Coastal Gun Battery Fjell

The German battleship Gneisenau was badly damaged during an allied bombing raid at Kiel in 1942. Subsequently the main guns which consisted of 283 mm. triplets guns mounted in turrets, was used as part of the Atlantic wall. Gneisenau was scheduled later to have its armament upgraded to 380 mm. guns.

One of the old towers with three 283 mm. guns, was moved to the island Sotra in Fjell west of Bergen. The battery was blown in the mountain and consisted of everything from ammunition storage to hospital and accommodation. The guns were very modern. The shells weighed between 695 and 730 lb. and had an effective firing range of 24 miles.

In the summer of 1943 the guns were operational and could therefore solve their task, to protect the entrance to Bergen.

For the protection of the guns, there were built several anti-aircraft batteries and bunkers to close combat defense. All the work on the construction of the gun battery was primarily conducted by conscripted Russian prisoners of war.

By liberation in 1945 the Norwegian military took over the battery, which remained operational until 1968. The turret is now gone and there is a museum in this impressive facility.

A similar turret was placed at the Gun Battery Oerlandet, to protect the entrance to Trondheim. The third and last turret was damaged during the bombing, but the guns were individually listed in MKB Rozenburg at Hoek van Holland.

In Denmark, at the island of Fanø a gun battery with the midle guns from Gneisenau was used. It consisted of 150 mm. guns that were mounted in twin turrets.