Flak battery at Vareler Hafen

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The sea dike near Varel. The flak battery was located at the point where the right wood is today.

The heavy flak battery at Vareler Hafen was a bunkered position of the naval flak in the south of the Jade Bay during World War II .

Location and structure

The heavy flak battery at Vareler Hafen was located on the Vareler sea dike about 600 meters north of the Vareler lock . It consisted of four gun bunkers and a centrally located control room , as well as a machine bunker . South of the complex was a fortification which was built in 1914/15.

Organizational integration

Position of the flak batteries in the Wilhelmshaven section

The German Bight Coast Commander was responsible for the coastal defense . The battery belonged as part of the II. Marine Flakbrigade to the Wilhelmshaven section. The anti-aircraft battery belonged to Marine Flak division 222, whose anti-aircraft sub-group command south was at Vareler Hafen.

history

The facility served to protect the war port in Wilhelmshaven . The battery's high-level gun bunkers were completed in 1940. However, they were not armored because the southern section of Wilhelmshaven was secured by the flak batteries in Schweiburg , Dangast and the floating anti-aircraft battery Medusa . So that the other batteries in the section could be armed, the Varel battery was initially not removed.

It was not until February 1943 that the Wilhelmshaven air defense command requested reinforcement of the southern section of Wilhelmshaven. The reason for this decision was that enemy units now attacked the city even when the sun was out. At the same time, the Raederschleuse battery was reinforced and the batteries in Seefeld , Schweiburg and the floating anti-aircraft batteries Medusa and Arcona expanded, but this plan was only partially implemented. Since the Medusa was converted in Wilhelmshaven, its 10.5 cm anti-aircraft guns were used in Varel from July 25, 1943 to October 18, 1943. Shortly afterwards, four Arcona guns in Varel were used in a similar way until they were returned to service on January 24, 1944. After that there were no more heavy guns here, only a 3.7-cm SK and a 2-cm C / 30 flak. Due to its low use, the battery was colloquially known as "the silent battery".

literature

  • Friedrich August Greve: The air defense in the Wilhelmshaven section 1939-1945. 2nd Navy Flak Brigade. Hermann Lüers, Jever 1999, ISBN 3-9806885-0-X , pp. 141f.

Web links

  • Flakbatterie Vareler Hafen on www.luftschutzbunker-wilhelmshaven.de, with photographs.

Individual evidence

  1. a b c d Friedrich August Greve: The air defense in the Wilhelmshaven section 1939-1945. 2nd Navy Flak Brigade . Hermann Lüers, Jever 1999, ISBN 3-9806885-0-X , p. 141 f., 153 .
  2. ^ Friedrich August Greve: The air defense in the Wilhelmshaven section 1939-1945. 2nd Navy Flak Brigade . Hermann Lüers, Jever 1999, p. 48 .

Coordinates: 53 ° 24 ′ 56.5 "  N , 8 ° 11 ′ 3.9"  E