Gun Battery Großer Kurfürste

Located at Cap Griz-Nez, at the narrowest point of the English Channel, the Germans built, at the start of the second World War, a gun battery consisting of four 280 mm. guns. The guns were placed in turrets, like on battleships and therefore had a 360 degree shotingfield.

The battery was named after a German naval officer who went down with his destroyer by Narvik in Norway in April 1940.

Throughout the war, the guns regularly fired shells against southeast England and was therefore obviously a priority target for the Allies. After the landings in Normandy (D-day) pushed the Allied forces along the coast to conquer the area. In addition to the harassment of Dover, the guns at Calais could prevented the Allies to shorten their supply line, by firing on allied shipping in the Channel.

As a last opportunity to make a difference, the British guns, that had participated in the cross channel bombardments, launched one last massive attack. The gun battery got several hits, but could continue to bombard the last bombardment of Dover and the advancing Allied troops.

From 16th September ontil October 1944 the area was under constant allied artillery fire and the guns at Großer Kurfürst was the only ones in the area that could shoot Inland and thereby answering the fire. On 24 September the connection to Gun Battery Todt was lost and with that the connection to the outside world. 29 September the Allies finally succeeded to capture the gun battery and with that, the last guns that could shoot for England.