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Armoured Coastal Batteries #30 and #35, commonly known in English as Maxim Gorky I and Maxim Gorky II, were
After the war, Maxim Gorky I was restored using the triple 305 mm gun turrets of the battleship Frunze, up-gunning it from 4 guns to 6, and upgraded with increased armour and a modern fire-control system. It remained in service until 1997 when it was mothballed, and the last time it fired its guns was in 1968, for the filming of the Soviet film "Sea on Fire" (). It reportedly can be reactivated in only 72 hours.
Maxim Gorky II was not fully restored, with parts of the fort being used for other coastal batteries until 1963, when the military officially abandoned the fort. It was further damaged in the 1980s and 1990s by salvagers and grave robbers. In 2007, it was made into a museum complex commemorating the sacrifice of its defenders. Funding was acquired via charity, primarily from Russian businessman Aleksei Chaly.
The History of Maxim Gorky-I Naval Battery, Sevastopol
World War II sites in Russia Coastal fortifications Military installations in Sevastopol Fortifications in Russia Fortifications in Ukraine Military history of Sevastopol
coastal batteries
Coastal artillery is the branch of the armed forces concerned with operating anti-ship artillery or fixed Artillery battery, gun batteries in coastal fortifications.
From the Middle Ages until World War II, coastal artillery and naval artillery ...
used by the Soviet Union
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
during the Crimean Campaign
The Crimean campaign was conducted by the Axis powers, Axis as part of Operation Barbarossa during World War II. The invading force was led by Nazi Germany, Germany with support from Kingdom of Romania, Romania and Fascist Italy, Italy, wh ...
of 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 ...
. The invading German forces nicknamed them after the famous Soviet author and political activist Maxim Gorky
Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (; ), was a Russian and Soviet writer and proponent of socialism. He was nominated five times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Before his success as an aut ...
.
Maxim Gorky I
Maxim Gorky I () was located east of Ljabimorka, at (north of Severnaya Bay which formedSevastopol
Sevastopol ( ), sometimes written Sebastopol, is the largest city in Crimea and a major port on the Black Sea. Due to its strategic location and the navigability of the city's harbours, Sevastopol has been an important port and naval base th ...
's harbor), and contained two twin gun turrets which could fire four 30.5 cm guns. Once the Germans had broken through the Perekop Isthmus
The Isthmus of Perekop, literally Isthmus of the Trench (; transliteration: ''Perekops'kyi pereshyiok''; ; transliteration: ''Perekopskiy peresheek,'' , ; ; transliteration: ''Taphros''), is the narrow, wide strip of land that connects the Cr ...
in October 1941, they advanced on Sevastopol but were confronted by Maxim Gorky I. They deployed the 80 cm rail gun Schwerer Gustav
Schwerer Gustav (English: ''Heavy Gustav'') was a German railway gun. It was developed in the late 1930s by Krupp in Rügenwalde as siege artillery for the explicit purpose of destroying the main forts of the French Maginot Line, the stronges ...
to destroy it. On June 6, 1942, heavy guns and Karl-Gerät
''Karl-Gerät'' (040/041) ( in German), also known as ''Mörser Karl'', was a World War II German Self-propelled gun, self-propelled siege Mortar (weapon), mortar (''Mörser'') designed and built by Rheinmetall. Its heaviest munition was a di ...
siege mortars managed to make direct hits on the battery which destroyed one of the gun turrets and damaged the other. None of these were successful in eliminating the Maxim Gorky I, however, and it was not until June 17 that it was put out of action by German assault engineers. According to the Soviets, the batteries guns ran out of ammunition, firing was forced to cease, and the fortification was subsequently blown up by the crew.
Maxim Gorky II
Maxim Gorky II (), which was armed with similar battleship turrets to Maxim Gorky I, was located on seaward cliffs on the southwest side of Sevastopol (. On July 4, Maxim Gorky II was taken after the Sapun positions were captured, making it the last major pre-war fortification to take part in a campaign.Post-War
After the war, Maxim Gorky I was restored using the triple 305 mm gun turrets of the battleship Frunze, up-gunning it from 4 guns to 6, and upgraded with increased armour and a modern fire-control system. It remained in service until 1997 when it was mothballed, and the last time it fired its guns was in 1968, for the filming of the Soviet film "Sea on Fire" (). It reportedly can be reactivated in only 72 hours.
Maxim Gorky II was not fully restored, with parts of the fort being used for other coastal batteries until 1963, when the military officially abandoned the fort. It was further damaged in the 1980s and 1990s by salvagers and grave robbers. In 2007, it was made into a museum complex commemorating the sacrifice of its defenders. Funding was acquired via charity, primarily from Russian businessman Aleksei Chaly.
Footnotes
External links
{{Commons category, Maxim Gorky FortressesThe History of Maxim Gorky-I Naval Battery, Sevastopol
World War II sites in Russia Coastal fortifications Military installations in Sevastopol Fortifications in Russia Fortifications in Ukraine Military history of Sevastopol