Shore Battery size?

[OSCS]

What is the size of a shore battery?

[invisible officer]

Hmm, we use historical ships, so we should use historical correct shore batteries.

There are enough sources for them. Not just “Guns of Navarone” Fantasy ones.

[elcee]

The Germans used about any gun for costal defence. The used captured tank turrets or obsolete tanks, AT Guns like Pak30 or Pak40 and finally large naval guns up to 40.6cm.

According to my books the “smallest” batteries consisted of 2 7.5cm guns in single mounts plus a bunker for fire control and maybe more support structures and some light aa guns. At least the smallest that are listed as battery.

The large batteries like the one on Gurnsey had 4 emplacements for single 30.5cm, with ammunition stores, plant rooms and crew accomodations for 70ish men. Though only the massive turrets of the guns were visible. Plus several buildings for firecontrol, again most of the buildings would have been underground, except the optical rangefinder and the “radar”. 9 2cm AA emplacements, 17 defensive emplacements (5 with mortars), 3 fieldguns and extra storage and accommondation buildings.
So think of a table worth of terrain….

So go for the smaller batteries, again there doesn’t need to be much visible, build 2-4 guns. Just look for pictures on the net or use warlords AT/FLAK bunker as a base (scaled down alot). If you want to go offshore look for IOs build of a Manusell fort.

[invisible officer]

Well, the small tank guns are just against landing craft, so not true coastal artillery.

The Channel Islands got well defended.
Guernsey (Marineart Abteilung 604)
Battery Mirus in SW: 4 Russian 30,5 cm naval guns in turrets with a Würzburg Riese Radar
Battery Straßburg in SE: 4 French 22 cm Long
Battery Steinbruch NE: 4 German 15cm C/28 (modern naval guns)
Battery Lothringen in W: 4 German 15 cm (modern naval guns)

Sark (under 604 control)a battery of three 8.8 cm

Alderney (Abteilung 605)
Battery St. Anne SW: 4 German 15 cm (modern naval guns)
Battery Elsaß N: 3x 17 cm (Old German naval guns)
Battery General Marcks: 4 10 cm covering the harbot entry. Old Tzech / KuK guns

Only Mirus had a Radar, the others only optical (Langbasis) range finder.
Protection was mostly with “Schartenbunker”. A concrete bunker with a long slit in front for the Barrel.
Limiting the traverse. At the long distances that “big” opening was hard to hit. But some had just a concrete protection without Overhead protection.

In addition Heeres coastal guns are mounted:
On Guernsey two and on Jersey one Battery of 10,5 cm Field howitzers
Guernsey,Jersey and Alderney one Battery of Long 15 cm guns each.
And Guernsey / Jersey some heavy French army guns.
—

Many anti landing guns from Heer at the strands. They lacked training in Long range anti ship firing.

[elcee]

Well, the small tank guns are just against landing craft, so not true coastal artillery.

Thats why i wrote costal defence, while not a costal artillery it sill might fit well in a scenario, without beeing stupidly powerful.

In general the question should be, what costal artillery or costal defence installation is useful in a Cruel Seas game?

(Personal opinion:)
1. close to the shoreline OR artifical islands
(for obvious reasons)
2. small caliber, prefeably direct fire
(so anything between 3.7cm to 10cm)
3. game balance and point cost?
(either create a scenario and/or add pointcost and hitpoints)

[invisible officer]

Hmmm, a nice option that needs no model (sorry Warlord) is the Dover strait.
Hellfire Corner was not nice for the coastal convois. Just 4 German ships got sunk by the Radar controled long range fire but many damaged. And S 184 was so damaged by near hits in late 44 that it had to be sunk by own Crew.

The German side sank just two Allied vessels but too damaged a lot. There were reported instances of merchant crews refusing to sail through the strait.

Many men got injured by splinters from near misses.

• This reply was modified 5 years ago by invisible officer.

[Chris Salander]

The rules for Shore batteries on page 47 specify 75mm. And a 25mm gun for protection against close assault, I guess. Pick spots on land (or the map edge) to shoot from. Sometimes the guns had searchlights.

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