, and the most-manufactur ...

and

steel Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon that demonstrates improved mechanical properties compared to the pure form of iron. Due to steel's high Young's modulus, elastic modulus, Yield (engineering), yield strength, Fracture, fracture strength a ...

, height = , used = 1940-44 , demolished = , condition = Two casemates, in varied conditions with supporting bunkers , ownership = , open_to_public = Both casemates are open to public , controlledby = , garrison =

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...

, current_commander = , commanders = , occupants = , battles = , events = , image2 = , caption2 = Kriegsmarine Ensign Battery Oldenburg is a German artillery battery, built during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

as part of the

, and situated east of Calais. The battery began in 1940 with artillery guns in an open emplacement. The

built casemates around two 240mm guns during the war. Both casemates or Turms (towers) are 35 meters long and 15 meters high, positioned in a slight offset from each other to gain a broader range with both guns. Turm East and Turm West housed guns of Russian origin that were captured by the German army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and re-chambered by

Krupp Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...

from 255mm to 240mm. Battery Oldenburg Front 2013

Both casemates are 35 meters long and 15 meters high above ground level. The western of the two casemates, Turm West is two storeys deep, while the eastern casemate, Turm East, is three storeys deep. Besides the two casemates, battery Oldenburg has a combined fire control and hospital bunker, which still has a beautiful fresco and other paintings, ammunition bunkers and personnel bunkers. Behind the two casemates and fire control bunker is the barrack site used by Organisation Todt. The battery was under the command of the

section 2./MAA 244 from 1941 onwards. Battery Oldenburg was part of the coastal defence of the

Strait of Dover The Strait of Dover or Dover Strait, historically known as the Dover Narrows, is the strait at the narrowest part of the English Channel, marking the boundary between the Channel and the North Sea, and separating Great Britain from continental ...

and situated in the

Hellfire Corner Hellfire Corner was a junction in the Ypres Salient in the First World War. The road was the main supply route for the British Second Army in this sector that passed along the road from Ypres to Menin, the Menin Road. A section of the road was w ...

. Battery Oldenburg is also known as "le Moulin Rouge". Battery Oldenburg surrendered to Canadian forces in 1944.

References

* LandmarkScout.com - English language * Festungbauten.de - German language

External links

LandmarkScout - Battery Oldenburg; Heavy Defender on the Hellfire Corner

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places * Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony * Ol ...

Coastal fortifications Military history of the English Channel World War II defensive lines World War II in the Pas-de-Calais World War II sites in France World War II sites of Nazi Germany Nazi architecture

See also

References

External links